Rejected for lack of experience

Question

So, I was recently interviewed for a Tier-2 firm in the Middle East. The interviews went really well in my opinion. By the way, I am a recent graduate with no formal work experience but interned at a prominent non-profit and at FAANG. I got a call from the firm saying they were impressed with my communication skills and believe I have a lot of potential but it came down to me and another candidate who had a bit more experience and they went with them. They also mentioned that once I gain just slightly more experience, they are more than happy to interview me next year. In fact, a friend from the same firm mentioned to me they scaled back on hiring for now so that might have been one of the factors where they were being careful with future hires.

My question is, has anyone been through a similar experience? I am just a little sad that they interviewed me and I got rejected for something not within my control (work experience) as an entry-level. Good thing, I have an interview coming up with another consulting firm, so I really hope that works out. Any suggestions would be helpful, thank you so much!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the rejection. In terms of your question:

Q: Rejected for lack of experience. My question is, has anyone been through a similar experience?

They could have shared the real reason or not – we don’t actually know it. As mentioned by Dennis, initially they selected your CV with that experience so that doesn’t seem a critical issue.

Regardless, you can do nothing about it so I would not concentrate on this feedback / rejection and rather focus on the next interviews.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 2

Sorry to hear about that experience.

But as you said, it was not within your control. They saw your CV and decided to interview you initially - so your experience (or lack thereof) must have been a non-factor for that decision. It sounds like it came down to a final decision between two suitable candidates and the experience piece ended up being the tie-breaker.

What could you have done differently? Probably nothing. Therefore approach your upcoming interviews with optimism and give it your best. That is within your control and that's all you can do really.

Best of luck

Answer 3

Hi there,

Speaking openly, this is truly the best bad news you can get!

They clearly liked you and they certainly wanted to hire you. Sounds like if it were last year, you would have been in (whatever consolation that is!)

So, look, they've told you to re-apply later. And, if 1 firm likes you then there are others that will too!

Get more experience (there are so many pro bono and free consulting experience programs out there that take just ~5 hours/week)
Network with and apply to many other firms
Re-apply to this one when they told you you should (after reaching out to them to double-check)

Good luck to you - you got this!

Answer 4

Oh, I'm sorry to hear. That must feel frustrating!

Indeed, this is the reality of the current market conditions. I wrote about it at length in the article below and also suggested some tactical moves you can make to maximize your chances:

Maximizing your chances of getting a consulting job during an economic downturn

Aside from this, the way you portray your experience counts as much as the actual experience. Meaning that you need to have a great CV and also a great story - you need to show the best of yourself and this is where it might be worth considering getting some coaching help.

I'm confident it will all work out if you keep on applying.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 5

Sorry to hear about that, hopefully you get the offer with your other process.

Do you mind sharing the name of the company ?

Thanks

Answer 6

I'm sorry to hear about this, that must have been frustrating for you after you got so far in the interview process! Unfortunately, it's definitely something that happens on occasion, as relevant work experience is an important factor of consideration in hiring decisions. It can definitely be a bit tough at the entry level, where you need someone to take a chance on you while you have little experience in order to be able to build up that experience in the first run. But bear with it - the fact that you were able to get so far in the interview process despite a comparative lack of experience is super impressive, and you should treat it as a good sign!

In the short run (i.e., for this interview cycle), there's nothing you can do to change your experience, so the best thing to do is try to present what you have in the best light possible (i.e., work on your resume, polish your behavioral interview answers). In the longer run, keep applying! You should also feel free to reapply to this firm next year, if you feel like you'll have some more useful experience behind your belt. Best of luck for your next interview!