It’s the dreaded letter, the one that says “Thank you for interest in applying for”…or “Thank you for taking the time to interview with us, but…..” More commonly now, a letter (or email) isn’t even sent to give you the bad news. You either figure it out when you never hear back, or when you finally get a call back or are lucky enough to talk to someone at the company directly. Regardless of how you find out, it is natural to experience any of a range of emotions; disappointment, failure, frustration and even defeat. How you respond to a rejection can literally shape the course for the rest of your job search, good or bad. If you choose to dwell on it, it can cripple your confidence, destroy your morale, and inadvertently affect the outcome of future interviews. However, if you choose to learn from the rejection, and take time to find out the specific reasons why you were not selected for a position, you can improve on any deficiencies and be better prepared for the next time.
The first caution I will give if seeking feedback on your interview is to not be defensive. Instead take in the reasons, and consider how you can enhance your answers for your benefit the next time around. It is vital to control your emotions and not burn bridges with the hiring manager or recruiter, because not only will you ruin your chances for future opportunities, but you could also be digging your own grave should the first choice not work out. It does happen, and it would be a shame if you prematurely disqualified yourself by unprofessional conduct.
Be courteous in all communications and interactions with the hiring manager or recruiter. After thanking her/him, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. There is usually a set of common reasons for not being selected. The most frequent include:
Another candidate was more qualified – the question you need to ask yourself is, did you highlight your qualifications well enough, using examples with real achievements? If so, then perhaps the other candidate was a bit stronger. But if not, then this could have been the reason you were not selected. Learn from this by thinking of 4 or 5 of your greatest achievements, then thinking about ways you could have intertwined them in your responses to the questions you were posed in the interview. By doing so, you can turn this perceived weakness into a strength and interviewing advantage.
An internal candidate was selected – internal candidates are usually chosen because they have proven their worth within the company…….and because no external candidate demonstrated enough in the interview to exceed them. Along the same lines as the previous point, if you missed an opportunity to highlight your achievements, this could very well have been the reason someone inside the company was chosen. However, another common reason, and one you have little control over, is that an internal candidate was identified from the start, and the interview process was nothing more than “going through the motions.”
You lacked a skill – do you truly lack it, or did you simply forget to mention it? If you didn’t talk about it, well, it’s a fatal mistake unfortunately. Don’t do it next time! Even if it takes a few extra moments to think about it, it is worth it for this reason. If you truly do lack the skill, is it worth it to pursue a course of action to acquire it? For example, if the skill in question is not being familiar with Microsoft Access, wouldn’t it be worth it to take a course online, or borrow a book from your local library on it?
You simply did not have a great interview – merely learn from it. Think about what you can do specifically in your next interview to improve the areas of inadequacy pointed out by the interviewer. Perhaps it is a matter of being more relaxed. Did you do your homework and come prepared knowing enough about the company? Did you talk too much, rambling on? Were you not enthusiastic? Did you mention negative things about past or current employers? There are a plethora of reasons that could have been the culprit, so in order to not repeat the mistakes again, it is imperative to discover the specifics through feedback.
Once you have graciously received feedback, ask the interviewer to keep you in mind for future opportunities. Above all, keep in mind that It is not personal, and it says nothing about your value as a person. Strive to learn from the experience(s), and if you can conquer the problem areas, the job at the end of the tunnel will be that much more gratifying in the end.
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