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What are your thoughts on this interaction with a company I had interviewed with for an Executive Assistant position?

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Anonymous

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What are your thoughts on this interaction with a company I had interviewed with for an Executive Assistant position?

On 4/29, I submitted an online application for a remote Executive Assistant role for a cloud communications company based in Silicon Valley. By 5/19, I’d received an email from a recruiter of the company stating “the hiring manager for the role really liked your background and experience.”

My first interview with the company was with the recruiter on 5/24. After my interview, she suggested I’d move to the next round (round two of three) which was with the Hiring Manager. The recruiter said the third and final round would be to meet (virtually) the executives that I’d be supporting.

On Tuesday, 5/31, I met with the Hiring Manager for my virtual interview. She told me she saw my resume and wanted to speak to me about the role because she liked my background and experience. She then asked me to tell her about my time at my previous employer, which I did. Once done, she said to me, “I don’t know if you are going to want this role.” Her reason for that response (she said) was because I had done project work at my previous employer whereas this position is primarily administrative. I let her know immediately that I was fine with that.

Our conversation flowed easily and we had a great rapport (it felt like we did, anyway). The interview was scheduled for a half-hour but took 50 minutes, instead. At the end of the interview (and during), I let her know that I was interested in the role. As we said our “goodbyes,” she told me to reach out if I have any other questions or concerns but she didn’t mention “next steps.”

Within a few hours, I sent her a “Thank you” email to thank her for her time and to reiterate that “I am indeed interested in the role even though it is primarily administrative.”

On Friday, 6/3 (three days later), I received an email from their Talent Acquisition team stating the role had been filled.

I honestly don’t what to think. From the outside looking in, what are your thoughts?

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  1. Alexis Gladstone

    From what you described, it sounds like despite the rapport with the hiring manager, she acted on her instinct that you're too experienced for the role. You were probably one of several individuals being interviewed at the same time and they went with someone else.

    You never know. The hiring manager or recruiter might reach out for a different role in the future since she liked your background.

  2. Anonymous

    Thank you for your thoughts.

  3. Anonymous

    The hiring manager wanted someone who was double-down on the administrative function of this role, not someone who was settling. I know this wasn’t the intention of your follow up email but the wording could have been concerning to the hiring manager. TBH, if I received this note, I’d move on too. I’d want to see a candidate that was excited about the primary functions of the role, not someone who was just OK with the job description. They’re afraid you would have jumped ship quickly once you found another position that better fit your skill set. You’re seen as a retention risk. I’m sorry this happened, best wishes as you continue your search.

  4. Anonymous

    Thank you for responding with your thoughts. Honestly, I was very excited about the role - just didn't want to seem over eager by going overboard with excitement. I liked everything about the role and was told there would be projects added in the future. It was a win-win for me, I felt. I also like the products the company sells and uses so it was very easy for me to be excited about the organization. It felt like a good fit. It's hard to navigate the line between being very excited about a role and playing it cool. I don't want to come across as desperate.

  5. Anonymous

    I know it is disappointing bc you really wanted the job but try to see the situation from their angle. They saw your package and was impressed by it so much so to the point that they felt you were overqualified for the job. You must be thinking well if I told them I was okay with it, why didn’t they hire me? The reason is bc they are more concerned about efficiency and retention. They don’t want to worry about the fact that since you are overqualified for the position that you might hunt for other competitive positions matching your skillset. But don’t see it as a negative, see it as an opportunity to put out for more challenging positions. If they saw the spark in you. Others will too. Maybe this is your wake up call to look into more roles with more challenging responsibility and hire pay

  6. Anonymous

    Thank you. I appreciate your perspective.

  7. Anonymous

    Thank you and good luck I know you will succeed. Hang in there

  8. Anonymous

    Thank you!

  9. Anonymous

    Disappointing absolutely but you were not a fit so while you might think the interview was a success, the hiring manager made up her mind before the interview was over.

  10. Anonymous

    Thank you for commenting.

  11. Anonymous

    You did everything right.

    Some interviews are a compliance move when they have already hired or are expecting to hire from within.

    Inside tip: My brother was promoted recently and they still had to post the job.

    It’s not a great system, but that’s most likely what happened. Also, that woman’s myopic comment was a red flag anyway.

    Good luck moving forward.

  12. Anonymous

    Thank you for your comments. That is an awful system indeed! I am not sure why they don't stop the interview process once the role is filled. It would be less disappointing had I received an email prior to my interview informing me the role was filled than going through the process (the nerves, hoping I say the right thing and look the part) and receiving an email three days later stating it was (filled).

  13. Anonymous

    Agreed! This is why we have to remind ourselves that we are the asset and that interviews are two way streets. It’s hard not to take things personally - been there done that. Knowing how things work helps us to gain perspective and manage our emotions and expectations. Also agree with another poster’s comments about applying while overqualified. It is tricky, but culture and management style has much more to do with one’s desire to stay.

