Just burnt a bridge and don’t care. Met with a presentation interview panel - I reiterated experience twice and have experience called out on my resume. The panelist then said “Well you don’t have experience in this vertical” and I was like “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough but here’s the experience I have in that exact thing, that we’ve been over twice” At the end of the call I asked for feedback and was told that it was a point he took issue with. I’m assuming I won’t move forward😂😂

I miss the old days when you walked into a business & asked for an application & chatted with the person at the front desk either while they found you a copy or while you stood aside a filled it out. Because at least during that single interaction, you could make a strong first impression. At the company that I worked for going on 19 years, we still handed out applications up until 3 years ago when we went corporate and had a recruiter. Then had constant employee turnover. Before that, we had 1.

Unpopular interview opinion: most hiring managers make up their minds in the first 5 minutes. I've watched candidates give objectively strong interviews and get rejected. I've also seen people walk out convinced they bombed it and end up with an offer. My take: yes, interviewers form 90% of an initial impression within the first 5 minutes and spend the rest of the conversation looking for confirmation. What's been your experience, either as a candidate or as the person doing the hiring?

In a situation where a job ad paints a picture of the company being warm, approachable, supportive of development and values it’s people. Reading it makes you want to work there and has you feeling like you can build a career there and really contribute long term so you submit your application. In contrast your brief experience in their recruitment process leaves you feeling quite let down. More context in comments: Would you send some constructive feedback from a candidates perspective?

A patient just left me a glowing, multi-paragraph review on Google, but they specifically mentioned my appearance and it feels weird. They called me beautiful and sweet before mentioning that I was great at finding their vein, and now my manager wants to print it out for the Shining Star board in the lobby. I know it was meant as a compliment, but having my looks highlighted on a public-facing corporate page makes me highly uncomfortable. Am I being overly sensitive?

After my third rejection back in August, I can finally say I’m celebrating for real! I just got hired!! My current office is closing soon, so the timing couldn’t have been better. It only took one interview with the hiring manager. The conversation felt natural, finally. Anyone else had a positive one-interview experience after a long stretch of rejections? Best of luck to you!

Hiring Biases 1.The 90-Second Rule: Around a third of interviewers form an opinion in the first 90 seconds. 2.The Smile Factor: Nearly 40% say a lack of smiling can hurt your chances. 3.The Doorway Effect: Judgement often starts the moment you walk into the room. Being prepared helps you make a strong first impression from the very start.

What parts of an interview contribute an outsized level of impact for the perception of you? For example, first impressions matter- the first 1-2 minutes when you greet the interviewer, embrace with a warm smile and energy, and how you introduce yourself will go a long way. What other parts should you put your best foot forward in?

I once had an interviewer spring a surprise skills test on me in the middle of what I thought was a casual conversation. They smiled and said, “We like to keep people on their toes,” while handing me a task I hadn’t prepared for. I did my best, but it felt more like a “gotcha” moment than a fair assessment of my skills. Red flag?

Honestly, I quite liked the John Lewis ad. Not one of their best. The acting could’ve been better. But I liked the soul in it. And in a world where AI is coming for everything, it was nice to see nice, simple storytelling around a soulful moment between a dad and a son. If you didn’t like it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.