You’re Perfect for the Job, Except…

Last year I went on multiple interviews for six different consulting assignments. It’s kind of strange to go on interviews when your profession revolves around teaching others how to interview. It’s often a humbling experience and sometimes I don’t even take my own advice. I thought I was perfect for each of these roles. But my definition of perfect didn’t always jive with the hiring manager’s. My skills were never in question, however, there are a lot of circumstances that affect the hiring manager’s decision besides competency. Sometimes I couldn’t see past those obstacles. Here are a few of the tapes that were playing in my head as I interviewed for different positions. Do any of these sound like you?

1. I should be a shoo-in. The first position sounded perfect. The organization was looking for someone to do job search training with a focus on social media tools. No one in their current organization had any knowledge on how to leverage these tools in a job search and I had many stories of success to prove my expertise in this area. I went though multiple interviews and everyone assured me that the final interview with the CEO was just a formality. And while I hit it off with everyone, the company decided to go in a different direction shortly thereafter and there never was an offer. I guess I didn’t fit in with the company’s rebranding strategy.
2. I’m a quick learner. This opportunity had me both excited and neurotic for a good month. The project was a huge undertaking and had the potential to catapult me to a new level professionally. My credentials and track record as a career professional moved me into the final round of interviews. But I had never done exactly what the employer wanted me to do and didn’t have an existing infrastructure to support it. And even though I’d mapped out every nuance of every operational scenario, in the end it wasn’t enough to convince the hiring authority that I was the right person to come in and hit the ground running.
3. I’m perfect for this role…with a few minor adjustments. Next I interviewed for a role that played to all of my strengths…resume writing, coaching, training…it looked like a “no brainer” to me. But the hiring manager was looking for a greater time commitment than I could offer. I tried to massage the position to give him what he needed in a compressed time frame but that just didn’t work with his company’s corporate culture.
4. Of course you’ll hire me…you really need me. The next opportunity was to do some operational consulting and service delivery for a firm that was branching out in a new direction that involved career services. The business model sounded perfect and I thought I was surely the right person to help bring the new service to fruition. But the sales team quickly realized that the sales cycle for the product will take much longer than their original predictions, so I’m still waiting for my first assignment to materialize.
5. I know I don’t look like what you are used to…so what’s the problem? Next I was interviewed by a CEO to deliver a fairly large service contract. At the same time he was interviewing professionals from Fortune 500 firms.  He couldn’t get past the fact that my business was a boutique firm and he decided he was more comfortable with a bigger name firm.
6. I can do this job and I can prove it to you. The last opportunity was to blog on jobs and careers for a major online site.  Sure, I had my standard resume to prove my knowledge base, but what won me the job was my blog. My blog was the most authentic example of what I can do. It proved I had the technical chops for the job but more importantly it proved my commitment and passion. I was a fit. I started blogging for AOL Jobs and Careers in December. It’s a good fit and I’m really enjoying it. It was well worth the wait.

It is rare these days to have an interview process that is straightforward and linear. What looks like a slam dunk often isn’t and what you thought was the gig of your dreams might not really be the right fit at the moment. View each interview as a learning experience and practice for the next interview. Forget about being liked by everyone…it’s not about being liked…it’s about fitting in. And if you don’t get the job, there may be a good reason why, even if you can’t see it right away. The right job will come…and both you and the employer will know it when it happens.