‘Why wasn’t I hired?’ — Should you answer?
June 10, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Assessing the right candidate, In This Week's E-Newsletter, Latest News & Views
When candidates find out they didn’t get the job, some want to know why. Should you answer, or just keep quiet?
Well, some recruiters answer, and some don’t. What are the benefits of giving feedback to unsuccessful job seekers? Not much, other than the fact that you might look like a jerk if you don’t answer. And of course, you might want to help someone’s job search by giving constructive criticism.
But here are some of the problems of responding:
- Some candidates ask for your reasons just so they can try to convince you you’re wrong.
- The real reasons can be hard to articulate. It’s easy if the answer is, “You don’t have enough experience in [blank],” but not so much if it came down to something vague like cultural fit.
- And, of course, there’s always liability to take into account. If the reason you give strays slightly from the truth, the candidate might try to claim you’re lying and the real reason was race, gender, etc.
So, should you say anything when a candidate asks why you hired someone else? There’s no easy answer. If you tell them anything, it might be a good idea to do it through e-mail so you don’t get trapped in an unending conversation about why you’re wrong.
We’d like to hear about what you do in these situations. Let us know in the comments section.
Tags: didn't get the job, not hired, unsuccessful candidates
June 13th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I do not tell candidates the specifics of why they are not hired. I typically just thank them for their interest in our organization and tell them that they have an interesting (or diverse or impressive) work background but someone else was a better fit and came out on top.
June 13th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
We generally don’t respond to these kinds of follow-up questions for the reasons noted in the article. In the rejection letter we send to applicants, we state, “After carefully reviewing all resumes and applications, we interviewed a small number of applicants. Based on background, qualifications, skills and experience, we have selected the candidate that we feel will best fit the position. ” We don’t discriminate in our hiring process, but it’s best to keep answers to these kinds of questions short and sweet.
June 13th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I have two schools of thought; one for Management candidates and one for Hourly candidates. I never send rejection letters to Management candidates I interview and do not offer the job. I always call and tell them that even though they have good credentials, we are seeking someone with more management experience in the specified area. I have always been thanked for calling them and allowing them to move on. Too often people are left in the dark after an interview; management candidates should be spoken to and given the courtesy of your decision. This just may create referrals down the road for future employment or business!
As far as hourly candidates go, I always send rejection letters on those candidates not being employed. I have received a few phone calls after the fact as to why wasn’t I hired. I simply state we found a candidate with either more years of experience or more relative experience/skills for the job.
June 13th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I agree with Brian, you may seem like a jerk, but a rejection letter should be enough, although a lot of times it is not. If a candidate keeps calling asking for a “real” reason, i just tell them verbatiom what the letter states. I thank them for applying with us us and hang up. One guy even called back and threatened to beat me up. Some people just take rejection better than others.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
An approach that I use is to try to put things in perspective for the rejected candidate. You may be the only employer they’ve applied to, but it seems to help if they realize that they were one of a hundred applications and one of only a handful of persons selected for an interview at all.
I usually phone anyone who has been in for an interview to let him know that he wasn’t chosen. It goes like this: “Sheila, I wanted to call you personally to let you know that we have filled the ________ position with another candidate. I’d like to tell you how much we all enjoyed meeting you and how sorry I am that we won’t be working together THIS TIME. I guess we’re lucky that we had so many fine candidates to choose from; but it sure does make it hard to narrow it down to just one. I hope you’ll consider applying for future openings that you might be interested in, and good luck to you with your search! And thanks again!”
If they must hear the reason, don’t make it about him; make it about the candidate you hired. It shouldn’t be that Sheila didn’t have enough sales experience or because Sheila’s office skills are lacklustre. Simply state the truth (and the obvious): “The person we hired seems to be the best fit, based on the skills and qualities that we were seeking.” And then segue right back into the warm, fuzzy goodbye: “And gosh, was that difficult to figure out since there were so many great candidates! Thank you so much for throwing your hat into the ring!”
In my mind, no email can deliver the warm message that a phone call can, especially if you are sincere and respectful. It is difficult for a job candidate to get all ready, plan and schedule the time, and actually make the trip to visit a bunch of folks that you’ve never laid eyes on and impress them the first time you ever speak to them. It is hard on a candidate to get beaten out on a job he wants. So why not give a friendly word of farewell when the process ends? Even the grocery checker says “Have a nice day, and come back soon.” Can’t we?