  14. JYJ

    If you're interested in joining the organization one day, I would send a note to the recruiter letting her know that while you're disappointed you weren't chosen, you want to reiterate your interest in working for them. Thank her again for her time. You could email her or send the message via a linkedin invite to connect. Hang in there!!

  15. Anonymous

    Thank you for posting your thoughts and suggestion. I appreciate it.

  16. Erika Spoden

    It sounds like they already knew who they wanted to hire and took the interview with you just to confirm to themselves that they had made the "right" choice. That comment about 'I don't know if you are going to want this role,' was just the interviewer's way of confirming out loud to herself that she had already found the candidate she was looking for. (IMHO, not very professional, as you of course want the job if you've gone through all the interviews!)

    Your immediate follow up and confirmation of your interest were absolutely the right things to do, and the fact that the interview took almost an hour when it was supposed to be 30 means that it was a substantive and probably memorable chat. I will hope for you that you are remembered for a future role, but for now just chalk it up to how you can learn something from every job interview.

  17. Anonymous

    Thank you so much. I appreciate your thoughts.

  18. Anonymous

    First- congratulations on making more than first round of interviews…Administrative role is typically the right-hand person handing all administrative items for an executive as such the “ideal” candidate would be one interested in making sure that executive had everything they needed to be successful. The hiring manager in the second interview most likely asked questions around the role requirements and may have felt that you may not be happy with the role not just in pay but opportunity longer term as well. It is difficult to manage someone they know is already well above the pay level provided so may have given you the opportunity of a lifetime to go find your true right company to work for and more appropriate pay range.

    2.Remember your top qualifications for hire and practice telling a hiring manager why those qualifications make you a fantastic fit for their company (note this requires that you have done your homework researching what makes that company thrive and what exactly aligns with your strengths)

    There are usually other candidates that may have even more qualifications but if you can show why you stand out from the rest it helps…it shows you have real interest In being part of their organization. Also, the second interview was where you are giving the hiring manager a feeling of how you would treat the executive once on board so think about that process as it did not make you stand out enough for that hiring manager to make you an offer so think about how you might have made the second interview more memorable for the hiring manager so they would feel compelled to get you into the company if not as an admin, possibly in another role. Most times the interviewer goes with who they felt really good about hiring after viewing all candidates regardless of what was on the resume.

    3.Increase your “landing an offer” success odds by not just applying to one company …with so many companies hiring …apply to many and save your last interview for the job you want the most… then you get practice …and you may have multiple offers in hand by then to negotiate a higher pay at the company you really want to work for

    Bottom line is you should maximize your chances for success and not worry about what happened but learn from it. Hiring managers are out there eager to interview you and if you do your homework on the companies you interview for, you will be prepared. Do not silo your future hire ability into one job role called administrator. Look at all positions open at the companies you admire and look at how long the job posting has been I filled. Some may have been waiting a long time just to find you and get a chance to bring you into the company!

    Also, never focus on the negative, especially when you are not sure why you were not given an offer…If you really liked that hiring manager keep in touch. As I know firsthand hiring managers that have had the opportunity to hire into the company previously turned down applicants.

    Enjoy your journey…you will find a great opportunity. Just because this one didn’t go as you had planned, doesn’t mean the next one will have the same end result. You are amazing, we can tell, so keep your search going and consider working with a recruiter or recruiting site as there are many great companies looking for top talent like you!

  19. Anonymous

    Thank you so much! I appreciate your insight, suggestions, and kind words.

  20. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

    You interviewed and they felt someone else was a better fit for the role.
    They sent you an email to close the loop. I'm not understanding what part of this specifically you're asking about. Can you please clarify?

  21. Anonymous

    Sure. It felt like something was off with some of her comments about the role but I didn't think anything of it because of the rapport we had. Then to receive the email informing me that the role had been filled on Friday when I had just spoken to her on Tuesday seemed rather swift to me and I wanted to get others' opinions on the interview.

  22. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

    I'd say that they had interviewed other candidates before you - and possibly additional candidates after you. I've worked in organizations where we can turn around post-interview feedback within 24 hours. There's nothing about this timeline that seems off to me.

  23. Anonymous

    Okay. Thank you again for chiming in. I appreciate it.

  24. Anonymous

    Despite your reassurance otherwise, the potential employer could have said, "nope, she's going to jump as soon as she finds something that closer aligns with her experience." Not saying that is what happened, but could be a possibility. Most likely scenario is that you weren't the only one they were interviewing and they decided to, for whatever reason, go with the the individual they felt best matched what they were looking for.

  25. Anonymous

    Thank you for your response.

  26. Anonymous

    There are a lot of gatekeeping gaslighters in our midst.
    Beware of some of these comments trying to make you feel this is run of the mill - and even if it is, that it’s perfectly ok.

    If you explained this to a five year old: They received your resume on 4/29 only to claim you wouldn’t like the role a month later and STILL put you through the hiring process.

    Some of these comments are protecting this behavior and it shows.

  27. Anonymous

    Thank you. I really appreciate your response.

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