For throwback Thursday, I thought it might be fun to tell a couple stories about my worst ever job interviews. The first one is funny in hindsight but the second one left a scar.
Here’s the first story: I was interviewing at a major fast food chain for a corporate marketing job. They flew me out to their corporate HQ for this interview so I knew I was pretty far in with them. But the minute I got off the plane, I started to feel horrible. By the next day – the day of the interview – I was just plain sick. With a fever. I really don’t remember a lot of that interview – I only remember concentrating on staying upright. It was just horrible! And no – I didn’t get the job. Can’t imagine why!
The second story is harder for me to tell. The interview was for a job that I really wanted. I mean I wanted it bad – I was a HUGE believer in their product and my franchise experience was perfect for them. Or so I thought. My interviewer was a 20 something person who probably shouldn’t have been allowed to be interviewing on her own. After the opening pleasantries, she said to me – and I quote – “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Google Analytics but you’ll be required to use it.” So a couple of things here – I was obviously older than her so it seemed VERY patronizing. And second, at the top section of my resume, I listed that I had certifications for both Google Analytics and Google AdWords. So not only was she patronizing but she also clearly hadn’t read my resume.
When I interview, I am always prepared – not only do I read up on the company but I also find out as much as I can about the interviewer. And when I have interviewed people to hire in the past, I generally have notes written on their resumes for questions to ask but I’ve also read up on them as much as possible – at least on LinkedIn. So that last story has left a scar. I know there is ageism out there now – so as I go into interviews now, I’m a little sensitive about it.
Just because I have deep experience doesn’t mean I’ve slowed down. It doesn’t mean I don’t learn fast. And it doesn’t mean I won’t perform. I need a new challenge.
Do you have a bad interview story? Tell it in the comments!
Learn Or Do 