June 14th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I do understand the far reaching implications of responding to a candidates request. The response I have found to be most appropriate is, “thank you very much for your time and interest in our organization, at this point we will “not” be “continuing the process”. Is is okay if we keep your resume on file, our needs may change and I will contact you at that time. Thank you. At that time I end the conversation.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Our policy is to make a phone call to each candidate we interviewed in person to let them know the hiring decision. And to send an email to all others who sent in resumes who were not hired, and encourage them to continue to check our website for new job openings for which they might be qualified. I can’t tell you the number of thank you’s I’ve received for letting them know. For many job applicants, the process is so impersonal when they send in a resume, most never expect to be answered. At least when they receive an acknowledgment that we are reviewing their resume, then another advising them of the hiring decision, even if they are not chosen, they feel we truly have given them consideration. “Encouraging” then to continue to view our job openings seems to help the candidate over feeling rejected without committing us to anything further.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Having done HR for 20 plus yrs, my policy seems to be a marriage of several stated in feedback…for managerial candidates that have been in for a personal interview they receive a phone call, with a scripted delivery of the new and a letter, again carefully scripted………hourly and clerical receive no automatic feedback, if they followup [ and a very small % due]….we will send a scripted letter…..have been successful in not being dragged into court since the 90′s
November 21st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I wrote to all interviewed candidates that we had selected our new ___ and thanking them for their time, interest, etc. It was a fairly cordial email but it wasn’t a phone call (which might have been better PR but I wanted to avoid long-running phone conversations that weren’t going to change the results. One candidate wrote a sweet thank you and “I am still interested if the new person doesn’t work out or you have a lesser position in the future.” Another wrote that she was certain I didn’t find someone with more experience or expertise, but “oh well!” It was a bit snide and over the top. I responded by copying the sweet reply (no name attached) and her reply and asked her to judge which person she’d be quicker to call in the future. Never heard from her again.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I never tell a candidate the reason for his/her not being hired. I simply say, in a letter, that even though his/her credentials are impressive, we have hired another candidate whose background is a better fit for the position. If you tell someone the specifics of why they were not chosen, they tend to want to argue the point. Why open a crack where they can fit the crowbar in?
May 28th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
I noticed a relisting of the same job I interviewed for a couple of weeks later. I am trying to re-enter the workforce after having raised my children, and it is a very intimating process . I have been away from this process for many years, so, of course, I would like to know what I lack and if there is something the interviewer could relay to me so that I may be able to improve upon my interviewing skills. I would truly welcome their comments, without any retailiation. Despite asking for their feedback, I have not heard anything. Not knowing, however, really is disheartening, I don’t care what level the applicant is on. I feel an honest approach is not only the best approach, but very helpful, also.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Our process is similar to many other responses above. With management level, I always call them and my standard answer is, “while we were very impressed with your work experience and we appreciate your time, we have selected another candidate who was a better overall fit for the position and our organization.” I do not provide further detail, unless they were truly lacking experience in a particular area that was required. For hourly folks, I send them a standard letter. I have had rejected candidates become aggressive and argumentative on the phone, and I even received an e-mail from a management-level candidate last week asking me why I never checked his references (he wasn’t one of the final two, so that’s why). I think candidates are starting to panic because the job market is so tough.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Gina, Perhaps a career coach or staffing agency could “mock” interview you to look for problem areas and give you feedback. It’s simply too risky for your interviewers to answer these questions and legally it is responsible for them not to. However I totally understand how frustrating it is to not know what you’re doing wrong (if anything). That’s where a coach or staffing consultant could help out. Most likely it’s simply a matter of numbers. There are few jobs and hundreds of people looking for work. Good luck in your search!
June 10th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
As an hourly employee, and take exception that management applicants are treated better than hourly applicants. People are people, and how high they are on the corporate ladder should not matter in how they are notified that they were not chosen for a job. I have been out of work for going on two years. I have a great resume. I dress well and have had a mentor in the past to help me work out any undesireable responses in interviews. What I am finding with hiring managers is that they do not want someone who is well spoken and qualified. They want a yes person. Someone who will keep quiet and do as their told with no question. If there is any indication that you may be a person with your own mind, then the interviewer makes up their mind about you within the first five minutes. I also believe there is such a push to hire minorities that those of us who are not minorites get eliminated for someone with less qualifications simply because of their ethnicity. I find this blog to be just another proof that there is terrible predjudice with Hiring Managers and that the attitude is that there does not have to be any accountability. Just an exchange in ideas of how to get around it! I am discouraged and dismayed to read all of the excuses that “Hiring Managers” use to justify this practice! A person truly seeking a job needs to know the truth, not excuses as to why they were not selected. I am sorry that this might make you feel uncomfortable, but imagine how the applicant feels when they get you rejection letter with nothing more than vague, redundant reasons why they were not selected. As hiring managers you should show more respect to those who have gone to so much trouble to try to work for your company!
