Great Interview Process, No Offer

Hi Deb:

I recently went through a series of interviews with a company that is a leader in my industry. They pursued me on LinkedIn—I wasn’t actively looking! The interviews progressed to the point where I met with the COO, the hiring manager, and three peers. Then, I was invited to create a presentation for the team. I spent significant time on this presentation and gave it a lot of thought. Immediately after that presentation, the recruiter emailed me to arrange a time for me to meet with the CEO. Then, the following day, the recruiter called me and said something like, “After careful evaluation, we have decided to go in a different direction.” I pressed her for more information, but she wouldn’t share.

What happened? I don’t get it. They contacted me, seemed so excited about me, and abruptly cut me off without any real explanation. I am so very discouraged and disappointed. 

Thanks,

Marco

Hi Marco:

Thanks for writing. Your story is a familiar one, which many, many job seekers have experienced. I want to assure you that this doesn’t have anything to do with you and that it’s only one person’s opinion. Yes, one person’s opinion… if you made it to the final rounds and then you were invited to meet with the CEO, it sounds like everyone on the hiring team was on board with your candidacy until someone else threw a wrench in it. 

What happened? Who knows. You can press a recruiter for more information, but it’s unlikely that you will get any substantive feedback. Most of the time, candidates who don’t get the job have not done anything wrong. It is just that there is someone else in the queue who more effectively convinced the hiring team that they could solve the business problem at hand. Some other reasons you may not have gotten the job include the following possible scenarios:

• CFO’s niece was hired instead. 

• The hiring manager decided they needed an entirely different skill/experience set than they initially thought.

• Budget changed.

• Stock price/earnings per share went down. Hiring freeze. 

• Someone just didn’t like you. 

Or, it could be that someone else appeared more qualified for the job. Just as the decision not to hire is not about you, the interview process is not about you but the business needs that the hiring team has. Focus on those and align your answers during the interview with them. Remember to highlight your achievements rather than your tasks, and when possible, quantify!

All my best,

Deb