Job interview depression?

Question

I had a job interview last Friday, at 11:20, I thought. It was 11 o'clock, so even though I thought I was pleasantly early, I was actually 10 minutes late. The rest of the interview went pretty well, but of course, I flubbed the cardinal rule of interviewing: don't be late!

Such a stupid mistake, so I'm pretty sure it was self-sabotage. But if it was self-sabotage, why have I been sliding into depression all weekend? I'm eating too much, escaping into books and on the computer way too much.

BTW, I don't know the results of the interview; they were supposed to let me know today but so far (2 p.m.) I haven't heard a thing. NO CLOSURE. It's driving me nuts.

Is there anyway to forestall the depression? I don't want to be moping around for weeks. I actually do have some ideas of what I can do next, and made up a list of pros and cons. Anyone been through this, or have any ideas?

Thanks!

Thank you all for your kind answers and support. After reading Jamino's, I brushed myself off and went out to mow the lawn -- something I'd been putting off this weekend thanks to my wallow in misery. Well, I came back in, had a shower, and guess what? There was a Fax saying I GOT THE JOB! (-: I am so happy now, and I'm not going to make the same mistake when I go in to sign the contract. Thank you everyone!

Answer 1

Pick yourself up, &
brush yourself down, stop beating yourself up over ten minutes.
It was embarrassing but if they liked you & you presented well at the interview, they will be very happy to accept your explanation for being a few minutes late. It's out of your hands now.
It may even work in your favour as at least it doesn't look as desperate as turning up half an hour early. ♪♫♪

Answer 2

The best advice I can give you is two fold. First, don't be afraid to follow up with the empolyer directly to see what your status is. If it's been a week, it's completely O.K. and actually a good thing for you to call and check with them. Just say you are calling because you had an interview last week and would like to know the status of your candidacy. The worst they can tell you is 'were not interested' in which case you have full closure and can move on to other prospects.
Second, if you have other ideas, what are you waiting for? If the other employer comes back later with an offer, then it's there loss if you were snatched up by someone else.
Per the being late part, it's defnitley not a good thing but certainley not a deal breaker. If you don't get the job, it most likely has nothing to do with that so you can stop dwelling on that.
When you're interviewing it really is a marathon. It could take many rounds before you find the right match. So hang in there!

Answer 3

I think you're already doing good trying to help yourself. Just realize that it's not the end of the world - seriously! I used to get so stressed out over job interviews, and I went through so many before I got hired. Finally, I realized that although I needed a job, the stress and lack of confidence, nervousness, etc. were sealing my fate before the interviewer. Chalk this one up to one of those pesky life lessons, keep looking for a job, and go into interviews as relaxed as you can. I used to psyche myself out by getting into a frame of mind like the interview was no big deal, that I could get any job I wanted at any time, and that it really didn't matter whether I got hired or not while still putting my best self forward. The next time I interviewed, I got the job right away and it's never been a problem since. Good luck! I hope I've helped!

Answer 4

Like the 1st person said, the best thing to do to beat depression is to keep yourself busy rather than dwelling on your mistakes and beating yourself up. I know exactly how you feel, I am recently coming out of a bout with depression myself and have been needing to find a job. The more I spent just thinking about it and the less time I used in searching for a job, the worse I felt. I finally just had to suck it up and start applying. And I applied for any job that was a good fit. All of a sudden I started getting several calls from people that were interested in setting up an interview.

So, just keep applying yourself and you'll find something. You probably won't land the first job, but you may. The point is not to give up hope. There is a job out there for you, you just need to keep looking, applying, and interviewing and you will eventually find it.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 5

You can't forestall the depression because you're already well into it. The best way to deal with it is to get busy. Continue with your job search and set up more interviews.

1) Buy a large box of business envelopes at the stationery store.

2) Go to the library and hit every newspaper job section they've got.

3) Write out a nice cover letter and put it and a resume into an envelope. Add an address and a stamp.

