Missed Interview

bhb1961dec

Hi everyone,

Some input needed please.

I have been in my present employment role as Accounts Administrator for 7 years and working in accounting roles for the last 25. I can honestly say that I have learnt nothing new in this role apart from gaining some valuable excel experience. There is no question of promotion as our office staff is myself and my colleague who manages the payroll and HR. Apart from that the office is run by one of the two directors who own the business and their retired accountant who comes in once a month, who has done their management accounts for the past 17 years.

Yesterday I should have had an interview for the perfect role, had to be AAT qualified, production of management accounts, nearer to home, and a good salary, everything I have been looking for, but I bottled out of it, and am still unsure why I didn't attend.
The company must have seen something in my application that they liked else they wouldn't have offered me the interview. Has anybody else done something as stupid as this. I feel that I don't have the confidence in my ability somehow.

ariadne

I don't think anyone can tell you why this happened but you. If it's anxiety then your GP may be able to help. Low self esteem or confidence issues can be helped with techniques such as CBT - there are books to teach this. If there is a deeper problem CBT and other therapy is often available on the NHS. You should have a local IAPT and they sometimes take direct referrals. They often run groups with shorter waiting time, I really recommend those. Our local service also has employment services who may offer support on interview technique etc. The local council offers courses on interview skills so worth seeing if this is available near you to boost your confidence. If you can get a friend to practice with you this may help too, especially if they have interviewed people themselves. Try to view interviews as a learning experience, you are gaining even if you don't get the job by learning about the process and how best to approach it - it can be a bit if a game and this is how my husband approaches it, and after a few interviews he has a perfect 'script' to follow.

But don't carry on beating yourself up, what's done is done and you can move on positively. You could consider finding a voluntary treasury position to boost your experience and confidence. You are definitely in a great position having the experience and qualifications. I'm just considering applying for jobs after retraining while home with small children and it's going to be tough to get that first job, I'll be using all the support I can find to prepare and get back some confidence.