Interviewing Suggestions for Recent MBA Graduate that has had Negative Experiences so far

Question

Hi.  I am a recent MBA graduate that is searching for my next opportunity within marketing.  I have over 12 years of experience in marketing but it has mostly been in publishing or catalogs (more direct marketing with little digital influence).  I'm getting some interviews and even making it to the the last round in most of them.  The problem is that my interviewers say how much the like me and are comfortable in the interviews but they always pick the other person.  I am worried that it will start having a negative impact on future interviews.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this?  Also if anyone knows of any marketing opportunities out there for a recent MBA graduate I would greatly appreciate it.

Confident Career Woman · Answer

Ask questions during the interview such as 'Is there anything you believe I've missed that would hinder me from performing in this role once hired? I'll be more than happy to elaborate and answer additional questions you have.'  Beyond the interview, it may be challenging to receive specific feedback that will help you improve your interviewing skills if that's where your challenge lies. Lastly, if you haven't participated in a mock interview, I highly recommend it.

jess2means · Answer

I would look at it in a grounded way - they realize you wouldn't be a good fit and they passed on you.  You may not have been a good fit because of your experience, or someone on the team decided they didn't like the shirt you wore, or the hiring manager is too critical.

I recently went through interviewing and accepting a job that should have been ideal.  It was a title change, better pay, and ample opportunities for me.  I passed all the interviews without issue and got hired quickly.  Within my first week it became apparent that my hiring manager didn't actually want to hire me - he was pressured by HR because he is and I quote after sitting in on a few interview panels before I left 'too picky, you need to pick someone'.

What that too-picky resulted in was a toxic work environment that I could never quite navigate.

Your industry may simply be booming right now and there are a lot of qualified - equal to you - candidates.  I would never think that my nearly getting picked, but not getting picked, would have a detriment to my career choices.  You only get more experience and more comfortable with interviews the more you do.

I have flagged my LinkedIn as looking for work.  Have you done this?  How does your LinkedIn profile compare to others in your industry?  How fresh is your resume?  Sometimes we get overlooked for simple reasons.

Katie Malone · Answer

Is there a way or would you feel comfortable asking why you didn’t get an offer for the last job you interviewed for? I would reach out to HR of whatever the last co was & just ask if the hiring manager had any feedback. You also may want to work with a recruiter... maybe you’re not applying for ideal jobs for your experience. 
Best of luck. The job market can be brutal.

Sari Gordon Zimberg · Answer

I can relate to your post. I'm also a marketing MBA looking for a new opportunity and finding it quite difficult. There is a wife range of opportunities available and it seems that my experience is what they are looking for, however, someone else's always ends up being a bit closer. I also worked in publishing for 3 years prior to going back for my MBA. It doesn't help that my recent experience has been in automotive. I'm currently seeking a new opportunity in the metro Detroit area. I'm open to connecting!

Mathieu Dutour · Answer

As other have said you unfortunately cannot get feedback for legal reasons. I do not think the interviewer are speaking between themselves and that your lack of success has side impact.

That being said, rethink are needed. Try to guess what went wrong. If digital is your known weakness, try to improve as much as possible.

Interviewing Suggestions for Recent MBA Graduate that has had Negative Experiences so far

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