Following-up after rejection: Does it ever work? (employees, apply, interview)

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by TVandSportsGuy

Doing a mock interview with a friend is GOOFY-lol Resume help yes but not no freakin mock interview. Go to a career center like some suggested

Unless they have alumni benefits at a university or college, most folks do not have access to free/low cost career counseling services. A buddy can provide some insights to areas of weaknesses in a mock interview if career counseling is not available.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by mm5pl

Thanks everyone for your responses. My conclusion? No, it’s NOT worth following up, in fact, it probably does more harm than help!

This is what I’ve suspected all along, even before I tried this tactic, but I had to do something in light of all the nosy friends/relatives who kept urging me to do this type of follow-up. In fact, it just happened again last week, when I got these two rejection letters, my roommate said, “Well, couldn’t you just call them up and ask why?” She’s old enough to know better than to suggest something like this! So I told her why I’m not wasting my time doing this kind of follow-up, citing my experiences 8 years ago.

That would be another good thread – “How to deal with BAD job-hunting advice from ‘well-meaning’ friends and relatives?”

Some other points:

Yes, I have in fact seen a career counselor. I just finished up a Master’s program earlier this year and certainly made good use of our department’s career services center. I received tips on my resume, plus I did the “mock” interviews – I was even videotaped during this process so I could see for myself how I actually came across during the interview while the counselor gave me feedback. I do try to incorporate this advice into my "real" interviews. I even asked the counselor about post-rejection follow-up, and oddly enough, she didn’t try to dissuade me from doing so! She did warn me about HR-sensitivities, but claimed she’d heard of some students who tried this tactic and actually did get some real answers, though this tended to happen more with small, rather than large, organizations.

I’m in a very niche, narrow field, where applicants far outnumber positions available – even during non-recessionary times. Going through many interviews before finally getting a job offer is just par for the course, and I’ll have to accept that. At the most recent organization I worked for, I witnessed the hiring process up close from the inside. I saw so often that the difference between “the chosen” and “the non-chosen” had little to do with anything technical – mostly it came down to the hiring manager’s personal biases, i.e., nothing that would ever be revealed in a post-interview follow-up.

I can feel your frustration ... I also possess a masters degree and currently looking for full-time opportunities in a field over saturated by candidates. As in your case, my field is also competitive even in better economic times and I've gone on several interviews but without luck. I'm the type of person that gets self-conscious because of things that I cannot change in my appearance and I try my best to forget this during the interview process. My hesitation in doing mock interviews has been fear of revealing flaws that I cannot change easily and causing a decrease in self-confidence. Maybe I will follow STT Resident's advice about getting a friend to do the mock interview and see what happens. Hang in there and don't give up.

[rulesforrebelsdotcom]

Can't hurt, there's a few examples in post of persistance paying off. Also, I have a buddy who continued stopping in and applying with this company for 3 years. He just recently got hired, the guy said he has a lot of persistance and would give him a chance.

I can see how pride may not want you to continue knocking on a door that's turned you away but it can't hurt.

[mm5pl]

"...if you went on a first date and the person wasn't interested do you think they will go into detail why?"

I don't know if we can always make parallels between dating and job hunting (like in dating, you don't have any pesky HR rules hanging over your head regulating what you can and cannot say), but to answer your question, I guess a lot would depend on the surrounding circumstances and the reason why the date didn't work out. I'm sure at some point in the history of dating, someone has asked and did actually get an honest answer, but I think these are pretty rare exceptions - both in terms of asking and in terms of getting an honest answer.

Just like my career counselor who claimed she'd heard of some students who actually got real feedback as a result of post-interview follow-up. I think these were lucky, but rare, exceptions. So, I need to focus on what makes the most logical sense and best use of my time -- rather than the rare exceptions.

My hesitation in doing mock interviews has been fear of revealing flaws that I cannot change easily and causing a decrease in self-confidence.

Yes, I'll admit that watching my mock interview on tape was about as enjoyable as eating sand! I just felt really uneasy during the whole process. But during the feedback, I found out that everything was mostly fine, both content-wise and in terms of verbal/non-verbal communication. My counselor suggested a few tweaks here and there, all of which I found to be things I could realistically change. You might very well find the same (whether your mock interview is with a counselor or a friend) - that once you get past the inevitable awkwardness, others don't see the mostly imaginary flaws you think you have. Good luck!

[taigagirl]

I had a couple of friends who got turned down time and time again at the different companies. One of them went to Human Resources and said "I am never going to stop applying here, until you give me a job". They hired him and he's been there over 20 years. Second friend did pretty much the same thing, and he also been at his employer's for over 20 years.

I think doing mock interviews is a great idea, and if I really wanted to work somewhere I would just keep applying.

The so-called Human Resources Specialists suggest you send a thank you after an interview because it may tip the balance. If nothing else, it does show a certain amount of class.