June 11th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
This answer is for Grace:
For some open positions, I get 500+ resumes. I now get candidates who call me and grill me as to why they didn’t get a call for an interview. I am actually starting to fear for my safety due to some aggressive candidates who call me and grill me about our hiring process, who reviews the resumes, why they didn’t get called, can I critique their resume, why weren’t they hired, etc. The bottom line is that there are so many law suits filed now that managers and recruiters simply can’t give individual feedback to each applicant, and we have to look out for our personal safety too. We are not legally obligated to give feedback to each person who interviews or submits a resume. It’s not a nice answer, but it’s the truth.
June 11th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
In response to Kris. Thank you for your honest response. I certainly would not expect you to have to be “grilled” by anyone, or threatened! Part of the reason there are so many lawsuits is that there are a lot of things being done in the hiring process that are not legal. I am certainly NOT saying that all the lawsuits are justified, or that all companies practice underhanded methods, but I can tell you that I have personally been discriminated against in more than one way. My age, my weight and my ethnicity. The problem is you can never prove it because there is always that pat answer. The person hired was a better fit. I can’t compete with that. I need more than that to know where I am lacking. You are correct. It is not the hiring managers job to help me and I understand that you are not legally bound to give feedback in all circumstances. But some circumstances you are legally bound. EG a person with a disability with the perfect skills for the job is not selected and someone who is right out of school with absolutely no experience is selected because the hiring manager likes them better. Often a better fit is an excuse for liking somone better. Please know that I am not suggesting that you contact 500 people with feedback. And I seriously doubt you are interviewing 500 people for a position. I worked as assistant to an HR Director. All job selections were approved by the VP. If our ethnicity numbers were not exactly where they should be a person was selected to fix that. So maybe I have become a little jaded since I have witnessed this more than once. A suggestion; Some of your problematic calls could be eliminated if your company would advertise the job as a confidential company. At least then you would only hear from those who have been interviewd. If it is an internal problem then it can be handled with the persons manager. I have applied for many jobs that I have no clue who the company is and certainly not a phone number to call the HR department. But let me say again, I would NOT expect any hiring manager to put themselves or anyone else in a vulnerable position to be attacked by an applicant. Either verbally or physically. There is no excuse for that kind of behaviour.
June 17th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Thank you, MS, for your comments. I want to clarify that I had two interviews with the company. I first interviewed with Human Resource which led to a second interview with the branch office. My frustration is that I really felt the company was interested. The branch manager seemed very pleased with my experience, etc. To turn around and see the job re-posted was a slap in the face. I was obviously passed over for reason(s) other than numbers for the company to actually re-post the position. I was never even tested–it was strictly an interview that appeared to go quite well (or so I thought). That is why feedback would be welcomed. Very frustrating and disheartening.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I had an interview with a company where the hiring manager lie about my being late, to the recruiter, when in fact I was early and she did not pick up her messages that I was waiting.
During the interview she appologized for being late and I took that at face value.
The next day what was conveyed to me was that she said I was late. I sent an email to her and the recuiter referring to the sign in log and made a comment about a managers professional integrety, and how it affects the relationship of recuiter and candidates and possible future of the individual with the placement organization.
I felt since this was a first time with this recruiting firm my integrety and reputation was being questioned and the email was very important to clarify who was right.
I got a followup call from the recuiter yelling and screaming and naturally hung up.
I need clarification and what is the recommended solution. I’m just dazzed and confused
July 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I think the email should have been sent to the recruiter only if you were working through a recruiting firm. The recruiter’s job is to be the liaison between you and the hiring manager. By questioning the professional integrity of the manager with both parties copied on the email, it could have damaged the relationship between the manager and the recruiter, potentially losing business for the recruiter.
