You did your homework. You took what the recruiter gave you and ran with it. You scoured the internet for all the available information about the position, you checked out Glassdoor and read all the reviews from current, hopeful, and past employees. You noted what all the big names in career advice consider to be thoughtful answers, impressive questions to ask at the end, body language/tone of voice that claims “I got this, you want me,” and you walked into that interview, for that dream job no less, ready. Prepared beyond all doubt. Excited to impress. You owned this.

But it turns out, you didn’t. Two days later you get that email from your recruiter, “Thanks but no thanks. We’ll keep you in mind for future opportunities.”

No, wait. But what about this opportunity, what happened? Let’s back up here and talk about what happened. You should have been a shoe-in. That’s why you were approached for the position in the first place, right? Where’d the excitement go?

These are questions you might be wondering if you’ve been released from consideration from an employment opportunity. It’s a frustrating experience, especially if you were initially approached by your recruiter with considerable enthusiasm. You were already mapping out your commute route. So really, what did happen?

The feedback from your recruiter can be crucial in developing an interview process that gets you results. And while your recruiter should be able to provide you helpful feedback, knowing the right questions to ask them when you get notice that you won’t be considered from the candidate pool will turn out to be much more beneficial in fine-tuning your skills. Also keeping in mind how short on time most recruiters are, it’s much more efficient all around to ask them several brief, specific questions.

Here’s just a handful to consider:

  1. What were my strengths/weaknesses in the interview?
  2. Why, specifically, did they pass on me? Often companies claim that a candidate is not a “good fit.” It’s worth asking your recruiter if they elaborate on why this is so.
  3. Was it clear to the interviewer that I had prepared/was knowledgeable of the company and position?

And remember, be brief. Don’t overwhelm a recruiter’s time with tons of questions when a few will do. The answers you receive will be much more useful this way.

Keep the job hunt going! Good luck! You got this.

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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