I interviewed for a role that I really wanted.

44 Comments

1. Heather (she/her)August 9,2023 at 1:18PM UTC

   Honestly, it sounds to me like you dodged a bullet. What a nightmare metric to apply to an interview! And the fact that they didn't prepare you for that metric ... it's a bunch of red flags. I'm sorry you didn't have the experience that you wanted, but I think you might have lucked out if you didn't get the role, since it sounds like they're putting some toxic parameters around the work at such an early stage.

2. AnonymousAugust 9,2023 at 3:22PM UTC

   I agree.
   If they had a limit of xx on time, it should have been discussed. Then you could have altered your presentation accordingly.

   I think your presentation was fine other than the red flag they raised

3. AnonymousAugust 9,2023 at 1:26PM UTC

   You probably did much better than you think.

   Either way, this pressure cooker style of presentation is not a great way to evaluate a candidate so your interview portion I'm sure let your skill shine through.

4. AnonymousAugust 9,2023 at 1:39PM UTC

   You're always going to be your own worst critic. You probably did better than you expected. Anytime a presentation is in an interview process there's always a sense of timing and impact. While practicing I would suggest being aware of timing and interaction for it and always plan a condensed/acceptable version and then a version with what I refer to as "added vision for the role" in case you need more in the moment. In any interview nervousness is taken into consideration, I can't imagine that not to be true. It can impact, but it's NOT the biggest reason if you are not chosen to move forward in the process. UNLESS it's a PR position or a role where you are a People Leader role like Chief People Officer, etc. In my experience.

5. AnonymousAugust 9,2023 at 1:46PM UTC

   RUN if they offer you the job. First, it was rude for them to tell you of you went over the time they would cut you off. Secondly if they're putting tight time metrics during the interview stage imagine the metrics that will be placed on your work deliverables.

6. Marcia SmithAugust 9,2023 at 2:48PM UTC

   Yes..run from that opportunity. It is likely a very toxic workplace. Something better will come along

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 9,2023 at 5:11PM UTC

   I'm sorry you had this interviewing experience. It was most unprofessional on their part.

   Why in the world were they timing your presentation? Is presenting presentations on a timed basis something that would be part of the position?

   This is a huge red flag for me. IF they were going to be timing your presentation, you should have been informed of that up-front so you could have created the presentation around those time constraint parameters.

   I would take this as indicator of what it would be like to work there. We read posts on here all the time that start with "I should have known what it would be like to work there when x happened during the interview process...."

   Now you know. Bullet dodged.

8. Cynthia BlumAugust 10,2023 at 12:45PM UTC

   In many direct sales roles you only have a certain amount of time to demo a product for the customer and it's important to practice your timing to ensure you are hitting all the key points in the time allotted. This is something we do in training but it's definitely not something I've ever done in an interview. Though I do factor in how succinct a candidate in the interview in the hiring process if that's important for the specific role.

9. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 10,2023 at 4:50PM UTC

   Is there any indication this is for a direct sales role? If the candidate was interviewing for a direct sales role and had experience in a direct sales role, I doubt "This completely threw me and I panicked. " would be her response to learning she was being timed and would be cut off.

   If any event, the company has every right to lay out their interview process however they want but it is unprofessional to not inform candidates of the parameters they will be working within. Especially, if they're having them create a presentation that could easily be tailored to those parameters if the candidate had been notified.

10. AnonymousAugust 10,2023 at 5:10PM UTC

    Seriously, Joan? The poster was relaying HER experience. What a harsh reply from you.

11. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 10,2023 at 7:18PM UTC

    I'm not sure how/why pointing out that the company was unprofessional in creating another hoop for the OP to jump through in the interview process would be harsh.

    Interviewing is tough enough and stressful enough on candidates as it is without companies adding additional conditions to the process.

12. Argelia AlonsoAugust 12,2023 at 3:21PM UTC

    Yes, that is the way a professional company conducts an interview.

13. AnonymousAugust 9,2023 at 7:53PM UTC

    Wether you messed up or not, the interview can not be changed.

    Take it as a lesson. Practice improvisation, learning a speech is certain to throw you off, it’s a crutch & rehearsed. Key points, understanding the key points are effective with keeping you on track & the overall flow.

14. AnonymousAugust 10,2023 at 12:25PM UTC

    We all blow it sometimes. If you don’t get the job just assume it wasn’t meant to be. The right job will come along.

15. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netAugust 10,2023 at 12:29PM UTC

    I was once told by a client that they do not hire the nervous. They believe that if the candidate cannot manage his/her nerves on the interview, they will never be able to manage the stress of the job. Only passing on what I was told and yet I have found this to be true--it is hard to place the nervous.

16. GirlBossanova934974August 10,2023 at 1:06PM UTC

    In the future, ALWAYS ask who your audience is going to be and how long the presentation is allowed to go. Interview or no interview. Set up ground rules. A) Questions have to be held to the end OR B) Questions can be asking during the presentation. When you are given 30 minutes, carve out the presentation to end at 20 minutes so this is 10 minutes for Q&A. Make sure your slides are easily readable, not too much detail, and make some assumptions. 3-5 minutes per slide. Err on the conservative side. If you run fast on the presentation, no big deal. Be sure you have a good summary slide at the end. IF you are unsure of your presentation skills, ALWAYS insist questions be held to the end.

