back to the beginning

Well, it appears I screwed up interview #11 in spite of my best efforts. I'm back to the start. No prospects. No  interviews lined up.

It's weird because this interview actually went well. I even wanted this job. I had real reason to be there. There were two case interviews along with a resume walk-through, followed by a writing exercise.

Here are some possible reasons why I didn't get the job:

1. Humoring me. I only got the initial phone interview because of an email I sent to a previous recruiter for a different position. Maybe they never intended to hire me at all, but just wanted to give me a good impression of the company as a whole? Still, that would have cost them probably around $500 total for my interview. They did pay for it, luckily, so I got a good trip to D.C. out of the whole ordeal.

2. School snobbery. Okay, my school wasn't "top-tier," but it's pretty darn good. Is it my fault that the Ivies didn't want me? I was valedictorian, dude. I think the reason I didn't get into the Ivies was that I followed the "formula" that the guidance department prescribed to a tee. I studied my butt off, participated in a bunch of clubs, held leadership positions, did community service. Dang, I was a beast in high school.



3. I'm delusional and the interview actually went really poorly. Maybe I just have no idea what a good interview looks like. It seemed like we were getting along. I had answers for every question -- surprisingly eloquent answers as opposed to my usual garble. The case interviews were a lot easier than I expected them to be. The interviewers gave me cues like "Yes, very good," and "anything else?" And I would answer them with something else. My solutions closely resembled the actual solutions they came up with for their cases. I asked informed questions because I had done a lot of research on the company. When it was done, I shook hands with them, and then followed up a few days later via e-mail. I said thanks and told them why I'd be really good at the job.

4. Better matches. Granted, I only graduated last year and am pretty young for the company. They do hire people right out of college, but maybe there were just more people with more experience and more compelling reasons to work there. Maybe, but I don't buy it. I'm awesome! (Let me brag a little to boost my wounded ego).

5. Fate. It just wasn't meant to be.

It's too bad because I had just made peace with the idea of moving to D.C. And right when I had quelled my anxieties about moving to a completely new town with no friends, I get the generic rejection e-mail. I thought that once and for all I would have a change of luck. I feel like giving up right now, but I won't.