A few years ago, I got a phone call from a company representative on my way home. "Thank you so much for taking the time to apply for the position. Your application has not been successful. We wish you every success in securing a suitable position in the future." I felt very upset. But the conversation wasn't over. "Would you like to hear feedback from us?" the voice said.
The representative went on to tell me I hadn't clearly demonstrated my motivation for applying for the position and why I wanted to work for the company. The feedback was tough to hear. But I quickly realized they were right. After completing my Ph. D. in Germany, my top priority had been to find a position in Poland, where I grew up. As a result, I wasn't very selective about what I applied for. I pursued any job opportunity that broadly fit my skills and interests. The job at the consulting company was something I was technically capable of doing, but I didn't feel passionate about it — and that clearly showed in the interview process.
From then on, I decided to carefully evaluate each job opening and only pursue ones that truly resonated (引起共鸣) with what I was passionate about. In my applications, I also began stating more clearly and emphatically why I wanted that particular job. Soon the approach started to pay off, as I got an offer for a postdoc position in Poland that I was truly excited about.
A few years later, I found myself on the other side of the interview table. As a freshly hired group leader, I was interviewing candidates for the first Ph. D. position in my lab. I was particularly looking forward to talking with one candidate. On paper, his application looked great — nice CV, good recommendations, strong cover letter. But the interview went badly. He didn't seem to have done any reading in advance about the research I was doing, which made me wonder whether he was truly interested in working with me.
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I called to tell him I couldn't offer him the position.
A month later, I received a letter.