4) Repeat until you're out of envelopes.

Answer 6

I think you are making a primary cognitive error...you are worrying about something that you don't know about.

In your question you are upfront about the fact that you don't know the outcome. Since that is true, you need to train yourself to stop the automatic thoughts you have when you think about this situation.

Perhaps being late did effect the outcome. Perhaps it did not. Since we don't know, worrying about it is a waste of time.

I am going to suggest something here that may sound odd--assume you did not get it. Why? You win either way if you assume you failed. If you really did not get it, it will not disappoint you and you will have an advantage in that you will be out looking for other work.

But if you did get it, it will be a pleasant surprise...and you can celebrate.

By assuming you did not get it, the disappointment is less and you can assume that you need to keep looking--a winning strategy in job hunts.

Answer 7

job interview depression

Answer 8

Don't be so hard on yourself. Mistakes happen. The best thing to do in this situation is to give yourself a pep talk and just continue to put yourself out there. Turn your negativity around with the sheer force of optimism. Optimism, even when faked, can have the magical effect of making you feel better, and when you feel better, you feel confident, and confidence is what employers want to see.

To get out of a slump, I do what I do best for a while. I write! I make the most of my day. I don't waste my time feeling sorry for myself. (After all, I consider my time away from my daughter to be VERY valuable.) I work on my resume, I do my homework on the next company on my list and prepare for more interviews.

Don't just send out a bunch of resumes, go out and make some contacts. Research the company you want to get a job with. Get on Monster and network. If you are lacking funds because you've been out of a job for a while, go find a temp agency and let them put you to work for a little while. (I highly recommend Kelly Services and AppleOne) They will give you some good practice, as not only will you have to interview with them, but you will have to take some tests to prove your skills. It can either be a tremendous ego boost (if you are good at taking tests) or it will put into perspective what you need to work on. You can always try again. And temp agencies know that if they help you gain new skills, you are that much more marketable to their clients, so they want you to succeed and they offer the kind of encouragement that you really need right now.

Finally, do not give up on the job that you are waiting to hear back from. It may just be that the hiring manager is extremely busy and has not had a chance to call you. Wait until Tuesday and then call him/her. Ask if they have any other questions, or if there is anything else that you can do to help them in considering you for the job. It takes moxy to call and simply ask for the job, and a lot of employers respect that kind of dogged determination. If they hemm and haw, ask what you can do to prove yourself to them. Offer to work on a trial basis to start (if this is really a company you want to work for) and see where that takes you. Don't be afraid of rejection. Even people that constantly win will tell you - they constantly lose too.

I recently was forced to move from the best job I'd ever had when my husband got transferred to another state. Because I was such an excellent employee and I was the head of my department, my previous employer said he would do whatever he could to help me. He wrote a letter of recommendation, he even went so far as to email contacts of his at several companies that he knew I would fit in with and let them know that I was coming. I also had a contact at my now new employer, and I used my networking skills to get that person to recommend me to their supervisor. I did not give up, even when the hiring manager contacted me to let me know they did not have any immediate openings. They still interviewed me, and a month later when I moved up there, I called and spoke with them again. I even went so far as to ask her to recommend me to another department that did have an opening so that I could get my foot in the door. Finally, a month later, I scored an interview. A week went by and I had not heard back, so I called and asked if there were any questions I could answer. While the manager said no, he called me back the very next day to ask for another interview. I was hired at that very next interview. Then the manager confessed that at first he thought I may have been a little to reserved and quiet to fit into the position he wanted to fill, but after my phone call he knew that there was more to me to be seen, and as I was much more confident during the second interview, I got the job. I cannot stress how important it is to be confident in yourself and your abilities. Confidence is not arrogance, it is believing in yourself and your ability to perform the task at hand. You know what you can do, and you are the best person to represent yourself. Go get em, tiger!

Answer 9

Your not going to get the job keep looking.