I have met some HR individuals that I would certainly consider very unprofessional, and this is a field where people do tend to move around (at least up here in the GWN). So if you didn't impress on the first go, watch their ads to see who you apply to; maybe that HR person will have moved on. You can also call and ask the receptionist who is in charge of the HR department. This is a strategy that worked for me on one occasion.

Don't stop looking. Good luck everyone.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by taigagirl

I had a couple of friends who got turned down time and time again at the different companies. One of them went to Human Resources and said "I am never going to stop applying here, until you give me a job". They hired him and he's been there over 20 years. Second friend did pretty much the same thing, and he also been at his employer's for over 20 years.

I think doing mock interviews is a great idea, and if I really wanted to work somewhere I would just keep applying.

The so-called Human Resources Specialists suggest you send a thank you after an interview because it may tip the balance. If nothing else, it does show a certain amount of class.

I have met some HR individuals that I would certainly consider very unprofessional, and this is a field where people do tend to move around (at least up here in the GWN). So if you didn't impress on the first go, watch their ads to see who you apply to; maybe that HR person will have moved on. You can also call and ask the receptionist who is in charge of the HR department. This is a strategy that worked for me on one occasion.

Don't stop looking. Good luck everyone.

Wondering why they didn't call security when someone demanded to be hired

[Dane_in_LA]

Every once in a while, the preferred candidate doesn't come through. If you were 2nd-best, it doesn't hurt to have your name in front of the hiring manager.

However, don't expect interview or resume writing tips. Hiring managers are supposed to look for substance, not form - if they thought your skills were perfect for the job but poorly presented in the resume, they would still have hired you.

You'll get a pat response along the lines of "the other candidate was a better fit", because in the mind of the hiring manager, that is the truth.

[taigagirl]

Originally Posted by TVandSportsGuy

Wondering why they didn't call security when someone demanded to be hired

Because these folks weren't threatening, they just wanted to be given the opportunity to work where they really wanted to work. They were both government jobs with alot of room for advancement.

In those days they probably didn't have security on site. They are both very successful people.

[taigagirl]

Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA

Every once in a while, the preferred candidate doesn't come through. If you were 2nd-best, it doesn't hurt to have your name in front of the hiring manager.

However, don't expect interview or resume writing tips. Hiring managers are supposed to look for substance, not form - if they thought your skills were perfect for the job but poorly presented in the resume, they would still have hired you.

You'll get a pat response along the lines of "the other candidate was a better fit", because in the mind of the hiring manager, that is the truth.

Great point. Hiring managers don't like having their mistakes noticed, so chances are if you made a good impression the first time around, you may get another chance because they have a position they need to fill. Also, HR mistakes cost companies money; so sometimes they don't re-advertise but try to find the best fit from the last pool of candidates.

[mm5pl]

The so-called Human Resources Specialists suggest you send a thank you after an interview because it may tip the balance. If nothing else, it does show a certain amount of class.

Sure thing. Post-rejection, I've always sent a short note thanking the hiring manager for his/her time and consideration, and will continue to do so, even though I won't ask for any info beyond that. Like I mentioned above, my field is a very narrow one, so the chance of applying to the same organization again (and again, and again), isn't just likely - it's pretty much inevitable. So I want this rejection to end on a high note (at least from their perspective!) 'cause chances are, I'll be back again (and again...)

Every once in a while, the preferred candidate doesn't come through. If you were 2nd-best, it doesn't hurt to have your name in front of the hiring manager.

This actually happened to me once! I applied for an job within my company, though in a different office in a different city. At first, the hiring manager chose an external candidate. I was apparently the runner-up. But, it turned out that The Chosen One lied on her application! So I was in...

Following up after receiving a rejection is likely to be fruitless as human resources do not usually provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates as it isn't their responsibility to be your job coach.

However, don't expect interview or resume writing tips.

I guess I didn't mean to imply that I was seeking general job-hunting advice (the kind of advice I could get from any career counselor) when I attempted to do this type of follow-up several years ago. I should have emphasized that I was trying to find out specific tips that might help me obtain a future job with this specific organization. For example, maybe the hiring manager might know of a different department within the organization that might also have an opening appropriate for me, either now or in the near future. Maybe they've started using a new kind of software program, one that I don't have experience in yet, but that they prefer candidates to have. Knowing this, I could get training in this program on my own, and then improve my chances of getting hired next time around. Re: advanced degrees, there are several that could be relevant to my employment field, but maybe this particular organization has a preference of one type of degree over the others. It would also be useful for me to know if this company even prefers candidates at my level to have an advanced degree - maybe they value work experience much more. Since this took place long before I went to grad school, this kind of info could have really helped me choose an appropriate program.

So, this was the kind of thing I was looking for in my post-rejection follow-up: the kind of info that no outside counselor could easily have access to.

I also realize that this is the kind of stuff you discuss in an informational interview (which takes place long before, and hopefully leads to, a real interview), but we can't always have a pre-existing, inside contact for every interview, can we?

Sigh. I guess all of this is moot now anyway. No one is likely to tell me anything post-rejection, let alone anything truly helpful.