Fun fact: I didn't interview to get the job, and here is a beautiful piece on how I did it.

A few months back, I constantly applied to every content writing job I saw. Even though it worked twice — I mean, I got two jobs from doing that, but they were not what I wanted. Besides, with the rate at which I was applying, I should get more interview invites from employers, but I wasn't getting to the interview stage.

Let's say I applied for 50 jobs; I would only get 0 to 1 interview invites, which was terrible. I agree with Jane Fulton's famous quote, "Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results." I could not keep repeating the same process and expect a different result, so I had a mindset shift.

I had to do a lot of rethinking, and that was when I decided to specify as a writer and remake my resume. Ever since I did that, I got a higher response rate and got invited for interviews, and I also started getting offers from LinkedIn.

Now I felt I was doing the actual work, but again, interviewing is a different ballgame, and I started to learn what employers wanted after several interviews. As I did more interviews, the more I kept improving. However, one underlying factor determined whether I got the job, and I didn't realize this until now. Why don't you read on to find out what that is?

The 7 Lessons I Learnt From the 7 Failed Interviews

Lesson 1 — Have specific knowledge.

Not only can you charge more for your work when you have specific knowledge, but it can also increase your chances of getting a job.

About four months ago, I was a generalist writer, which wasn't the best option because I wanted to advance my content creation skills. By June this year, I narrowed my application to Web3 content creation and technical writing jobs.

Even if I were generalizing, I would only apply to tech companies. My resume may not precisely fit, but there are similarities between my experience, interest, and the job requirements. So I know I am applying for a job I am qualified for.

Lesson 2 — Have a Good Network Connection.

I had an interview with Binance, and I believe my network connection played a big part in the failure of the interview. The network was shitty, and my network connection has been a priority ever since.

Lesson 3 — Do Your Research on the Company

I do my research before my interview, so I give real-life examples using the Company during my interviews. Although I didn't get the job, the interviewers were impressed with my answers.

Lesson 4 — Upskill

Here is the thing. I concluded that I failed in the interviews because I had a knowledge gap to fill as a writer. So let's look at the scenario below.

Scenario I: Three weeks ago, I had an interview where I passed the interview stage, and all left to do was pass the writing assessment stage.

I didn't get the job because there were some areas I needed to improve on as a technical writer. So, I am taking an SEO course, and I got a recommended technical writing book for the month.

I am now more intentional about constructing my sentences and advancing my skill set.

Lesson 5 — Prepare Your Answers to Suit the Job Requirement

You must read and understand the job requirements and description, especially if you have received an invitation for an interview. Let's see this other scenario.

Scenario II: I applied to this Edtech company in India, and they asked about my experience writing webpage content. I confused website and webpage content, and I even forgot I had experience writing webpage.

They also asked me to send a sample of a webpage content I had written, and I sent that of a website. I had already passed the first two stages of the assessment, but they were keen on me showing a webpage content sample because that was the skill set they needed.

What would I have done differently? I should have asked them for a sample of what they referred to and sent my previous webpage work. Also, if I had paid attention to the job description, I would not have gotten confused and prepared ahead.

Lesson 6 — Pricing

Sometimes you might be good at what you do, but if there is someone with all the experience your employers need and prices lesser, they will likely go for them first. So you have quite a few boxes to tick — being good at what you do, being able to tell that you are good at what you do, and being able to charge for your work confidently. A friend once told me that anybody would pay the right price for an excellent job; if they don't, it is up to you to let them go.

Lesson 7 — Don't go in Blindly

My most recent interview didn't have a job description or requirement. I thought no news was good until the interview, where I was told, "you are not what we are looking for", on the second interview question. What would I have done differently? Since there were no requirements, I should have sent a follow-up email to ask for it, and I would have avoided wasting my time.

How I Landed a Job

It was a freelance writing gig where I didn't have to do an interview. I did a test assessment, and the Company liked my work, so I didn't need a consultation. It means that the development of my skill is starting to pay off.

Conclusion

Companies have different ways to test their candidates; hence, you must ensure you are preparing for interviews to meet your employers' expectations. Now that you have learned some of the lessons from my failed interviews, what would you do differently?