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Taking your description at face value, something is incongruous between how you present yourself in person vs. on your resumé. I can't see how otherwise despite

Taking your description at face value, something is incongruous between how you present yourself in person vs. on your resumé. I can't see how otherwise despite your qualifications on paper and in your phone conversation why a company would spend their time bringing you onsite for a specific position, and then find you unfit but still want to consider you for something else. There seems to be a disconnect that doesn't manifest until that late stage. And I don't think any further online diagnosis of the problem will help. I think you should seek out a trusted individual you know in person to help you identify that incongruity. Realize, it might mean you get rejected earlier in the process, but maybe that's for the best if it saves you time in interview processes that will eventually not work out anyway, and attract the attention of the ones that will faster.

uptownfunk 10y ago
Definitely agree with the above. Some thoughts.. I'm Indian-bodied but was born and raised in the states. When I was in my early 20s I lived on and off in India for about 5 years (about 6 months at a time). So I've had a decent amount of exposure to Indians of all types (Indian and American born). I've also worked with a fair amount of Indians over the course of the last few years. These may not be the case with you, but as someone who has had a fair amount of exposure to Indians form India, and as someone who has coached and interviewed a fair amount of Indians for a variety of roles, the following may help: +A lot of it boils down to personality. I've noticed a very wide spectrum of attitudes coming from Indians. I think a fair amount of introspection and awareness about how you are coming across to the other side is a really powerful tool to employ. I've seen a lot of ego and general lack of sophistication and at times class from some Indians that I've met, and I'm certainly not saying that this may be the case with you, but it may be worth considering if there's something about your mannerism / tone that maybe rubbing people the wrong way. +Being a FOB language skills can be a natural weakness but judging by your post this doesn't seem to be the case. I think being yourself and honing your personality will have more impact, but taking a little extra care in how you communicate can really work wonders. +You say you're in a product management role, there's generally an axis of management skill vs. technical ability. Some companies may be looking for one or the other, and in the interview you may or may not be emphasizing the one they're looking for. +And finally there's leadership ability, particularly important in management roles. Have you led your teams to success in your career? Reflect about what got you to that point, and try and channel that into your interviews. +Above all, stay the course if you can. If you're convinced you're on the path you want to go, then persist. If you want something else and have the runway to pursue it, then a change of environment is a great first step towards finding your next step into something that motivates you. No offense intended in any of the above, and best of luck to you!
- raverbashing 10y ago
  You are right. The thing with stereotypes is that it lingers. But people from different generations might do away with that Now, a Project Management position in a smaller company might require different skills. Being a Product Owner of a feature in a bigger product with broken down requirements coming from upstream is a very different job than POing at a smaller company where you have to come up with requirements based on goals.
- j45 10y ago
  Helpful, actionable advice. The personality piece is incredibly important, knowledge and skills can be trained, but attitude and the habits (good and bad) we bring to any role are much harder to fix.
k__ 10y ago
This. The last company I worked for interviewed some founder of a Czech IT agency for a lead dev position and his resume seemed awesome. He worked over 15 years in IT, founded a company that had 10 employees etc. But the first thing he said in the interview was "What job do you have? I only accept CTO" whelp.
- kreetx 10y ago
  Unless he knew exactly what he wanted, and simply asked for that :)
  - k__ 10y ago
    Sure thing, but it came across rather self absorbed.
    - coldtea 10y ago
      Well, it is not like he was speaking on behalf of someone else. It was HE that would be taking the job -- so why not make sure it's the job he wanted in the first place? If he was desperate for any job AND still said that, then he would be indeed self absorbed.
  - owebmaster 10y ago
    Unless he had not applied for a CTO role
Pamar 10y ago
I agree with lr4444lr: there is something going on that apparently only comes out when they meet you face to face. We do not know you so I will have to work on the little you put on the OP... maybe during the on-site interview you come out as a bit too desperate about changing job? or too whiney about the current job? Or both? Try to consider if this could actually be a factor: I am sure that "what do you think of your current position" is pretty much a criteria in considering a new hire, even if it is not necessarily prominent during the interview.

uptownfunk 10y ago

Definitely agree with the above. Some thoughts.. I'm Indian-bodied but was born and raised in the states. When I was in my early 20s I lived on and off in India for about 5 years (about 6 months at a time). So I've had a decent amount of exposure to Indians of all types (Indian and American born). I've also worked with a fair amount of Indians over the course of the last few years. These may not be the case with you, but as someone who has had a fair amount of exposure to Indians form India, and as someone who has coached and interviewed a fair amount of Indians for a variety of roles, the following may help: +A lot of it boils down to personality. I've noticed a very wide spectrum of attitudes coming from Indians. I think a fair amount of introspection and awareness about how you are coming across to the other side is a really powerful tool to employ. I've seen a lot of ego and general lack of sophistication and at times class from some Indians that I've met, and I'm certainly not saying that this may be the case with you, but it may be worth considering if there's something about your mannerism / tone that maybe rubbing people the wrong way. +Being a FOB language skills can be a natural weakness but judging by your post this doesn't seem to be the case. I think being yourself and honing your personality will have more impact, but taking a little extra care in how you communicate can really work wonders. +You say you're in a product management role, there's generally an axis of management skill vs. technical ability. Some companies may be looking for one or the other, and in the interview you may or may not be emphasizing the one they're looking for. +And finally there's leadership ability, particularly important in management roles. Have you led your teams to success in your career? Reflect about what got you to that point, and try and channel that into your interviews. +Above all, stay the course if you can. If you're convinced you're on the path you want to go, then persist. If you want something else and have the runway to pursue it, then a change of environment is a great first step towards finding your next step into something that motivates you. No offense intended in any of the above, and best of luck to you!

raverbashing 10y ago
You are right. The thing with stereotypes is that it lingers. But people from different generations might do away with that Now, a Project Management position in a smaller company might require different skills. Being a Product Owner of a feature in a bigger product with broken down requirements coming from upstream is a very different job than POing at a smaller company where you have to come up with requirements based on goals.
j45 10y ago
Helpful, actionable advice. The personality piece is incredibly important, knowledge and skills can be trained, but attitude and the habits (good and bad) we bring to any role are much harder to fix.

k__ 10y ago

This. The last company I worked for interviewed some founder of a Czech IT agency for a lead dev position and his resume seemed awesome. He worked over 15 years in IT, founded a company that had 10 employees etc. But the first thing he said in the interview was "What job do you have? I only accept CTO" whelp.

kreetx 10y ago
Unless he knew exactly what he wanted, and simply asked for that :)
- k__ 10y ago
  Sure thing, but it came across rather self absorbed.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    Well, it is not like he was speaking on behalf of someone else. It was HE that would be taking the job -- so why not make sure it's the job he wanted in the first place? If he was desperate for any job AND still said that, then he would be indeed self absorbed.
- owebmaster 10y ago
  Unless he had not applied for a CTO role

Pamar 10y ago

I agree with lr4444lr: there is something going on that apparently only comes out when they meet you face to face. We do not know you so I will have to work on the little you put on the OP... maybe during the on-site interview you come out as a bit too desperate about changing job? or too whiney about the current job? Or both? Try to consider if this could actually be a factor: I am sure that "what do you think of your current position" is pretty much a criteria in considering a new hire, even if it is not necessarily prominent during the interview.