“We went with someone else.” Every job seeker knows what this statement means: you won’t be receiving a job offer from this employer. Every job seeker also knows how it feels to be frustrated by this statement. While it means “no,” it doesn’t reveal why the answer is no – and when your qualifications match the job description and you nailed the interview, not knowing why can be the toughest hurdle of all.
If you were to hook the hiring manager up to a lie detector and ask “Why didn’t I get the job offer?”, you might get a variety of answers. Here are some of the most common:
- “We hired someone who already works here.” It’s tough competing with an internal hire. Choosing someone who already works with the company is often a low-risk option for a hiring manager: they’re choosing a person whose personality, abilities, learning potential, and work ethic are already known. When an internal hire is well liked, chances are that the hiring manager’s own co-workers or supervisor went to bat for the new hire. An internal hire also faces a shorter learning curve, because he or she is already familiar with the company’s structure, procedures, and key players.
- “We just didn’t ‘click.” “Clicking” with the hiring manager could mean one of several things. Maybe the hiring manager just didn’t like you personally – a factor over which you have little control. Maybe the hiring manager liked you, but felt that you wouldn’t be a good fit for the organization or thought that your prospective co-workers, staff, or supervisors wouldn’t warm up to your work style. One way to address this problem, regardless of your innate charisma, is to prepare thoroughly for the interview and project genuine interest and enthusiasm for the work.
- “The budget fell through/we restructured and no longer needed someone.” Like an internal hire, a budget change or restructuring is outside of your control. Drops in sales or profits, a shuffling of responsibilities among current employees, or a similar change may have resulted in the position disappearing or being altered in a way that no longer fits your abilities and skills. Although you can’t always solve this problem in your interview, you can help keep yourself on the hiring manager’s radar by stressing your interest in working for this company – even if it’s not in the anticipated position.
- “The candidate just didn’t seem interested.” Lack of interest or lack of preparedness can be a death knell in an interview. If you don’t seem like you’re particularly interested in the employer, the work, or the field, few hiring managers will be interested in hiring you, no matter how well qualified you are on paper. Put in the work ahead of time to show your skills to your best advantage.
At Marquee Staffing, our experienced recruiters will help prepare you to jump the toughest interview hurdles, improving your chances of turning “we went with someone else” into “when can you start?” Contact us today to learn more.
