That is the "Good Old Boy" system. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_boy_network
You just been out maneuvered by socially judgmental people who exploit the rules of a meritocracy in order to afvance the people they want. Masonic groups are literally founded on this bedrock. Most of the military is subsumed by this as well, it's only once you hit the righer officer ranks (colonel applying to become a general, they are judged equally off their theoretical papers and career record as much as their contacts, it's a 50-50 balance).
You are not going to escape this unless you figure out how to fund yourself almost exclusively off of grants in a largely research role. You didn't do wrong in admitting your weaknesses in and of itself, it is the decrepit state of the overall decaying system that sunk your progress, and your inability to recognize this and out maneuver others in advance. You should of already of been aware of this phenomena, as a fly should already know about a spider web before it ever encounters one, so as to avoid it.
You lived to tell the tale. Learn to adapt. Don't expect a fair analysis from others, but do try to give them yourself. If every element of a meritocracy fails in a system, you have yourself a darkage. The nepotism inherit in Manorialism wasn't known for it's intellectual curiosity and search for truth, and flexibility in social organization. You might have smart people around in such a system, but no pathway to societal growth. When in absolute doubt on how to proceed in such backwards systems, look to Alcuin. He was the one who broke us out of this exclusionary way of educating, but as tribal social creatures we always have a social instinct to return back to stupid, and always can find justifications outside of the facts.
@Dignaga sadly I was still naive to how the system works in that regards. It was my first government job outside of call centres and I worked really hard on it.
@LoneGirl101 It nearly killed me, consider yourself lucky.
I did work briefly on the US Analog to Digital changeover for the FCC at a call center in Moundsville, West Virginia. They had us anwsering questions customers would have about installing digital adaptors to their old analog TVs so as to get air signals, but kinda dropped the ball on giving us ANY information whatsoever on how that worked, so I was the one who had to figure it out and explain to others how it works. I explained how attennas work, coaxial cables worked, how to get gadgets that could split them up, what to do when interference hit, etc. I largely learned that from my childhood trying to steal cable or having to hold the TV attenna with my hand in order to get a signal (my body is a excellent reciever and conductor). Rest I learned from my units radioguys and occasional units attached to us like the radioguys for special forces, on how they would bounce signals off of lakes and the athmosphere to increase their range.
So when we would get weird questions like what to do when trains go by (Houston, Texas had this problem the most), what to do if a police helicopter is hovering above their house (not joking), or what to do if you are precisely stuck between to metropolitan areas with equally competing signals conflicting with one another, I got to anwser it. I took a very analytical approach, breaking the question and anwser protocol down into knowledge modules anyone else on the team could quickly figure out and apply. That program only lasted for a few weeks and then was shut down. I didn't mind it much, but don't care to move to India and work the night shift in order to continue on in that field.
Not sure what country you're in but it's not unreasonable in the UK to ask for feedback on where you 'failed'* the interview. If they are specific about things you can rest easy that you genuinely failed. If they refuse, can't give you anything precise use phrases like 'the other candidate was just better' you know you've been given the bums rush. I don't know if knowing will help but if it turns out the other candidate interviewed better it should put your mind at rest.
*not the best way of describing it but can't think of the right word.
@496sbc that's what I believe. I showed up early, submitted my lesson plans on time and even organised a workshop for the students who were struggling. It was my first time teaching and it still pains me.
It actually doesn't surprise me that you were not qualified for that job because the grammar and the spelling errors in your post would suggest that you have English literacy issues going on.
