First impersonal rejection letterI just received my first completely impersonal rejection letter from a company I really wanted to work for (I'm new to this whole job searching thing). I thought the interview went well, I got along with my interviewers, and I followed up in a timely manner including more information about the work I do. I thought I was a really good fit for the job... Instead of a phone call explaining why they didn't want me, I get this impersonal email from hr (probably in another state) stating that the position has been filled. I want to know why they didn't hire me. I'm sincerely curious. Is it improper to call them up and ask? Some part of me thinks that if I'm not working for them, a phone call certainly can't hurt, but I don't want to appear impertinent in case they change their minds (or perhaps there was confusion and the position has been filled... by me and I don't know it yet? But I'm being overly optimistic... I really wanted this job). I feel crushed. I put a lot of energy into that interview and I've spent a week biting my nails only to get this completely impersonal brush off... What should I do? I' m sorry you didn' t get the job you wanted, and don' t think you' d be out of line if you called or emailed them for more information. You write very well, and come across as a professional person. However, I' m don' t understand your comment that this was "impersonal". You got follow up, and based on the complaints on this board you are in the minority. They informed you of their decision, you just don' t agree with it or the method. That happens! Please don' t get so personally invested in the interview process. This is business. No job seeker should be "crushed" because of a decision like this. It' s just not worth getting that invested yet. On a side note, this is why it' s so discouraging to be in recruiting. Even when companies do "the right thing" - in this case, follow up - job seekers aren' t happy with what they get. You just can' t please everyone and a lot of companies have given up trying. Thank you for the timely response. I say the response was "impersonal" because it came from an email address I haven't seen that said "The position number XXX that you applied for has been filled". I expected to hear back from one of my contacts, from people I've actually talked to. The sub-company I applied to is fairly small (recently aquired) and seemed to have a very personable atmosphere. Honestly, I'm just wondering if the "position was filled" because *I* wasn't a good fit (did I misjudge the fit?) or because someone's qualified uncle needed the position more than I did. In other words, can I learn from this rejection to apply for positions better in the future? I once had one potential employer tell me that he didn't think I was well-rounded enough for his small (really small) company. This was VERY constructive criticism that has made me a better worker ever since! I'd like to learn from life's experiences. Otherwise I feel sort of helpless... Thanks for the clarification. Still, I'm glad you got a response on your status. Sounds like they have an applicant tracking system that sends out responses when a candidate's status is changed. Not everyone has these, they're expensive! Truth is, jobs get filled for all kinds of reasons. Maybe an internal candidate popped up that no one knew about before. Maybe an employee referred somone. Maybe they interviewed a superstar after you came in. Honestly, the hiring managers I've worked with have a really hard time with decisions like this because they see some good people. You could have skills someone else lacks, and vice versa. That's a tough situation to be in if you're looking for "the right fit". Odds are you did just fine and someone else had more of what they wanted - or thought they wanted - it happens a lot. Again, don't take this personally and try to keep some distance. It sounds hard but you need to separate "you" from the interview. I used to get all in a knot about jobs I really wanted, and finally decided it wasn't worth the frustration. It helped a lot. From the vast majority of companies, you' re not going to get personal rejection letters. From a large number of companies, you' re not even going to be contacted afterwards to be told you didn' t get the job. Keep in mind it may take awhile to get a rejection letter if the company wants to make sure who they really want accepts the job. They' d rather string you along than have to come back to you later after telling you they really wanted someone else. In general, companies are not going to offer real reasons why candidates don' t get jobs. Even when they take the time to personalize the form letters they sent to rejected applicants, they list non-reasons or generalities like ' fit' . If you want a chance at a more specific explanation as to why you didn' t get the job, give them a call. Don' t ask ' why didn' t I get the job' , ask something like ' what skills were you looking for that I did not offer.' You' re looking at bettering yourself for future opportunities, not the one you didn' t get. You may not get a comment, because if you' re not working for them, they don' t care about you. They have to keep HR' s mouth shut, lest they mess up and make people think they were disciminated against. Don' t leave a message. It likely won' t be returned. Make sure you talk to the person who can give you an answer. "They have to keep HR' s mouth shut, lest they mess up and make people think they were disciminated against. " How wrong you are. Hiring managers make the goofy, descriminatory decisions; HR tries to keep them honest and usually are left to handle the damage after the fact. I don' t care who gets hired, as long as they can do the job and fit the company to a reasonable level. Hiring managers, however, had told me things like: "It' s already a little dark around here, you know what I mean?" "I' d feel like I' m managing my dad." "I want to hire her. She enhances the scenery here." You tell them they can' t do that and guess what? They tell you they can hire whoever they want. HR works with employment attorneys and knows what is legally defensible. Hiring managers don' t. THEY are the reason people file lawsuits, not HR. We at least try to keep our hiring managers honest.
Welcome to corporate America today. Any how here is my $0.02... 1) Get over it! I have sent out hundreds of resumes and have had many interviews over the years and I'd say I have gotten a response from about 5% of them (this includes interviews). This is just how it is today. 2) You have a right to contact them and get feedback. Just don't expect much. Companies won't say much about anything these days out of fear of getting sued. 3) Never let hopes and dreams lock you in to just one company. You need to roll with things. You always need to have a plan B, a plan C, a plan D, etc. Besides who knows, once you have more experience or the right advanced degree some day company A might become interested. 5 years from now you might feel lucky you didn't get your dream job immediately. Since it sounds like you are new to the job search thing I am guessing you are new to the work world or at least new to the "professional" work world. You have a lot to learn and a lot of mistakes to make. You might as well mess up at company D and then mess up a little less at company C prior to going to work for company A. Any how, don't take anything personally in the work world. It's only business. And always look out for number one because NO ONE else will! Welcome to the World of Work. I know this is disappointing but really, it is NOT personal. While you had a nice (or even a great) interview, 6 other people could have done the same. Someone else may have had a little more experience, or a little more education or was a little bouncier or quieter or whatever. You just can't know. So, let it go and be glad they contacted you at all instead of leaving you hanging for a month. Move on to the next great thing. Firstly, if they addressed the email with your name instead of "Dear Applicant", the letter wasn' t completely impersonal. Second, it' s possible your inside contacts did not and still do not know the job has been filled. HR may have contacted you before anyone else. Don' t assume you are the last to know. Besides, would it really soften the news if your contact told you the same result? Understand that a decision has already been made. It' s not under discussion. If your contact goes and tries the skew the decision, by telling the hiring manager to change his/her mind, that' s interference or blatant disrespect for the hiring process of the company. You also must realize that hiring is like meeting friends. If the hiring manager likes you, you score more points. If you rub the manager in the wrong way, take away points. Did you know a lot of companies lose potentially the greatest employees because they did not choose the right candidate? I will give you a great example. At my former employer, they did not accept a certain candidate I recommended for the job. This candidate was immediately hired by our competitor and this person signed a multi-million dollar government account. She found innovative ways to sell her product that included longt term service contracts to major cities and counties throughout the western United States. I figure she cost my former company at least $100 million over 5 years. But it was my former company' s fault for not looking at her entire package that she had to offer. | |
|
Career Tips
|