How to Find Out Why You Didn’t Get the Job You Want

You started applying for jobs some time ago. You managed to get a few interviews, but the results were always the same.

You spent days and even weeks preparing for an interview and you thought you had nailed it.

Then a few days later you got an email from the company. Guess what?

Rejected.

And you have received the same answer a few times already.

Why? If you haven’t asked yourself yet, I think it is time to do so! Otherwise, you’ll end up crying because it is taking too long to get a job - and I don’t want that!

       Every day I read posts where people complain that it takes too long to get a job: months, sometimes years. But that’s not true! You can get a job in a short time, less than 30 days! (Yes, you can!). Firstly, you have to stop making the same mistakes when you apply for a job and, secondly, you have to be more flexible.

       Today I have decided to share with you how you can find out the reason for your rejection and what you did wrong during the recruitment process (job interview).

     The only way to find out why you were rejected is to get that information from the person who rejected you. You can try to guess or google it, but the only person who can really tell you is the person who took the decision.

 Who is that person?

      Depending on the size of the company and how far you managed to progress during the recruitment process, that person can be someone from the HR (recruitment) department or the hiring manager.

        If you are rejected immediately after sending your application (CV or Resume), then you should contact the HR person (the recruiter) and try to find out why they rejected you. Don’t expect a specific answer, usually you’ll receive a general and vague answer. My suggestion is to STOP applying by just sending your resume, there are other more efficient and effective ways of getting the job you want.

       If you are rejected after an interview, the person who took the decision is the interviewer(s) and/or the hiring manager (it is possible that during your first interview the hiring manager will not be present and your profile will be just presented to him/her). In this case, it is clear whom you should contact - the interviewer(s). In this situation, you can expect a more specific explanation and feedback.

       In both cases, you can expect a general answer if you ask for an explanation via email. The best way to get specific feedback is to have another one-to-one call or meeting with the person who took the decision. This is not always possible or easy, but it is the most effective way if you really want an explanation. Always be polite and ask nicely for feedback.

How can you convince the decision maker to meet with you and tell you why they didn’t choose you? 

      You have to offer something of interest to the person who rejected you, something which will make him/her more interested in meeting you. What could that be?

       You can offer your feedback about the recruitment process, what was not very professional from the company’s side, what could create a bad image for the company, what you liked, etc. Put together all the information you discovered during the recruitment process and come up with some suggestions for the company/team. You could also come up with some suggestions related to the position itself. You didn’t get the job, but that doesn’t mean you cannot continue showing your interest in that position.

       So, when you contact the decision maker, stress that you would like to meet with him/her because you would like to share your feedback after interacting with the company and discuss other topics which you think are important and could bring value if taken into consideration.

 Two very important pieces of advice

1. Move on!

     You should always try to find out why you were rejected and ask for feedback. It can help you to understand what you do well and what you need to work on. But don't spend too much time and energy trying to find out why it happened if the company is not open to giving you honest and meaningful feedback. Sometimes it is just because they liked another candidate more, and it has nothing to do with what you said or with your qualifications and experience. There are also cases when the company decides not to hire anyone.

    I know I said that the mistakes you make are one of the reasons why it takes so long to be hired, but in fact there are many reasons why you might not land a job. Some of the reasons have nothing to do with what you say or do. I don’t want you to go to an extreme where you are spending all your time and energy on finding out why the company didn’t hire you. You have to spend most of your time and energy on trying to secure a job, not on finding why you didn’t get one.

1. Prove to them that you can do the job!

     As I said earlier, there are many reasons why you may not get a job, but the most common one is because you fail to prove that you are their man, that you are the one who can really do the job and bring value.

      Most job-seekers apply in the traditional way, sending their resume with the ''perfect words''. If you are lucky you will be invited to an interview and the game continues there, with promises, and stories about past experiences, which are designed to convince the interviewers that they are what the company needs.

     Let me tell you something. Companies need someone to do the job and bring value, so sometimes they hire people who are unqualified on paper but during the recruitment process they demonstrate that they can do the job and bring value.

STOP

• being the traditional job-seeker who applies for jobs with his/her ‘’perfect resume’’ which matches 100% of the requirements.
• telling stories about how good you are and how well you did your job in the past.

START

PROVING THAT YOU CAN DO THE JOB AND BRING VALUE FOR THEM!

Conclusion

     Finding out why you didn’t get the job you applied for can be helpful in terms of learning what you need to focus on in order to avoid the same result in the future. To get meaningful feedback, you have to ask the right person and you have to be prepared to convince that person that it’s worth spending his/her time with you. 

Start finding out what you do wrong and fix it today.

How did you find out why you were rejected? How did you find out why they didn’t hire you? Let me know about your experience and how you handled it. I love to hear about personal experiences.