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I was rejected because I told my interviewer I never make mistakes
Originally posted to Ask A Manager
Thanks to u/Lynavi for suggesting this BoRU
Original PostĀ Feb 13, 2024
I was rejected from a role for not answering an interview question.
I had all the skills they asked for, and the recruiter and hiring manager loved me.
I had a final round of interviews ā a peer on the hiring team, a peer from another team that I would work closely with, the director of both teams (so my would-be grandboss, which I thought was weird), and then finally a technical test with the hiring manager I had already spoken to.
(I donāt know if it matters but Iām male and everyone I interviewed with was female.)
The interviews went great, except the grandboss. I asked why she was interviewing me since it was a technical position and she was clearly some kind of middle manager. She told me she had a technical background (although she had been in management 10 years so itās not like her experience was even relevant), but that she was interviewing for things like communication, ability to prioritize, and soft skills. I still thought it was weird to interview with my bossās boss.
She asked pretty standard (and boring) questions, which I aced. But then she asked me to tell her about the biggest mistake Iāve made in my career and how I handled it. I told her Iām a professional and I donāt make mistakes, and she argued with me! She said everyone makes mistakes, but what matters is how you handle them and prevent the same mistake from happening in the future. I told her maybe she made mistakes as a developer but since I actually went to school for it, I didnāt have that problem. She seemed fine with it and we moved on with the interview.
A couple days later, the recruiter emailed me to say they had decided to go with someone else. I asked for feedback on why I wasnāt chosen and she said there were other candidates who were stronger.
I wrote back and asked if the grandboss had been the reason I didnāt get the job, and she just told me again that the hiring panel made the decision to hire someone else.
I looked the grandboss up on LinkedIn after the rejection and she was a developer at two industry leaders and then an executive at a third. She was also connected to a number of well-known C-level people in our city and industry. Iām thinking of mailing her on LinkedIn to explain why her question was wrong and asking if sheāll consider me for future positions at her company but my wife says itās a bad idea.
What do you think about me mailing her to try to explain?
UpdateĀ June 12, 2024
Thank you for answering my question.
I read some of the comments, but donāt think people really understood my point of view. Iām very methodical and analytic, which is why I said I donāt make mistakes. Itās just not normal to me for people to think making mistakes is okay.
I did follow your advice to not mail the grandboss on LinkedIn, until I discovered she seems to have gotten me blackballed in our field. Despite numerous resume submissions and excellent phone screens, I have been unable to secure employment. I know my resume and cover letter are great (Iāve followed your advice) and during the phone screens, the interviewer always really likes me, so itās obvious sheās told all her friends about me and Iām being blackballed.
I did email her on LinkedIn after I realized what sheād done, and while she was polite in her response, she refused to admit sheās told everyone my name. She suggested that itās just a ātough job marketā and there are a lot of really qualified developers looking for jobs (she mentioned that layoffs at places like Twitter and Facebook), but it just seems too much of a coincidence that as soon as she refused to hire me, no one else wanted to hire me either.
I also messaged the hiring manager on LinkedIn to ask her to tell her boss to stop talking about me, but I didnāt receive a response.
Iām considering mailing some of her connections on LinkedIn to find out what sheās saying about me, but I donāt know if it would do any good.
Iām very frustrated by this whole thing ā I understand that she didnāt like me, but I donāt think itās fair to get me blackballed everywhere.
Iāve been talking to my wife about going back to school for my masters instead of working, but sheās worried it will be a waste of money and wonāt make me any more employable. Iāve explained that having a masters is desirable in technology and will make me a more attractive candidate, but sheās not convinced. If you have any advice on how to explain to her why itās a good idea, I would be grateful.
THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP
DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP's OR COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS, REMEMBER - RULE 7
"I don't make mistakes" he said, actively making a mistake.
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