When Interviews Feel Like Progress (But Secretly Stall Your Search)

Who else has ridden the roller coaster of a multi-month interview process only to end in disappointment?

It starts with excitement: You land an interview, and suddenly there’s hope. Frantic preparation kicks in. You crush the first round. Then comes round two, then a personality assessment, writing assignment, and another panel interview. Each step builds momentum. You start to picture yourself in the role…solving problems, bonding with the team, spending the paycheck in your head.

But then it happens.

Maybe there was a hiccup, one question you didn’t nail. Maybe you let too much personality shine and now you're second-guessing whether they liked you. Or maybe, deep down, you knew you were the best candidate and still got blindsided: “We’ve decided to go in another direction.” Or worse,“we’re on a hiring freeze.”

One of my clients recently made it to the final stages after weeks of interviews, only to get that exact message. No job. No offer. Just the echo of “maybe next time.”

I’ve been there too. Years ago, I interviewed on and off for the same job from January to July. After months of back-and-forth my dream came true, “you’ll have your offer by Friday." A week later, I got an email: “We do not have a job for you.” Just like that. Months of energy and expectation…gone.

Here’s what most people don’t realize.
Interviews feel like progress, but they’re not a strategy.

Yes, you should prepare and show up powerfully. Yes, it’s worth celebrating when you make it through each round. But if you're not actively feeding the top of your job search funnel, you’re risking a total stall.
​Think of your job search like a martini glass:











The wide top: Networking, informational interviews, coffee chats, affinity groups, targeted outreach. This is where the volume happens.
The middle: Targeted Applications
The narrow middle: Interviews, Screenings, Assessments.
The very bottom: Offers and Negotiations.

I am sure that you have heard that 45–80% of roles are filled through connections. Not job boards. Not cold applications. But conversations.

If your focus is temporarily hijacked on what’s at the bottom of your funnel…interviews already in progress, you’re setting yourself up to run dry. You can roll with the rejection of coming out of multiple rounds without an offer, but do you really want to add insult to injury…when you realize that you have nothing else in the pipeline.

Keep It Flowing

Keep making connections! Especially when you are deep in the interview process. Keep setting up chats. Keep applying. Because momentum matters. And so does protecting your energy and confidence. When you’re constantly fueling the top of the funnel, rejection stings less because you’re already onto the next thing.

The job or opportunity you land might not come from the place you're interviewing today. It might come from a conversation you have tomorrow.

Ready to build a smarter, more strategic job search plan?
Don’t wait until your momentum runs out. Let’s take a look at your current strategy together, and make sure you’re setting yourself up for success at every stage of the funnel.

Schedule a call with me here to get started. Your next opportunity might be one conversation away.
https://calendly.com/mariadastur/30-minute-exploration-session


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