17. AnonymousAugust 10,2023 at 2:58PM UTC

    They should have set the ground rules ahead of time from their end, but next time definitely ask ahead of time. As a manager myself who hired within the last year, I definitely took into consideration nervousness when assessing candidates and wouldn't write someone off for that alone. Hopefully another better opportunity will come your way and you'll have a more positive interview experience! Best of luck!

18. Amy Carissa OliverAugust 11,2023 at 12:13PM UTC

    Same! I work in a very complicated field and a candidate mixed up something during their interview. Another panelist brought it up later and was really stuck on that and I said, “are you really going to punish the candidate for a flub that was obviously an error caused by being nervous when you spelled my name wrong twice this week?” The nervous candidate got the job.

    Nervousness happens. I still hope you (OP) get the job but as this poster said, I hope a better opportunity comes along.

19. Digital_DivaAugust 10,2023 at 4:03PM UTC

    Anyone can get nervous, especially in a public speaking situation when a job you really want is on the line! Most of the time people are sympathetic to nerves in a speaker, and those speaking overestimate how nervous they seemed. At any rate, I wouldn’t beat myself up about it. If they don’t offer you the job, I would look at it as a blessing in disguise. I believe that what is truly yours will be yours and nothing can stand in the way of it. So if this is your job, you will have it. If not, something better and more suited to you will come along. God has a plan for every one of us.

20. AnonymousAugust 10,2023 at 4:09PM UTC

    Are you sure you want to work at a company where they so tightly time box your work? This seems a bit bizarre to me and I have been working in TA for many many years. It's fine to say the limit is X time but to say they will cut you off seems particularly horrific. I hope you find a better place where you don't have to suffer such anxiety even before they hire you, NEXT!

21. Angelica Alvarez-IbarraAugust 10,2023 at 4:19PM UTC

    I don’t know, I feel like when the interview process isn’t a positive experience, that’s a sign that maybe it wouldn’t be an ideal place to work. While I understand employers need to see what you can do, there are poor ways of doing it.

22. Argelia AlonsoAugust 12,2023 at 3:14PM UTC

    Yes. Agreed. It shows unprofessionalism and lack of empathy.

23. Mary BalmerAugust 10,2023 at 4:31PM UTC

    Perhaps include in your thank you letter your continued interest in the position. Include any additional information you wanted to present during the interview but did not get to. These would be used to further enforce your qualification for the position.

24. Nicole HowardAugust 11,2023 at 3:37PM UTC

    Thank you letter. What is that? I've never heard of it.

25. Brigette WildsAugust 11,2023 at 4:50PM UTC

    Are you serious? You should send an individualized thank you to each interviewer.

26. Mary BalmerAugust 11,2023 at 7:10PM UTC

    It was a suggestion to the OP. She was upset for mucking up an interview. Perhaps in this case something more than the basic thank you for the interview would help.

27. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 7:51PM UTC

    Agree with you, Mary. Thank you notes to at least the lead interviewer is always appropriate. Even if they end up in the trash, it is a polite gesture and shows the candidate has good manners.

28. Argelia AlonsoAugust 12,2023 at 3:12PM UTC

    Yes.

29. Mary BalmerAugust 11,2023 at 7:09PM UTC

    Even my 24 year old son sends thank you email after interview. Is it not done anymore?

30. Argelia AlonsoAugust 12,2023 at 3:12PM UTC

    I recommend doing it. It shows responsibility and integrity.

31. Argelia AlonsoAugust 12,2023 at 3:11PM UTC

    It is a letter, where you thank the employer for considering you for the position. You may also ask them if there is anything else that they require from you at this time. It shows the employer that, you follow through and are responsible.

32. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 12:15PM UTC

    Knowing you work and being able to present it under stressful conditions are two completely different things.

    The harsh truth is your interviewers wanted to see how you handle pressure. While I do not know the position you were interviewing for, imagine if you had to present to a major client. How you you behave? Your interviewers have a right to know this.

    Being able to handle stress is a critical skills when it comes to career management.

33. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netAugust 12,2023 at 6:15PM UTC

    I totally agree with this. They are not looking for average--they are looking for excellent who can function under time restraints and pressure. This is not the place for her.

34. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 1:52PM UTC

    II dont have a job that requires me to present to demanding audiences, so take this with a grain of salt, but I treat artificial interview pressure and stress tests as a huge red flag for overall corporate attitude and avoid companies that do this kind of thing. Its emotional incompetence. A bit of a power trip (or complete lack of empathy) in a situation (hiring) where the power balance is already heavily weighted toward the employer.

35. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 2:21PM UTC

    The recruiter should have told you the presentation was timed!!1 This is shocking behvaiour. Next time when you are requested to do a presentation ask "how long do you have to present it". Presentations are timed so interviewees don't waffle on (here in the United Kingdom). I read that you really wanted the job, it is important to remember just because you really wanted, sometimes it doesn't always go that way. You may think you are really suitable for the job but the interviewer has the last say. Having worked in HR and sat on interviews there are several factors why candidates are chosen for job

36. Leslie MillsAugust 11,2023 at 3:44PM UTC

    Announcing that your interview will be timed is a tactic guaranteed to create stress for the applicant. Why are they timing you? Is this a preview of the way this organization conducts business? It is outrageous! Does anyone actually want to hire people?

    I personally would not accept such an interview. My time is just as valuable as anyone else’s.

    Best of luck to you. Something better is waiting for you.

    Leslie

37. Montoya EvansAugust 11,2023 at 3:52PM UTC

    Now that you know how unsettling this company can be for their candidates and possibly employees, do you really want to work there?

    Remember when you are interviewing, you are also interviewing them. They need you, too.

38. Liz MilneAugust 12,2023 at 2:46AM UTC

    Excellent point - they clearly told OP to make a presentation, why not add that there would be a time limit on it at the same time so she could practice it to the time limit? Bit mean, for sure...

39. Argelia AlonsoAugust 12,2023 at 3:07PM UTC

    I completely agree. Your health, work life balance are surely more important! And, always remember, during an interview you are interviewing the employer as well.

40. AnonymousAugust 11,2023 at 7:00PM UTC

    Sadly, if I was interviewing a candidate and they mucked up the presentation, that would be it. That's because I hired people whom I needed to be comfortable in front of an audience. If the presentation was more about your knowledge than their needing you to present, they might take nerves into account if the content was good. It depends on the role and the manager and how the rest of your day went.

41. Janet ParkhurstAugust 12,2023 at 3:39AM UTC

    Wow. This is a highly interesting situation. I tend to agree with almost all of the responses, but still think the decent thing on the part of the interviewers would have been to let you know of the time limit FROM THE GET-GO. Or, if they wanted to see how you would perform under stress, i.e., a suddenly limited-time presentation, they could have asked for a normal presentation AND a shortened, cut-to-the-chase, present the points only and get out kind of deal.

    As an advertising copywriter, I had to write scripts for radio and television spots, videos and even customer-service/sales pitches. I was always told how many seconds/minutes I had and, if not, I knew I had to ask. It was very much like looking at an ad layout and seeing how much space there was for text, and honing my copy to that allocated space. But--I knew the limits AHEAD of time.

    Perhaps the employer WAS trying to see how you'd respond to a quirky or even rude client who might breeze into a conference room, look at his/her watch and say, "I've have exactly 23 minutes. What have you got?" And you'd planned a 45-minute to hour-long speech.

    I don't know. What's done is done. Don't beat yourself up! You may have performed way better than you think. I remember being tremendously nervous at a first-time client presentation (again, back in my ad agency days) and just fumbling my way through my part of it. (I swear, I could feel myself sweating!) I apologized to my boss afterwards and he said, "Don't be ridiculous. You were cool as a cucumber." Maybe YOU were cool as a cucumber. If not, there are plenty of other jobs out there.

    One last thing? In response to one writer who asked if anyone really wants to hire anyone?... You would think the post-Pandemic Great American Resignation would have taught companies an important lesson. I guess not. People who continue to diminish job applicants and even the employees they've currently got, are what contributes to the ongoing demise of American companies and commerce.

42. Wanda ShawAugust 12,2023 at 1:29PM UTC

    I saw in the title of your post that you interviewed for a role that you really wanted. I know that it’s after the fact, but It would do you some good to look introspectively and ask yourself ‘why’ do you want it. Will the role play to your strengths and you’d be able to do it day in, day out without any effort; you’d enjoy it and thrive? Or will it require you to summon everything you’ve got internally only to be average? The reason why I’m encouraging you to think along those lines is that way too many people are in work roles that they don’t enjoy and aren’t suited for and they eventually end up paying the price for it whether it’s through a termination or with their health. It’s tempting to look at these positions with the high sounding, glamorous titles and equally attractive salaries and think that it’s something we’d like to pursue, never thinking that maybe it isn’t aligned with our particular skill sets or even our values. You felt challenged by the fact that there was a last minute time limit placed on you to give your presentation. What if this is going to be what you’ll routinely face being in this role? Yes, you’d probably get used to it but if this doesn’t align with your natural strengths and abilities, you’d probably come to loath this job and your life. You sound like you are a capable, highly intelligent, great person with a lot of potential. Don’t sell yourself short by going after positions that don’t fit who you are..not matter how attractive they may sound.

43. AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 12:38PM UTC

    I had a similar interview and I am very glad I do go over and was not offered the position. If you are going to fly me in for a interview than get to know me and let me get to know you and not be judged in a ridiculous situation. If this is the organizations “ways of working” count me out! I believe support and live inclusive behaviors!

44. AnonymousAugust 15,2023 at 3:18PM UTC

    Did you tell how long the presentation should last? normally they say 'prepare lesson or presentation for a 10 mins', if they did not tell you before maybe you should raise it with them. ........or just put it down to experience, as they say 'when door closes'.....