What I got when I didn't get the job

A few weeks ago, I saw what I thought was my DREAM JOB being advertised. In a hurry, I printed off the job description and person spec requirements and was giddy to see that I seemed to tick all / most of the boxes. I thought the criteria for said dream job would be strict. As in, super-challenging, no chance, keep on dreaming.

After reading the best book ever around 6 months ago, my job-seeking mind was forever changed. I now understand that job-hunting is more about life hunting than just finding a job that works around your financial goals. The job hunt should MOSTLY be about doing research for yourself: figuring out whether this is the job FOR YOU - and if it suits your life/lifestyle and uses your favorite skills and knowledge. Will everything about this job make you happy and keep you excited? The manager, the environment, the workload, the challenges - these should always be on your mind while job-hunting because they are almost more important and will make a greater impact on your life than actually getting and doing the job. Just think about how many hours a day/week/month/year we put in to our jobs...it is so important to make sure you're investing in the right job for you.

The book includes some fascinating statistics such as success rates for job-hunting:

• Looking for employers’ job-postings on the Internet = 4-10% success rate
• Answering local newspaper ads = 5-24% success rate
• Going to private employment agencies or search firms for help = 5-28% success rate
• Asking for job-leads from family & friends = 33% success rate
• Knocking on the door of an employer, whether they have a vacancy or not = 47% success rate
• Doing extensive homework on yourself = 86% success rate

It should be no surprise to you that half of the book is dedicated towards helping you do the super hefty, in-depth, dreaded homework on yourself. But as you can see from the stats above, it's worth it. And you'll find that homework invaluable during an interview. 

Thanks to my book, I understood that I needed to do research on the job, the Trust, the environment and everything else to know if it was suitable for me. I got in touch with the recruiting manager and current post-holder to find out more about the role, the expectations, challenges, etc and coincidentally it was when I was on the phone with the current post-holder that I received the invitation to interview! I let the research continue. I read into the programme, the trust and the bases to know as much as I could (for personal investment and also for interview preparation, which proved handy as they did ask what I knew!). 

I also learned how to fully prepare. Beyond doing the research on them and the homework on myself, I studied potential interview questions and perfected my answers. I asked experts for advice and asked what kind of questions they have been asked. Having all of this prep under my belt, I felt confident. But as each day got closer, I had to keep reminding myself to stay calm and relaxed as I could feel the anxiety creeping in. This preparation was starting to remind me of the way you feel just before you get on a scary ride. You get in the long line knowing you still have a long time before you have to start worrying about getting on. As it gets closer though, the butterflies come and you're excited. and scared. During the ride you're still scared, but having a blast and you get off the ride saying "let's do that again!" I was crossing my fingers that the end of the interview would be similar. 

The morning of the interview is when the magic happened.

It's when I realised I couldn't have actually been more prepared than I already was. 

I arrived half an hour early and walked around the building for about 15 minutes rehearsing the answers to "tell us about yourself, tell us why you want this job and tell us what you know about us." 

And then during my walk into the building, I surprised myself by giving myself an unexpected pep-talk. I don't think I'd ever done one of these before, but I was glad I did because it really helped. I told myself what I already knew. That I was well-prepared. Well-rehearsed. To relax, to just be myself and let everything naturally unfold. 

The interview went well. I was confident that I had said what I wanted to and also felt that I made the impression I wanted to. I left feeling positive and proud of all my hard work. And for some reason, I was less nervous about this phone call than any other. (I think because I'd done my best).

Although I didn't get the job in the end (I was told that I was their top choice all day until the last candidate who was internal with more managing experience in the Trust), I reminded myself to stay positive. I reminded myself -
That we remember the scary stuff. That if you're not failing, then you're not trying hard enough. 

That it was a great experience for me from beginning to end. 

That I had the opportunity to meet new people and learned more about myself, the trust and the programme. 

That I now had the experience of one more interview under my belt which will hopefully show in my next. 

That I know how to give myself an effective pep talk!

That I still received great feedback.

That despite being a popular post with lots of interest, I was shortlisted, interviewed, AND their top choice for most of the day!! 

So, all in all, although heartbreaking for a while, it was a good lesson and great experience.