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Here’s the scenario: You apply for a job, one that seems like a great opportunity. You get called in for an interview, which seems to go perfectly. But, after a week or so, you get that form e-mail from the company which contains the classic phrase…”we have selected another candidate whose qualifications and experience more closely match the requirements of the current opening.”
There are times when it seems you’re so well qualified and the interview seems to go so well, that you really do wonder… “what could I have possibly been lacking?”
This happened many times during my last full-fledged job hunt about 8 years ago. When I expressed my frustration, friends and family members would ask, “Well, why don’t you just contact the hiring manager and ask why you weren’t chosen?”
So I did try this with about 5 or 6 post-interview rejections, but never got anywhere.
I would go to great lengths in my message to sound cheerful and make clear that I wasn’t trying to change anyone’s mind about the decision, or give the impression that I’d turn into an attack-cat upon finding out the reason. All I was interested in were some tips or advice to help improve my chances the next time I applied for a job with this company.
My e-mails were never returned. Neither were calls.
The only time I ever got the chance to speak again with the hiring manager was if s/he picked up the phone directly when I called, which happened on maybe three occasions. In all those instances, no one ever gave me any useful information whatsoever. All they would do is just re-word the classic phrase I mentioned above. And their advice for pursuing future opportunities with the company was just as vague and generic, even when I pressed for something more specific. But I didn’t want to press too hard, since I didn’t want to leave them with an annoying impression of me.
I’m once again in job hunting mode, and have just gone through two great interviews, only to have my hopes dashed by a form letter with the classic phrase.
I’m dying to know the *real* reason. Was it my interviewing skills? Did they prefer someone with a degree in X whereas my degree is in Y? I’m wondering… should I try to follow-up? Or is it just not worth it?
Have any of you tried following up after a post-interview rejection? Are there strategies that might actually work?
Here’s the scenario: You apply for a job, one that seems like a great opportunity. You get called in for an interview, which seems to go perfectly. But, after a week or so, you get that form e-mail from the company which contains the classic phrase…”we have selected another candidate whose qualifications and experience more closely match the requirements of the current opening.”
There are times when it seems you’re so well qualified and the interview seems to go so well, that you really do wonder… “what could I have possibly been lacking?”
This happened many times during my last full-fledged job hunt about 8 years ago. When I expressed my frustration, friends and family members would ask, “Well, why don’t you just contact the hiring manager and ask why you weren’t chosen?”
So I did try this with about 5 or 6 post-interview rejections, but never got anywhere.
I would go to great lengths in my message to sound cheerful and make clear that I wasn’t trying to change anyone’s mind about the decision, or give the impression that I’d turn into an attack-cat upon finding out the reason. All I was interested in were some tips or advice to help improve my chances the next time I applied for a job with this company.
My e-mails were never returned. Neither were calls.
The only time I ever got the chance to speak again with the hiring manager was if s/he picked up the phone directly when I called, which happened on maybe three occasions. In all those instances, no one ever gave me any useful information whatsoever. All they would do is just re-word the classic phrase I mentioned above. And their advice for pursuing future opportunities with the company was just as vague and generic, even when I pressed for something more specific. But I didn’t want to press too hard, since I didn’t want to leave them with an annoying impression of me.
I’m once again in job hunting mode, and have just gone through two great interviews, only to have my hopes dashed by a form letter with the classic phrase.
I’m dying to know the *real* reason. Was it my interviewing skills? Did they prefer someone with a degree in X whereas my degree is in Y? I’m wondering… should I try to follow-up? Or is it just not worth it?
Have any of you tried following up after a post-interview rejection? Are there strategies that might actually work?
Contacting someone after being told the job was filled is WACKO-lol The person was probably laughing and like-"he wants me to be his career counselor now?"
I once applied for the same job, interviewed with the same people, turned down five separate times. I had nothing to lose, I was unemployed, needed a job. I had no pride. Everyone thought I was crazy, and would never get hired there. Last time I interviewed, I met everyone on the team like an old friend. "Nice to see you, how is it going?, Thanks for having me". And, I did land the job, finally. I guess they decided to give me a chance. So, no I don't do the follow up, because it won't matter. But don't be shy about going back to the same place several times.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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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. They could also open themselves up to liability issues by providing feedback if the candidate finds offense with the criticism. That is a can of worms that most companies do not wish to open.
Do you have any friends who would be willing to participate in some mock interviews with you? It's possible that something is coming through on your interviews that you're not even aware of and a new set of eyes and ears can often be very productive and educational. Good luck!
Don't do it. Your friends will say stuff, that you will hate. Not productive. If you really feel like you need help, go to your colledge, and register for help with your career center there, for a session with a career counselor. They do this for alumni. Or at the Workforce Service Center, you can talk to an employment counselor for free as well, they also have classes.
Don't do it. Your friends will say stuff, that you will hate. Not productive. If you really feel like you need help, go to your colledge, and register for help with your career center there, for a session with a career counselor. They do this for alumni. Or at the Workforce Service Center, you can talk to an employment counselor for free as well, they also have classes.
I disagree as I've known several people who've enlisted the help of friends and for all of them it was a very productive experience as their shortcomings were glaringly obvious to others but something they hadn't even thought of. Just because you may not like what you hear doesn't mean that it's unproductive.
And if she follows the advice about going to a professional career counselor I hope she doesn't live in the Philly area as going one on one for advice with our favorite CD poster boy could be a most alarming experience.
I disagree as I've known several people who've enlisted the help of friends and for all of them it was a very productive experience as their shortcomings were glaringly obvious to others but something they hadn't even thought of. Just because you may not like what you hear doesn't mean that it's unproductive.
And if she follows the advice about going to a professional career counselor I hope she doesn't live in the Philly area as going one on one for advice with our favorite CD poster boy could be a most alarming experience.
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
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.
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.
Just look at it like this, if you went on a first date and the person wasn't interested do you think they will go into detail why?
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