The process of getting a job at a company for which you’d like to work can be grueling, cruel, and full of questions and uncertainties; but I don’t need to tell you this if you’ve been conducting a rigorous job search.
A job seeker who attended a number of my workshops and sat with me for a mock interview and a résumé critique recently got a job. I was extremely happy to hear of his success, but it wasn’t an easy process for him. He worked diligently to land his job while suffering through multiple rejections.
He and I knew he was qualified for the positions for which he applied. He made it to many last-round interviews only to find out he wasn’t selected. Recruiters continued to knock on his door to set him up for increasingly more interviews; at least once a week. He was becoming despondent, and I was trying to be supportive. His story ended positively.
Sandra McCartt writes in her article, It’s Not Your Fault—It’s a Negative Flawed Process. Deal with It Positively, jobseekers who enlist the help of recruiters often don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes during the hiring process, and what goes terribly wrong when job seekers think they have the job wrapped up.
You may have not considered or want to accept this, but there are various reasons why employers erroneously hire those they do. “First, this process does not always result in the best candidate being selected. There are a whole host of good reasons for this to occur,” writes Ms. McCartt. There are also as many poor reasons why candidates aren’t hired.
1. Legitimate reasons. Ms. McCartt mentions legitimate reasons such as relocation, compensation, or other financial issues. Hiring a candidate is a business transaction, so if you’re going to put too much of a dent into the company’s pocketbook, there’s only one solution—the company ends the business transaction.
2. They went with someone inside. It’s very common for a company to advertise a position even when they have an internal hire in mind. But the company wants to make certain that they hire the best possible person, so they test the water and conduct a traditional search. You’re better qualified but not as well known as their internal candidate. As well, the company is fostering goodwill among its employees.
3. You’re too good. Many job seekers have told me that the hiring manager who interviewed them was less knowledgeable; that they could do the HM’s job. Understandably the HM felt insecure, harboring “you’ll-take-my-job” feelings, and decided to go with a safer, less qualified candidate. Perhaps one of the other candidates the recruiter sent to them for consideration.
4. Hiring managers are sometimes incompetent interviewers. Many HMs aren’t trained to conduct interviews to capture the most complete candidate. Their priority is usually hiring someone who has the best technical qualifications. In finding someone who can handle the responsibilities in their sleep, the HMs neglect another important aspect of the job—the personal fit. Great interviewers realize an interview that involves a combination of traditional and behavioral-based questions is the most effective way to find the best overall candidate, you.
5. Unfortunately hiring managers make decisions based on personal biases. Nepotism is one blatant reason why people are hired for a position. One of my customers was told she was being let go so the owner could hire his cousin. He actually admitted it. And there’s always a candidate’s appearance, attractive or not, that may come into play. “Am I going to tell a less than attractive candidate that they didn’t get the job because the hiring manager thought they were butt ugly?” writes Ms. McCartt. “Of course not, they can’t do anything about it. The next hiring manager may be double dog ugly and think that candidate is a doll.”
What we’re left with after a candidate isn’t hired for one, or many, of these reasons mentioned above, is a disheartened jobseeker; a recruiter who won’t receive her bonus; and an HM who hopes he has hired the ideal person for the job. There’s only one winner out of the possible hundreds of candidates in the process. I’m not stupid enough to believe telling you the reasons why you didn’t get the job will provide you any solace, but hopefully, you’ll understand that you’re not to blame.
Unfair as this seems, it’s a fact of life that makes the job search process suck. What should you do in the face of such adversity? “Accept the rejection as just that, the result of a flawed process with vague outcomes,” Ms. McCartt advises. And never take it personally.