How Even Steven Spielberg Has Failed Job Interviews2 min read

Steven Spielberg has failed job interviews. He’s not the only successful person to have experienced such setbacks.

Kathryn Rose, the founder of professional women’s support platform wiseHer, is another accomplished professional who once faced a similar rejection.

Besides Rose, Kashif Naqshbandi, the Chief Marketing Officer of Frank Recruitment Group (a tech recruitment agency) has also previously failed a job interview like Spielberg.

They offer interview lessons that will prove valuable in the current economic climate.

The Great Resignation is still in full swing. Meanwhile, economists are predicting a worldwide recession in 2023.

So whether we are following economic trends or pivoting careers due to financial uncertainties, there’s a possibility we could be attending job interviews in the future.

Learn what they did or didn’t do during their interviews, how they bounced back from job rejections, and achieved success.,

Steven Spielberg is shooting a movie
Source: Little White Lies

Steven Spielberg: Rejected by film schools

According to The Washington Post, Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California (USC).

Spielberg was a young aspiring filmmaker then. The university admissions officers had reportedly deemed his high school C grade average too low.

Spielberg’s biographer, Joseph McBride, also told The Washington Post that the movie director disliked attending school and had then-undiagnosed dyslexia.

Based on a Hollywood Reporter article, he was rejected three times by USC and eventually attended California State University Long Beach.

Spielberg has failed job interviews: Getting a “No” from Bond producers

 
After the success of Jaws in 1975, the filmmaker reportedly was interested in directing a James Bond movie, according to The Independent.
I called Cubby Broccoli (Bond producer) twice, and after Jaws, which was such a huge success, I thought, ‘Hey people are giving me final cut now’.
 
 Steven Spielberg spoke about his James Bond job rejection on Michael Ball’s BBC Radio 2 show.

The West Side Story director offered his services to the 007 producer, but Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli reportedly didn’t think Spielberg was suitable for the role.

A mother works from home alongside her child.

Kathryn Rose: Allegedly discriminated against for being a mother

Today, Kathryn Rose is the founder of wiseHer, a global tech platform that provides expert advice, education, and resources to support women in their careers.

However, back in 2016, her interview with a company head didn’t end well when he said, “If you’re looking for a job with mother’s hours, this isn’t it.”

“Right away, I told him it wasn’t going to be a good fit,” Rose revealed to The New York Times.

Yes, I am a mom. I don’t hide it, and that’s one of the things I bring to the table. I can multitask.
Kathryn Rose, wiseHer Founder

The incident inspired her to start her own company. “I was like, forget it, I’m going to dive in and build a tech platform,” Rose said.

A group of nightclub guests are dancing the night away

Kashif Naqshbandi: Having a nightclub stamp during the interview

We make mistakes sometimes, even in interviews. For Kashif Naqshbandi, his blunder was the nightclub stamp from the evening before.

He noticed the smudge on his hand when he reached out to greet his interviewer.

“I could tell they noticed the crude smudge on the back of my hand, but they didn’t address it, which made matters even worse.

“I felt I had to compensate for my indiscretion and probably came across as too serious or strait-laced,” Naqshbandi told The New York Times.

Reflecting on the interview, Naqshbandi felt he should have just addressed the “elephant in the room”.

 

It shows honesty and willingness to discuss difficult or sensitive subjects. You also shouldn’t be embarrassed about who you are, and definitely shouldn’t let it impact you professionally.

Kashif Naqshbandi, Frank Recruitment Group Chief Marketing Officer

 

Now, Naqshbandi is the CMO of Frank Recruitment Group, a recruitment agency for IT professionals.

Learning from failed job interviews

So undiagnosed health conditions, discrimination, or honest mistakes are possible reasons behind job rejections.

Sometimes, potential employers have unexplained reasons about why a candidate wasn’t suitable for the gig. (Look at how even talented filmmaker Steven Spielberg has failed “job interviews” in his quest to become a Bond director.)

Interviewing also shares some similarities with dating. The interview could be your opportunity to find out if the job and company culture are the right fit for you.

Even after being hired, factors like company mismanagement or negative work environments can lead to a falling out.

However, it’s not the end of the world if the interview or job doesn’t work out. Seek other opportunities.

As Spielberg, Rose, and Naqshbandi discovered, the ideal career could just be around the corner.

Got a job interview story to share?

Please post your thoughts in the Comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!

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