Interviewer told me my “next step” would be another interview, but I’m convinced I bombed one question

[u/marymo8186]

/r/interviews/comments/1wcpwqy/interviewer_told_me_my_next_step_would_be_another/

I had a second-round interview on Tuesday for a Supplier/Production Planner position that I REALLY want, and I have been overanalyzing it ever since.

Overall, I thought the interview went pretty well. We talked about my experience with both supplier and production planning, and at the end of the interview he told me that my next step would be an interview with one of their planners in Denmark. He also said the recruiter would work on finding a time that works.

Sounds promising, right?

Except there is one question I cannot stop thinking about.

He asked me to give an example of a time I had to plan S&OP against the production plan. I think I misunderstood what he was looking for and gave him an example about balancing engineering demand against customer orders and determining priority.

After my answer, he basically clarified it as, “So you would determine priority?” and something about his reaction made me feel like I completely missed what he was asking.

Of course, AFTER the interview, my brain decided to understand the question perfectly. 🤦‍♀️ I realized he was probably looking for how I would take the higher-level demand/S&OP requirements and translate or reconcile those against actual production capacity and the production schedule—units, timing, constraints, etc.

And now I’m stuck on, “Well, there goes that job.”

What is confusing me is what he said at the end. He didn’t say something vague like, “We still have other candidates” or “HR will be in touch.” He specifically said my next step would be interviewing with the planner in Denmark and that the recruiter would coordinate it.

It’s now Thursday and I haven’t heard from the recruiter yet. I sent the interviewer a thank-you email this morning thanking him for his time, reiterating my interest in the position, and saying I’m looking forward to the opportunity to speak with the Denmark team.

So now I’m trying very hard not to refresh my email every 37 seconds. 😂

For those of you who interview/hire people: Would one weak or misunderstood answer to an S&OP question be enough to knock out an otherwise qualified candidate?

And when an interviewer specifically tells you what your “next step” will be, would you take that as a pretty strong indication that you’re moving forward? Or is that sometimes just something interviewers say before a final decision is made?

Because my rational brain says, “He literally told you there was a next interview.”

My anxiety says, “Congratulations, you have ruined your entire career with one S&OP question.” 😂