Just got dinged today after many, many hours put into a recruitment process that started back in February so I’m obviously frustrated… Is it acceptable to ask the HR person why they decided to “pursue other candidates”??
Sorry to hear about that man. Yeah of course, you’re not working there, what’s the worst it can do?
Don’t ask HR, ask the hiring manager. In your email, let them know that you respect their decision and are not trying to get them to change their mind (to make them feel more comfortable responding), but would appreciate any advice they could offer on how to be more competitive for similar positions in the future.
I don’t think you’re going to find out why you didn’t get the job. I’ve been there, many times. Just got dinged for an internal position I should have been a lock for. Sometimes they change the job description in the middle of the process. Sometimes they decide they want someone entry level or they can farm out the work they had in mind for you, to existing employees … who knows. You’ll find the right job.
bchadwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Don’t ask HR, ask the hiring manager. In your > email, let them know that you respect their > decision and are not trying to get them to change > their mind (to make them feel more comfortable > responding), but would appreciate any advice they > could offer on how to be more competitive for > similar positions in the future. I’ve done this many times. Sometimes you get feedback, other times you do not. Overall I think it helps build a better connection for next time. “I realize you selected another candidate, but I still highly value your firm. In the future, what could I work on to increase my chances of getting selected?”
Yes, it may work or may not; and it depends on the rapport you were able to build with the manager and whether or not you were in the ball park. If you got more than one interview and had a decent rapport, it’s worth doing… nothing really to lose.
Sorry to hear that but I feel your pain. I got dinged last week for a position that I would call my dream job. A friend working in the firm gave me the heads up about the open position a while ago. Out of almost 30 some odd people it came down to myself and one other guy. I am by no means cocky and I really thought that I had this job locked down. I was more than prepared and crushed my interviews; I could not have imagined my interviews going so well. I felt like I said all the right things, connected with all the interviewers, and showed a passionate desire for the position. No dice. My friend, who does not bs around, was absolutely shocked that I was picked over and could not think of any reason why I would not have been selected. Anyway, I picked myself back together and wrote the MD a very nice thank you note for being considered blah blah blah. It’s doubtful that you will receive feedback from the hiring manager. They don’t have the time to tell everyone the reasons why they weren’t selected so why do it for a single individual.
I never leave an interview satisfied. You must be able to think where you could have improved your game or else you are overconfident in your abilities. I had a telephone interview 2 weeks back and was ready to be dinged. I got through to the next stage, but still knew I could get dinged at any time. It wont change anything for the next interview to get feedback, I could mess up something else next time or breeze it. Each interview is unique, like flipping a coin. The only way you win is to have more interviews and eventually the coin will land on a heads. Much the same as hitting on women in bars. You win some, you lose some. Sorry for you though, it sucks to get a knock back - but move on, dont waste time.
ask “What were the main reasons you decided to go with the other candidate? I’d like to put myself in the best position possible for future opportunities and would greatly appreciate any feedback.” we just hired someone completely new to the firm over people with 5+ years of experience. the hiring manager really liked their energy and professionalism. i voted for the experienced candidate, but i can see their point.
I know the pain when you have no clue what went wrong. However, nobody is going to give you the truth for a variety of reasons, one of them being legal. That said, phrasing the questions around, “how can I present myself as a stronger candidate” as some have suggested might reveal some insights on how you are perceived by those who dont know you, and I think that is valuable.
QuantJock_MBA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > “I realize you selected another candidate, but I > still highly value your firm. In the future, what > could I work on to increase my chances of getting > selected?” I dont like the “increase my chances of getting selected” part AT ALL. Thats like saying I know nothing really stands out about me and my skills are average at best…it also sounds like you have 0 confidence and are desperate. something more along the lines of “its unfortunate my skills and experience werent directly suited to this particular role, but i would be interested in hearing about other opportunities in the future. In there anything in particular you would recommened for me.” then you will know if they like you and the position just wasnt for you or if they dont. Also, to avoid legal issues at best you’ll get “werent a good fit” or “skills not a direct match”. Its almost not even worth asking for the feedback IMO
The “increased chances of *getting*selected*” wording is not very good, but the basic idea of asking for that kind of informaiton is. “Getting selected” is a passive voice structure, and it implies that you are powerless in the face of destiny. That may be in fact be true, but reading it does connote a kind of weakness and perhaps could be read as desperation. “how to be a stronger candidate in the future” is more active and communicates that you are intent on bettering yourself, perhaps in ways the manager will like. Again, if you didn’t develop sufficient rapport with your interviewer, it’s kinda pointless to ask, but if you did get a good feeling from them (maybe they voted for you, but someone else overruled them, or they wanted to vote for you, but couldn’t quite justify it), then go ahead and ask.
Somehow I have a decent view on this. As you invested time, energy and possibly also a bit of money in the process, I think you are entitled to feedback. Now the question is will they give it to you… If you have the number of the HR person, just call and ask. Don’t present it as what you can do to please them, they dinged you, so you don’t want to please them. Of course by no means be confrontational. Just ask where you came short. It’s a very legitimate question. God I hate the current finance job market.