After All That...They Went With Another Candidate

Your interview went great! Confident? Check. No rambling? Check. Followed the STAR format? Check.

So they invited you back for interview number 2. Even better. Rapport with the hiring manager? Yep. You were even in the same frat, but different years? Wonderful. At your last job, you implemented the exact solution they’re planning to launch next month? Perfect. And he said straight from his lips, “We could use a guy like you on our team.” Sounds great.

But then….

Here’s what the 1st email from the recruiter said: “I should have an update form the hiring manager early next week.” 

Here’s the 2nd email: “Something came up and he has been unavailable. Please follow up with me next week for an update. 

And here’s the 3rd email: “To be fully transparent, we had someone complete final rounds today and will be moving forward with them.” 

And let’s not leave out this little gem that was added on: “If anything changes or falls through on our end, I will keep you in the loop.”

What happened? How did you go from practically the hiring manager’s best friend to Joe Schmoe whom they have literally forgotten about. And who is this magical mystery candidate they chose instead? Let’s talk about what to do when you go through several rounds of the interview process, only to find out that you were not selected.

It’s Not You. It’s Them.

Have this in the forefront of your mind: if they called you for an interview in the 1st place, they liked most of what your resume and LinkedIn profile had to say. On paper you appeared to be at least a reasonable candidate, or else they likely would not have wasted your or their time.

In 19 years of supporting candidates in landing their ideal roles, I have never had a candidate tell me of a scenario in which the interviewer declared the candidate to be an abject fool. On your very worst day, you probably didn’t “bomb” the interview. Even if you forgot to say something or provided an answer that you thought was weak, the interviewer does not live in your mind and he doesn’t know.

So the problem is not you. You very, very, very likely performed just fine in your series of interviews. They liked you. 

Right, So…It’s Them.

They liked you so much that…they didn’t choose you. Why? There are 1,0001 reasons that you’re never going to know – that’s just reality. 

The concept of being a “good fit,” is highly subjective. Beyond your actual credentials, expertise, and accomplishments, the hiring manager is looking for someone who will become a part of their team’s daily lives. The problem becomes when the hiring manager too strongly holds on to a particular image that he has in mind, to the point that he really only wants to hire someone just like them: same cultural experiences, fashion sense, appreciation for restaurants and social gathering spots, and overall lifestyle.

Your expertise is good, but you just might be a little too smart. This is a real problem, especially if you encounter an insecure hiring manager who wants someone very good, but not necessarily great. A great person may outshine him and have him thinking he’ll be on the road to losing his own job. Now, will you ever be told that? Of course not.

And then there’s the oldie, but baddie: they already had an internal or referred candidate in mind. Here’s why that happens so much of the time: when someone is referred, it’s unlikely the employer can just say, “OK, he’s hired.” The employer still has to go through the process from a legal compliance standpoint. Additionally, the hiring manager doesn’t want to put all his eggs in 1 basket even with a referred person. It’s a best practice to evaluate a handful of other strong candidates just for due diligence purposes.

Here’s What To Do Next

I know it’s hard, but, by all means, be super-gracious. Make sure your tone is up, up, up, when you’re replying to that email. And yes, you are replying to that email. If they interviewed you 2 or 3 times, they liked you. Therefore, keep the door open. Ask for feedback by saying you want to make sure you have all your bases covered since you have 2 more interviews scheduled this week.

In 30 days, pop yourself back onto their radar. Then do it again in 60 days, and again in 90 days. You would be amazed at the number of times I’ve seen a person get hired and then not work out. If you come back around, they don’t have to re-launch the entire hiring process from scratch. Keep thins professional and keep your tone positive. Mention that you found out some piece of news about the organization and what they’re working on right now. Flat out ask them if any similar role has become available. You have exactly zero to lose by doing this, and you just may turn yesterday’s “no” into today’s “yes.”

There’s a free job search training where I show you how to not get ghosted by recruiters who made you think things were going well. Find out that and much more in, “How to Land Your Dream Job in 8 Weeks or Less.” You’ll also learn the simple change to make in order to consistently get called for interviews, plus the script to turn those interviews into offers.