‘I

t’s not you, it’s the large volume of high-calibre applications we received,’’ they said. It was the day after Valentines Day – although it would have been more poetic had it been the day itself.

I was two rounds into a series of job interviews and had been staring at my phone like a bomb about to go off all day.

Finally, my phone rang. Anxious with anticipation, I picked it up and discretely moved away from my desk. The person on the other side of the line started speaking. It took a few seconds for the news to sink in, but it was bad.

‘‘It was a tough decision, but the other candidate was more experienced. We’ve decided to go with them.’’

It’s a cliche, but my first instinct was denial. I wanted to tell them no; they’d made a mistake. I wanted to say I was the better choice. Couldn’t they pick me instead? A dream job only comes around every so often – surely I wasn’t destined to miss out. I was devastated.

Receiving rejection email after rejection email is disheartening. But feeling the opportunity at my fingertips and having it brush right by? That’s real heartbreak.

They told me I was ‘‘perfect for the role’’, but I wasn’t perfect enough. They ‘‘were very impressed’’, but when it comes to splitting hairs in a competitive job market, that’s just not impressive enough.