My reply: Great! Thanks!

Louisa – Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. Thanks for reaching out. I think you were a very strong candidate and you will find a great job. You were in our top quartile of candidates. First, I would not get discouraged – the interview process is a total numbers game. Continue to take as many interviews as you can to get the experience, even if you don’t really want the position. Like I said, you were a very impressive candidate. I would focus on speaking with conviction and anticipate the types of questions that will be asked of you in an interview. This all comes with practice. You have all of the relevant experience and impressive pedigree, the most important thing is confidence (not arrogance) in answering an interviewer’s question.