Job candidate told by hiring manager that they won't get the role despite being the most experienced candidate: 'I'm so sick of mind games from employers'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
May 16, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Normally, you might expect that being the best at something means that you'll be effectively the first selected, akin to it being a race, and by being simply being undisputed best, you would, of course, be the one to win. Well, that's not how races or any competitions work, and it's the reason they're held in the first place, and the prize isn't just awarded to the person who currently holds whatever record is most relevant… There are so many other factors and things that can happen on the day that decide the winner. So, while you might hope that being the best candidate for a role would mean that you'd be the successful applicant, it couldn't be farther from the truth. There are so many things that go into another human being making that selection, beginning with your own portrayal of your skills and the interviewing party's preconceived notions and personal biases. 

That's what this job seeker shared experiencing, being told by the hiring manager that although they had the most experience they were not going to be the successful candidate due to missteps they had made during the hiring process. They shared their experience and frustrations with this popular online workplace community, getting feedback from readers in the comments. 

As one commenter was quick to note, this sounds like something that someone might tell you to let you down easy, kind of like "it's not you it's me" in a break up. Yet, the hiring manager's feedback wasn't particularly "easy" so it seems unlikely that this is the case in this particular scenario.

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  • 01
    To infing
    via Van Tay Media
  • 02
    Just had an interviewer tell me I was the best candidate but will not get the job Post-interview I applied for this Job. Got my first interview with the GM. It went fantastic. Never had a better interview before. I was killing every question. He ended the interview with a congratulations, he told me I was very professional and that he's looking forward to working with me. And with
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 03
    that I got my second interview with his assistant manager. The second interview didn't last long. She seemed to be in a bit of a hurry but everything went well again. She said that since my first interview was so good. There was not much else to discuss.... then I waited & waited. And I saw that the position had been filled.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 04
    I was extremely confused since I keep getting ghosted by employers. I thought that maybe there's something I'm just not seeing. So I went back to talk to the manager and ask him why I didn't get the job. (In a very professional manner) He said that he didn't hire me for two reasons. And I swear I'm not making this up.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 05
    1 - When I came in for my second interview I didn't know the name of the assistant manager. (Which I guess to him that was not very "teamwork culture" of me)
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 06
    2 - He said, I stand out as a candidate, I have more experience than anyone else so far and I could bring a lot to the table. But that during the interview, I didn't react the way I
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 07
    should've reacted to a story he told me. He said that story was a set up to see if I would brag about certain skills, but I didn't brag. He also said that he knows I have the skills. But bc I didn't express them in a specific way during those 60 seconds of the interview I wasn't gonna be a good fit.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 08
    I'm so tired of mind games from employers.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 09
    natewOw You dodged a bullet. Any employer who wants you to jump through such minor hoops for their own amusement is not somebody you want to work for. Consider yourself lucky. Questn4Lyfe Not only that but I also think they already had someone in mind for the job and just made this up on the spot.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 10
    Neat-Ad-8277 Well that's wild. Half the time they don't even gove you the interviewers name in advance. Also I always thought being bragy came off as cocky. Probably a bullet dodged.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 11
    Soatch I've seen some during the hiring process. but never got hired at any of those places. The places I did get hired at went pretty smooth. If they're weird during the interview process imagine what it's like to work for them and have them in control of your fate.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 12
    BrainWaveCC I'm so tired of mind games from employers. This isn't from employers. This is from a ridiculous individual that hasn't had to search for a job in some time. He'd better hope this doesn't change for him soon.
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 13
    Disastrous_Aside4295. Interviews are mostly based off of vibes and connections so they are basically jaygoesprivate OP. That's the crazy part. We hit it off so well. Going as far as to having non job related conversations (which he started)
    via u/jaygoesprivate
  • 14
    Hamsterrules · Same experience...they told me they were impressed by my in depth expertise. I also solved 100% of the problems in a test, telling me, they did not expect from anybody to solve all. Eventually, they decided to go with another candidate that "better fits into the team"...
    via u/jaygoesprivate

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