Didn't get it, that sucks.

Had a second interview for a position that was just my dream job; great work to be done, great team, great company, great location, great prospects for the future.  I thought I was very well matched to their requirements, but apparently someone else was an even better match.  

I'm bummed to have lost this one, and even more worried about my prospects for finding anything.  I have to be open to relocation at this point, which I don't want to do, and open to the possibility that I may be living in a van, down by the river.  

Which begs the question, do I go for a cargo van and add what I need or look for a used conversion and use the seats it has?  Was the Ford V10 any good, or should I avoid that?  I'm thinking it would be better for cooking hobo food on the headers.  

the only advice i can give is that the ford v10 is pretty solid, but are known for cracking exhaust manifolds so cooking on them could give your food a not-so-welcome smokey taste

What business are you in?

Just in case, I would send a letter to the company saying just what you did to us.  First choices often don’t work out.  

spitfirebill said:

Just in case, I would send a letter to the company saying just what you did to us.  First choices often don’t work out.  

This. This is how I got my first job in Technical Writing. They chose the other candidate because he had experience doing it, then he turned the position down and they called me back.

For my current job I relocated ~110 miles down the Turnpike to a city I don't particularly care for, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Sorry to hear that. Did you do a phone screen with them? In-person interview? How did those go? If you want someone to review your CV let me know, I'd be happy to QA it.

Hopefully you'll be able to find a similar position with this or another company in the future. Don't lose hope. Heck, they could be hiring for another open position tomorrow so stay on top of their job listings.

spitfirebill said:

Just in case, I would send a letter to the company saying just what you did to us.  First choices often don’t work out.  

^ this.   Also call everyone you met during the interview process and tell them the same, in addition to sending the letter / email to HR.

Are you near water? Used cabin cruisers can be had cheap and are far classier than vans. I’ve had my eyes on an 80’s 25’ Baja. V and mid bearths and a wet head for $5k. 

Otherwise, BTDT, with my wife being the thing that kept me from relocating. Good luck. 

It was a second interview, and it was pretty intense.  I have no problem that they chose another candidate, most people want to hire someone that is already doing the exact same job with the same product/service in the same industry.  I was 95% perfect, someone else was 96%.  But it still sucks.  I will stay connected, who knows.  But the search continues for the spot that I am a 99% fit for! 

Oh, and thanks for the advice on the resume stuff.  I have had a few experts review it, but you can never get too much feedback.  I will send it over. I am in marketing, specializing in helping small to mid-size manufacturers establish, grow and bring professionalism to their marketing efforts.  

I had a second interview at Robert Bosch in purchasing being in charge of the VW parts back in the day.  I didn’t get it.  Totally bummed.  

But I wouldn’t be selling hoses today for a living, now would I.   

Good luck.  Something will come again.  

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

I have worked for Robert Bosch, as a contractor, for 15 years. There is not one person in that company that likes their job. Most of them I have dealt with only last a few years and quit in disgust. My last dealing with them I told them I would be charging them $275/hour. I was glad they finely took the hint and called someone else. Be glad you are selling hoses. 

In reply to pinchvalve :

Good luck with the search.

The older I get, the more attractive a van down by the river looks. 

You never know the situation that you came into. Most jobs that are internal already have someone selected before they even put it out on the job board. Be nice about it and send a nice thank you note. Also keep in touch. You never know when there may be that next opportunity within that company that they may think of you for. 

Send a follow up.  Thank them. Express interest and ask for feedback.  What did you do well, what not so well, what you can improve upon...  If they respond and help you.. Then awesome.   If they ignore you.. then you didn't want to work there

http://acutecprecision.com/careers/jobs/  <-- good company. I know the CEO.  They have spaceX content. 

Definitely agree on sending a follow up email or letter to thank them for their consideration of you for the position. If they didn't already share it, it's perfectly acceptable to inquire as to what would have made you the top candidate for the position. Never hurts to request that they keep your info on file for future positions either. If you do the LinkedIn thing, send the people you interviewed with an invite. You never know when a connection may pay off down the road. 

I wish you good luck in your continued search!

pinchvalve said:

It was a second interview, and it was pretty intense.  I have no problem that they chose another candidate, most people want to hire someone that is already doing the exact same job with the same product/service in the same industry.  I was 95% perfect, someone else was 96%.  But it still sucks.  I will stay connected, who knows.  But the search continues for the spot that I am a 99% fit for! 

Oh, and thanks for the advice on the resume stuff.  I have had a few experts review it, but you can never get too much feedback.  I will send it over. I am in marketing, specializing in helping small to mid-size manufacturers establish, grow and bring professionalism to their marketing efforts.  

Keep me in the loop if you are interested in a job near delmont.  We are looking to hire somebody in the near term.

Definitely send a follow up. Few people do, and hiring managers tend to remember people who do.

Also, I'd like to echo the "you don't know what's going on internally" comment. A few years ago I had a pretty interesting job lined up and was just waiting for the offer to come through. After a couple of weeks I got a note stating that they had filled the role with someone internal instead.

Six months later I bump into one of the guys who interviewed me and he mentions in passing that what actually happened was that the company fired a bunch of people and instituted a hiring freeze just as they were putting together an offer for me. They never filled the role, but it was easier to tell me they did rather than tell me what had been going on.

As the saying about dating goes - "other mothers also have attractive sons/daughters". Same goes for jobs. Good luck with the continuing search.

I have nothing useful to add, just that this is an awesome group and some really great advise has been payed down today.

pinchvalve said:

Had a second interview for a position that was just my dream job; great work to be done, great team, great company, great location, great prospects for the future.  I thought I was very well matched to their requirements, but apparently someone else was an even better match. 

More often than not the people responsible for hiring haven't a clue what they're doing and are easily swayed by things not even closely related to the job. So there's probably a good chance the guy who got the job did something like accidentally (or purposely) spilling coffee/water/dropped something on himself in the interview, they felt empathy for him, and he ended up with the job because of it.

Hope that makes you feel better 

Thanks for the cheering up, I can say that this company was completely on the up and up, none of the usual corporate BS...which kinda makes it suck all the more.  I connected with a few folks on LinkedIn, always good to grow your network, and honestly, they were good people.  

As for Delmont, I worked in Export, PA before and the commute was a bitch.  But, as they say, for the right opportunity...

pinchvalve said:

Had a second interview for a position that was just my dream job; great work to be done, great team, great company, great location, great prospects for the future.  I thought I was very well matched to their requirements, but apparently someone else was an even better match.  

I'm bummed to have lost this one, and even more worried about my prospects for finding anything.  I have to be open to relocation at this point, which I don't want to do, and open to the possibility that I may be living in a van, down by the river.  

Which begs the question, do I go for a cargo van and add what I need or look for a used conversion and use the seats it has?  Was the Ford V10 any good, or should I avoid that?  I'm thinking it would be better for cooking hobo food on the headers.  

I might have found your Huckleberry.

A sadly passed away in the line of duty cop I knew had an interview for Sergeant sp? broken up by Internal Affairs to 'interview' his interviewer.  Big hiccup in his career path as he was minutes away from the said promotion. 

In reply to pinchvalve :

Getting a job on your own nowdays is getting harder and harder. 

Use a head hunter!  The real reason is you can fill a ton of interview requirements for jobs you’ll never get or pay someone to give you the inside track. 

Chances are the headhunter knows the person doing the actual hiring.  He makes friends with the guy and often knows the critical detail or a requirement not stated on HR’s paperwork. 

In addition a good one will prep you for the interview.  Telling you stuff like, don’t talk about dogs. Or talk about dogs. He’s really looking for a fishing buddy or you must be proficient in Sanskrit .