When working with a recruiting agency, I would say that any issues that you may have with a job interview or hiring manager should be dealt with through the recruiter only. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter who was “right”; the chain of communication was broken when you attacked the integrity of the hiring manager and copied the recruiter.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Walter Sznerch, I agree with MS. You had nothing to gain by questioning the professional integrity of the interviewing manager, regardless of who was “right” or “wrong.” You could have let the recruiter know that you had arrived early, that there was a misunderstanding regarding your arrival time because the manager didn’t pick up their messages right away and then let them deal with it in a more appropriate manner. By drawing a line in the sand and declaring you were “right,” you put the recruiter in a no-win situation, destroyed any opportunity you might have had with that company in the future and displayed a glaring lack of professionalism yourself. Instead of being a misunderstanding that could have been straightened out, it became a battle and everyone lost.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:53 pm
[...] running the story: ‘Why wasn’t I hired’? – Should you answer?, we got feed back from our readers on what they have done. This is what we [...]
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 am
With the volumes of qualified and non-qualified candidates interviewed and responding to our ads, its impossible to provide personal feedback to each. However, if an interviewed candidate calls or emails, professional courtesy should be to reply and provide a brief explanation..e.g. we did hire someone more qualified, but if you obtain “this or that”, you’ll be a strong contender for a future opening.
A recruiter should be willing to provide more information if the candidate is a silver medalist or a referral from an executive. This will allow for further managing of the relationship for future openings, etc. Also, the candidate may be a customer of your employer. More candidates seem willing to share their unhappiness with your CEO or buy not buying the product or service that pays your salary.
Interesting, my personal experience and the experience of other HR professionals I know who have interviewed for HR jobs, there does seem to be a lack of courtesy. A good friend has been interviewing for HR jobs recently, and has followed up with many of the corporate recruiters. To her dismay, not one has had the courtesy to respond to her emails and phone messages. During the interviews, she was described as qualified and also met with HR directors and staff. If anything, I think HR professionals (especially recruiters) should treat others in their profession with the same respect they would want if the situation were reversed.
Thank you.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I always put the emphasis on the person we did hire rather than why we did not choose another. “We found a candidate whose skills and experience most closely fit our requirements.”
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
What do you tell them if they do not get the position but another candidate has not been chosen yet? Sometimes we have a position left open for several weeks, even months, because we have not found just the right candidate. The applicant sees the position is still open and asks why they were not chosen. Can’t very well say we found someone that was better qualified or a better fit.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
Barb – in this case our communication is:
Thank you for your interest in the xxx position at xxx company. Unfortunately, at this time we are pursuing other candidates. However, we will keep your information on file in the event that a new position becomes available which better fits your skills.
Basically this is a nice way of saying “we looked at your resume and are not interested at this time”. We have an automated recruiting system so this letter is emailed to all candidates that we mark “not qualified” for one reason or another.
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Barb, Basically it is a cop out!
July 24th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Grace – if you feel it’s a cop out, how do you typically handle these situations?
July 24th, 2009 at 11:18 am
In my organization, we do not have a recruiter, and each HR Rep is responsible for their area. We have 3 HR Reps for 600 people, and recruiting is one of many responsibilities. For the job boards I use, I have an automatic response that goes out, and I also try to send a canned response via e-mail to anyone who sends a resume via e-mail. Unfortunately, I do not have time to respond to resumes that are mailed or faxed, and there are times when I don’t even have a chance to respond to those who e-mail. However, many of those that receive the canned response, still call wanting to know if I received their resume or when they’ll be contacted for an interview. For some positions, I receive hundreds of resumes; there have been some positions that I’ve received close to 100 e-mails in an hour.
As for those who have been interviewed, I send a letter thanking them for their time and informing them we chose someone else for the position. The only time I make phone calls is for an executive level position.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Is it customary to have a telephone interview after having already interviewed twice in person? I have a telephone interview tomorrow with someone iin Human Resource who I have not met with previously. I already interviewed in person with another person in Human Resource and then with the branch manager. Could someone inform me as to what this all means. Thank you.
July 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
It seems like they’re doing things a bit backwards, but don’t read too much into it. There’s a possibility that the HR professional you are about to speak with was unavailable at the time of the interviews. Every company has their own recruiting quirks that can be confusing to candidates. Think of it as a good thing that you’ve been invited to speak with so many people! Good luck tomorrow.
July 27th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Thank you for your optimistic outlook on this situation. I can’t help but think there is hesitation somewhere, though. I will, however, look at it your way. Thanks again!
July 28th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Leigh – you hit the nail on the head. Some people think that all we do is recruit so we must have time to respond to everyone personally. I too get hundreds of emails for each position. We have 5 HR professionals for 1500 people. There is too much to do in the day to respond to each candidate individually.