Has this ever happened to you?

Anonymous

May 20,2023 at 4:08PM UTC

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Has this ever happened to you? I interviewed for a contract IT Project Management position yesterday. It was at a company I had previously had a gig as a consultant and was also hired as an employee in a different division. I was at the company a total of about 6 years and left in 2017. But it felt like the interview was over before it began. The hiring manager was negative and pointed out objections to hiring me even though I have all of the skills he was looking for. I even had a former peer who was still at the company contact the hiring manager prior to my interview to vouch for me. Not sure what to think as I believe the hiring manager was showing unconscious bias for two reasons: 1) I'm a woman in a male dominated field (not as an IT PM but in the industry), and 2) My age. The reason behind me drawing this conclusion is that there are some applications that are being used there that are very specific to the industry and the HM doesn't think I'm competent enough to learn or understand. It was an awful experience and I'm 95% certain I'm not getting the job. Been out of work for 8 months and was hopeful but now that I've met the HM am discouraged.

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AnonymousMay 20,2023 at 7:45PM UTC
Aww, big hugs to you.
Big loss for this company. Even though you may have dodged a bullet, it still is not a good feeling to be in the situation that you described. Even so, all is not lost. The right opportunity is out there and may come from a different route. (For the record, I do have experience with both age and gender bias in tech so wholeheartedly understand. It's always been my belief (backed by hearing back later) that these individuals/businesses don't fare well later on.)
With that, do you have any tech-related meetups near you? I recently attended one and it was so welcoming. The organizer actually told us about a new job opening in his small company and shared that with us.
Additionally, you have a cornucopia of skills as an IT Project Manager. Can you use those as a consultant in the interim? Although originally hired as a web designer for a project, I was really hired to communicate the project scope with the dev team as the small business did not have the patience or understanding to work with them. Small businesses have tech needs and are often too busy to learn or don't have an interest.
Lastly, please follow Workhap on IG as he has so many great tips on interviewing, etc from a recruiter's perspective.
Best of luck to you and I wish you all the best.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMay 20,2023 at 9:29PM UTC
I'm really sorry to hear this was your interview experience but I promise you, this was a bullet dodged. This is exactly the kind of boss we read about on this site every day - not being supportive of their employees, undermining their employees, etc.
This also may not have been you. You had someone in the company vouch for you. Do you know for sure the relationship between your friend and the person who interviewed you? Sometimes there is bad blood or perceived issues between people, between departments or groups, etc. That recommendation could have possibly worked against you, instead of for you.
I know you've been out of work for a long time. Please don't be discouraged. The right opportunity is out there for you.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Terrie McWhorterMay 22,2023 at 2:57PM UTC
with your experience with the hiring manager....is that really a place that you want to be working??? If you are intuitive enough to know that the HM didn't like you, why not send him an email and state your case? I always follow up an interview with a thank you CARD. YOu can send that thank you and say, I noticed that you didn't seem quite confident in my abilities, but I am confident that I am the best person for the position and you couldn't go wrong hiring me. Then you have taken an extra chance to get how you felt in AND it is like answering an additional question in the interview.
AnonymousMay 22,2023 at 7:16PM UTC
Hi Terrie, OP here. Yes! That is exactly what I did. But I'm not so sure I want to be working there as the energy was negative. I'm fairly certain I'm not getting an offer based on the attitude of the hiring manager though.