Interviewing is hard. Especially when everything is on the line for you, but your opportunity boils down to just a handful of questions you're judged on. A handful of questions that doesn't even begin to characterize your dedication, your willingness to learn and work hard, your creativity. I spent two nights studying DD's products, clients and came up with marketing campaigns just to be over prepared for anything thrown my way. I felt my interview with the hiring manager was very easy and conversational. In my opinion, it went well. She referred me to another role that she thought might be more fitting for me and I took that as a good sign. HR scheduled me to interview with that hiring manager. I was provided brief information about the other role, but I did the best I could to prepare for that conversation. And I thought I did fine. I answered everything I was asked, but the vibe wasn't as fluid and conversational as my first interview. Right after that call, I had a gut wrenching feeling about it. And I was right. I was told there were other candidates more aligned with what they're looking for. I felt I had all the right experience, but perhaps in those handful of questions, my personality and friendliness didn't shine through. Maybe I didn't smile enough because I tend to look serious when I'm taking notes. Maybe the hiring manager thought I wasn't paying attention. I'll never know. I asked if I could know what I could've done better, what it was that turned them away, but no one ever responded. To DD, I'm just another candidate. But to me, this opportunity would've been everything.

The process started with an HR screening call, followed by four interviews. Each interview focused on a different topic aligned with their company values. My interviews covered merchant relationship management, campaign and project management, customer obsession, and cross functional leadership. I made it through the second round (each round consisted of two interviews), but after that they went quiet for about a week. I was then informed they had decided to proceed with other candidates who had more directly relevant experience for the role. The feedback felt a bit vague, so I followed up to better understand their reasoning and hopefully get more specific feedback. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive a response, which was a bit disappointing given the amount of time invested in the process. It would have been really valuable to receive some constructive feedback.