"An Interviewer Never Interviews to Reject".

The phrase “An interviewer never interviews to reject” embodies the mindset and purpose behind professional interviews. While job seekers often perceive interviews as judgmental or intimidating, interviewers are generally focused on identifying potential, not pointing out flaws. Understanding this dynamic can transform how candidates approach interviews and how organizations structure the hiring process.

Interviewers Objective: An interviewer’s goal is to find the best fit for a role, both in terms of skills and cultural alignment. Companies invest time and resources in interviews to discover the right candidates, which is why it is called talent acquisition and not elimination rounds. The process is designed to identify strengths, not magnify weaknesses. As an interviewer, my focus is on creating alignment rather than outright rejection.

In the interviews I’ve conducted recently, a recurring trend has emerged where many candidates, particularly freshers, express a desire for generic feedback when invited to ask questions at the end of the session. While I genuinely appreciate this eagerness to improve, the constraints of time during an interview often make it challenging to provide comprehensive feedback. This has inspired me to summarize some common gaps observed among freshers, which can serve as a guide for them to refine their approach. These gaps typically include challenges in articulating thoughts clearly.

Basic Tips to Handle an Interview

1. Shift Your Perspective: Viewing an interview as a conversation rather than an interrogation can alleviate anxiety. Remember, the interviewer is rooting for you to succeed.
2. Be Genuine: Be transparent about what you expect from the job and how you want to grow in your career. Answers given just to please the interviewer and crafted in the moment, even if unnoticed during the interview, can lead to working in a role that does not align with your career aspirations. This mismatch is likely a significant reason for the high attrition rates among freshers today.
3. Leverage Feedback: If you aren’t selected, treat it as an opportunity to improve. Often, rejection is about timing or fit, not capability.

Conclusion Interviews are fundamentally about exploration and opportunity. When both interviewers and candidates approach the process with an open and collaborative mindset, it becomes a pathway to uncovering potential rather than a gatekeeping exercise. Rejections, if they happen, should be viewed as stepping stones rather than dead ends.

I recommend freshers use LinkedIn as a channel for networking and proactively reach out to your interviewer if you receive a rejection. While not every interviewer may respond, those who do will provide valuable, real-time, game-changing guidance on how to crack an interview. Their response itself is a sign that they value your effort of approaching them —qualities that have likely contributed to their own success. A strong network is always a valuable asset.