To be frank, it is a common way of turning down a candidate. There's a chance you could get an offer in the future with more practice and experience but they didn't see it on that day, based on how you performed. The slight nuance is whether the interviewer went into enough detail to personally show excitement and encouragement about seeing you re-apply or not. Perhaps one sign could be around whether they offered to personally stay in touch with you or not...

Specifically on the feedback, I feel the "really good" might be a little inflated where they likely struggled to see clear strengths that made you stand out from the crowd. Unless your structuring was appalling, that alone would not be the reason they would turn you down.

Hello!

Then they give you "no" as an answer but they invite you to re-apply means that, even though you did not meet the bar, the liked your performance.

Probably when you re-apply you will skip a step (e.g., the initial test).

In any case, it does not mean anything for next time, you will still be tested from zero and will need to meet or raise the bar.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

Candidly, you should make nothing of it.

It doesn't matter. You didn't get in. Now, you need to focus on how to change that in a year (note: Everyone can re-apply after a certain period, so there's nothing "special" here unfortunately).

1. Build your resume//experiences
2. Network (again)
3. Hire a coach - you were lacking in some areas and it's extremely difficult to properly self-assess...get a coach to help you improve
4. Get back to preparation when the time comes

I firmly believe that the greatest accomplishments come from temporary defeat. So, take the defeat, recharge, and come back with a new (successful) approach for the next time!

Hi Anonymous!

It's always difficult to assess what someone really means in a feedback, even more so when not hearing it, but reading a 2 paragraph summary. Every person's/office's/company's style is different so you can't interprete much in this.

My personal style is to be very honest and upfront in these conversations. When I give feedback, I mean every bit of feedback that I give. So if I encourage someone to re-apply (and that has happened a few times in the past), it is because the interviewers saw great potential, but e.g. a lack of preparedness or maturity. This doesn't change the result, but it is a true encouragement to try again in the future.

Anyway, there nothing you can do about it. But I would keep an eye on your inbox. If they really stay in touch as you wrote they said, that would be a clear sign that what they said is true.

Hi A,

Now it is really hard to say whether the interviewer did mean what he said or whether he wanted politely turn you down. Anyway, it doesn't matter right now.

Now I would recommend you concentrate on more important things so you can maximize your chances of making it to the final round and eventually get the offer when reapplying in a year.

You should not only network hard but also improve your skillset, get relevant work experience so you present a strong upgraded profile next time, and become an excellent fit for them. Getting guidance from an experienced coach would also make it much easier to reach your goal.

Do you need any further help?
GB

(edited)