First Place Loser

Several weeks ago at my place of employment a job that I had been dreaming about for years was created and a posting from HR was listed. There were actually three positions listed. I read the job requirements carefully and as every requirement was listed I was able to put a check mark by it. I told my boss that I wanted to apply for the position and she told me that I was more than qualified.
Our company does a behavioral interview process utilizing the S.T.A.R. method. The interview consisted of five or six questions where you have to provide a Situation/Task, an Action, and a Result. I put together 11 different scenarios and prepared myself for the interview. It was exactly 50 minutes and I felt like I nailed the interview.
The next day my boss told me that she had a call from one of the interviewers who commented that I had a great interview. And then the waiting started. I was very optimistic because of my qualifications and the fact that feedback on my interview was good.
Today my boss pulled me aside to tell me that I did not get the job. Again, there were three positions posted. The following is what my boss told me her boss said – I have bad news, you didn’t get the job. But they said that you had a great interview and that you were the best communicator. In fact, she told me, you were their #4 choice.
Okay – there were three openings and I was the #4 choice. So that makes me the #1 loser. Woo Hoo, I’m so proud that I have that title. This isn’t the first time I’ve interviewed for a promotion within my company and was told that I was the best interview or even their 1^st choice, but because someone else was being displaced they had to give them the job. Boy, it’s nice to know that the best workers are being held back just because someone who has lost their job can’t be let go because of some HR issue and they get the prize jobs.
Tell me about some time when you were the 1^st Loser but were given the pep talk by the person giving you the bad news that you missed it by this much. Comment below or email me at ourtheoryonlife@gmail.com and join my pity party. I’ll be leaving that party tomorrow, but for today I think I’ll enjoy it as I think of things like sliding slices of sushi under the interviewers’ office door the next time they go out of town for a week.