You’ve done brilliantly to get an interview with your dream company for a role that is seemingly perfect for you. You attended the interview and sent a great thank you email, but now you feel sad.
You’re dealing with a case of the post-interview blues. You really want to receive a call offering you the job, but you’ve started to question your interview performance and your candidacy as a whole. Self-doubt creeps in, and you start to wonder how you compare with the competition.
In this post, we will address why you may be feeling down after your interview and share advice on what you can do to restore your confidence, boost your interview technique and generally feel a lot more positive.
Why you might be feeling sad after your interview
There are many reasons why you could be feeling sad after your interviews. Identifying what is making you feel this way is the first step to working out a solution. Here are some reasons why you might be feeling down.
You are struggling to bounce back after a bad job interview
We all have off days. It’s just incredibly frustrating when we feel ultra prepared for something but fail to perform when it really matters.
That feeling of letting yourself down and all that hard work going to waste can make you feel down in the dumps.
If you think your last interview went horribly wrong you might end up in a spiral of negative thought patterns. It can be difficult to bounce back when this happens.
Learning how to bounce back, learn from mistakes and improve is vital when it comes to navigating the job search.
Instead of feeling down after interviews that you feel went badly, focus on getting feedback and improving your interview technique. There will be plenty of opportunities for you in the future.
You regret not saying something during your interview
Maybe you’ve just thought of a perfect answer to one of the questions you were asked during your interview. Instantly you start to regret that you didn’t give that response during the interview.
The feeling of missing out on an opportunity is bad enough but it can feel worse when you miss out on an opportunity despite knowing your stuff.
Regret is a horrible feeling because we can’t go back in time. The best way to overcome this feeling is to focus on the present and the future.
The good news is that there will be several more opportunities for you and there is always room for growth and development whether you get the job or not.
You’ve been to so many interviews without any success
Perhaps you keep failing job interviews and you are sick of it.
If you’ve been unsuccessful after interviews continuously, you may start to take it personally which can make you feel upset.
Noticing a pattern of getting rejected after interviews isn’t a nice feeling at all. However, it does give you the opportunity to seek the help you need to get the job you really want.
What to do if you are feeling sad post interview
Feeling sad after an interview is a sign that you really want the opportunity and you are anxious about the outcome.
However, the fact that you are feeling blue may mean you feel as though you didn’t perform well enough or that your confidence level has taken a hit.
We will now share some practical advice to help you to feel better if you are feeling sad after an interview.
1: Continue your job search
The search isn’t over. Don’t wait to hear the outcome of your most recent interview. Regardless of what the outcome will be, you should keep looking. Who knows, you might even find something better.
Putting your focus and energy into searching for new opportunities will take your mind off of feeling sad about your last job interview and make you feel optimistic about your next one.
2: Embrace the process
Think of your job search as a journey. One of self-discovery and resilience. As with all journeys, you will face setbacks and hurdles. How you overcome them will shape you into a stronger person.
If you’ve been continuously failing job interviews, now is not the time to feel sad or pessimistic about your future. it’s time to pinpoint what is holding you back and formulate a plan to overcome it.
Maybe you’ve been applying for jobs that just aren’t right for you. Or perhaps you need to brush up your interview technique.
Persevere, and you will eventually get your dream job.
3: Improve your interview technique
Don’t feel down about your weaknesses. It’s not productive. If you are unhappy with your interview performance, take actions to improve.
Being able to perform highly in interviews is a lifelong skill that you should invest in.
The fastest way to improve your interview technique is to get help.
Take an online interview course
We have put together a 9-module course called Nail That Interview which is designed to help you to land your dream job.
As well as access to 9 key modules, you’ll also:
- Receive 8 downloadable guides
- Get a list of frequently asked interview questions
- Have the opportunity to practise video interviews and get feedback
You can try module one of the online interview course for free! You will learn how to:
- Convince the interviewer that you can do the job and that you really want it.
- Demonstrate your key employability skills
- Make the right impression
- Ask the right questions at the end of your interview
- Follow up after the interview
…and more!
Get interview coaching
Investing in an interview coach is a wise investment.
At Graduate Coach, our interview coaching programmes are designed to teach you the art and the science behind passing your interviews and getting the jobs you really want.
Interview coaching is a short term investment for long term success.
Chris Davies, Interview Coach
4: Prioritise your mental health and wellbeing
If you’ve recently had an interview for a job that you really want, the wait to hear back from the company can be agonising.
You may be processing a mixture of emotions and feelings such as excitement at the idea of landing the job or you migt have a gut feeling that it did not go as well as you’d hoped. In these cases, some candidates even report feelings of embarrrasment or shame following an interview that went down hill.
The over analysis can take a toll on your mental wellbeing.
Get into a habit of engaging in mindfulness practices such as short breathing excercises to calm your post interview anxiety and focus on the present. These actions can help you to manage your emotions.
FAQs:
What is Post interview anxiety?
Post interview anxiety is a common experience that can occur after a job interview. It can be caused by a range of factors, such as uncertainty about the outcome of the interview, self-doubt, and fear of rejection.
Post interview anxiety is a normal and common experience. Focus on taking care of yourself and preparing for future opportunities, rather than dwelling on the outcome of one interview.
How to stop thinking about a bad interview
Here are 3 expert tips on how to put a bad interview out of your mind until you get your feedback:
1: Send your thank you email. Regardless of how the interview went, thank the interviewer for their time andd consideration.
2: Write down what you think went well and what you feel did not go well. Do this while the interview is still fresh in your memory. The points where you under performed, reframe them and use them are learning points for the future.
3: Distract yourself by focusing on the present. The show must go on. Regardless of the outcome of this interview, there is still a wealth of opportunities out there for you to leverage. Don’t let these opporrtunities slip whilst dwelling on the past.
Taking this proactive approach will help reduce any negative thoughts post a bad interview.
Summary
It is important to assess how we feel after interviewing.
A bad interview can make us feel sad or even depressed and a good one can make us feel elated.
However, once you’ve completed your interview and sent your thank-you note, the decision is in the company’s hands.
Therefore, there’s no point in dwelling on the past and thinking of all the things you’ll miss out on if you don’t get the offer you are hoping for.
The best thing to do is to keep searching for new opportunities and to invest in improving your interview technique.
We hope this post has cheered you up a bit if you have been feeling bad after an interview. Keep your chin up and don’t let this negative experience define you.
Remember, we can help you to refine your interview technique. Get started today by sending us a copy of your CV via our contact form, and one of our expert career coaches will get back to you.
Read More:
- Is It Normal to Cry After a Job Rejection? In this post, we elaborate on the emotional impact of interviews andd rejection post interviews. We also validate feelings of disapointment and crying after your application being rejected.
Author Bio: Chris Davies: Expert Career Coach and Published Author
Chris Davies is widely recognised as the UK’s top graduate career coach. Founder of Graduate Coach, he has over a decade of experience helping 5,000+ graduates launch successful careers. His guidance has paved the way for alumni to excel at leading global firms such as Amazon, Google, and Deloitte, as well as public institutions like the NHS and Civil Service. Chris is experienced in supporting students and graduates navigate the disapointment that can be felt after interviews and shares tips on how to bounce back in this post.
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