Why didn’t I get the job?
Being rejected when you have applied for a job can be tough.
When we as recruiters act for our employer clients, it is our job to find the best candidates based on the requirements they give to us. Inevitably this will mean that some people who apply won’t be suitable to be put forward or won’t succeed at interview.
We love finding the right job for people because we know how much finding the right job can change a person’s life. A better job, increased pay, a better location or job satisfaction are just some of the life changing reasons people come to us. There can be many reasons we decide not to put a particular candidate forward or an interview is not successful – and none of them mean that those individuals should lose their enthusiasm for finding the right job.
If you treat rejection as a learning experience, speak to your recruitment consultant for advice on future applications, you can bounce back quickly from disappointment.
Three main reasons you might not receive a job offer
Your experience
No employer wants to place you in a role that you find too easy or too difficult. Either way they might end up losing you and needing to recruit again within a few weeks.
Industry and job experience has a big part to play because employers want to reduce risk. If two people apply and one has more industry or job experience the interviewer is likely to lean towards the person with most experience. Make sure you highlight transferable skills in you CV if you want to take on new roles. Spell out to your recruitment consultant and potential employer how your past experience and current skills can add value and reduce the risk of taking you on. Have you worked in a similar industry, used similar equipment, worked to similar deadlines or worked with similar software applications?
Your availability and enthusiasm
Your availability and enthusiasm to start could be the deal breaker for the manager who is recruiting, even if you are first choice. If you have a long notice period, decide you need to build that house extension or take a long holiday between jobs that might just not fit with the hiring managers need to get someone into the business when they need them.
Availability is a bigger problem if the role is temporary and the employer needs staff now. None of this is your fault of course and you may not be able to do anything about it, it’s just an issue of logistics and timing for the employer.
‘Fit’
Whenever a recruitment consultant is given a role they will always ask the employer about the organisations culture. When interviewing people for jobs the interviewer is assessing more than experience and skills. They will be considering whether you would fit with the culture of the organisation and with the other people on the team. They want to know that you will get on with the other staff in the company and they want to reduce the risk of future conflict.
Not being the right fit for one organistion just means that your personality is suited to a company where you would be more comfortable working. Both you and your employer want to know that you are working with people you can get along with.
If you didn’t get the job offer this time, make sure you get feedback from the employer and your recruitment consultant. Don’t take it personally, try to learn from the experience, change what you can and move on. Your ideal job and employer is out there!
Tricia Hay
MD First Base Employment
Another brilliant result – relationships matter!
I recently wrote about the importance of building a good relationship with your recruitment consultant when seeking a new role or career. Here’s another example of how well it works for candidates who are proactive and willing to learn!
The candidate who wrote the testimonial below didn’t just send off her CV, as soon as she had done some research into First Base she came along to our offices to seek career advice on how to improve her chances of getting the type of job she was hoping for. By taking responsibility to build a relationship early she was able to help a member our talent resourcing team to get to know her and find the right type of opportunity. The kind comments made after receiving a job offer proves the point!
“Having just finished a contract, I dutifully sent my CV off to a few agencies for work having perused their websites and what vacancies they represented. A good gut feeling made me call First Base, not just for work but for some career guidance and advice. From the first point of contact with the member of staff who answered the phone they positively directed me to the right person I needed to talk to … a Talent Resourcer; Flo Bond. The next working day I was in for an interview and within a few days out to a major client of theirs for an interview as Flo had the foresight of seeing me fit in well within the organisation. I proudly have a job offer with this company which I have accepted.
There are a lot of Employment Agencies presented on social media but nothing replaces the chance of a face to face meeting with a professional. I absolutely recommend First Base Employment.”
Don’t just send off your CV with fingers crossed – be proactive, speak to your recruitment consultant, demonstrate your enthusiasm to learn and you too could soon be finding the job you are looking for!
Be proactive – Contact First Base today on 01453 755330!
Tricia Hay – MD First Base Employment
Help your recruitment consultant to help you.
Understanding how your recruitment consultant works with employers can really help you to find the job opportunities you are looking for.
On a day to day basis, most recruitment consultants are working to find candidates for their clients – potentially your future employer. Recruiters are paid by the client to find the right person for the jobs available. The more you can do to help them identify you as the right person, the easier you make it for them to deliver a great service to their clients.
Consultants need to know about you and your skills but they also need to know they can trust you to attend interviews and that you will make a conscientious and committed employee. Building a great relationship with your recruitment consultant will make sure you are top of mind when it comes to filling vacancies.
Top tips
- Meet consultants in person – make an appointment
- Present an up to date, tidy, spell checked CV
- Ask about how you can improve your opportunities for interview
- Ask for tips on training, skills and experience needed
- Be flexible about roles, pay, hours and location
- Stay in touch regularly – remind the consultant that you are keen to work
- Build a reputation for being reliable
- Be punctual and return calls
- Connect with your consultant on social media
By helping your recruitment consultant to understand more about you and your motivation for find work you help them to do the work they are paid to do – find the right person for their clients.
Trica Hay
Christmas working hours
We’re working very hard to be organised and ensure that everyone is paid over the Christmas break.
We’ll be asking very nicely for timesheets on Thursday 21st or Friday 22nd December 10.00am latest. Please help us to help you by getting them sent in early at this busy time of year.
Our offices will be closed from lunchtime on Friday 22nd until 0900 on Tuesday 2nd January. We can be contacted on 01453 755330 for emergencies throughout this period.
Handling the recruitment process well
Fresh from our newsletter this month.
‘Listen to me – it’s not about the pay’ – latest blog with @firstbaseemploy first-base.co.uk/blog/
Listen to me – it’s not about the pay
A business contact (let’s call him Matt) recently shared a recruitment experience with us that speaks volumes about the chasm that sometimes exists between candidates and employers. Matt received a call from a Head of HR after turning down a job offer. The call went like this:
HR: I’m calling as we are surprised you turned down our job offer.
Matt: Thanks you for the offer but I felt I couldn’t accept.
HR: But the job paid £10,000pa more than you currently earn, did you get a counter offer to stay where you are?
Matt: No I didn’t, I’m staying with the company at the same salary. It’s not about money, as I explained during my interviews.
HR: Then I don’t understand. After we invested in a written assessment, two telephone interviews, two face to face interviews and call with the CEO, I would have thought an offer of a position paying £10,000 more was an easy decision.
Matt: As I’ve said a few times, it’s not about the money.
HR: I don’t understand.
Matt: The recruitment process you invested in took over six weeks. One of the telephone interviews was put back twice and when I turned up on time for the second interview I was kept waiting for over 30 minutes. I was told to expect to find out about an offer within 5 days but heard nothing for another two weeks when I got the call to speak with your CEO. The job offer came another week later.
Apparently the head of HR went on to explain that the CEO was very busy and they had to take time to be ‘sure’ Matt was the right person. From Matt’s point of view the head of HR was just digging bigger holes.
Some employers still fail to understand that candidates have choices and that the way they are treated throughout the recruitment process says lots about what a company might be like to work for. Lack of respect, a drawn out time consuming process and slow decision making are cited over and over again as reasons why a good candidate turns down a job offer.
It seems that often it’s the employer who is hung up about pay, when the potential employee is looking at the whole employment package.
Tricia Hay and David Tovey
Your interview checklist!
It still surprises me how often candidates turn up for an interview having done too little preparation. We hear time and time again from employers that a key reason one candidate has been selected over another is the amount of preparation the successful person did before interview.
Candidates who do their research are like a breath of fresh air to an interviewer. It can help you prepare for the inevitable part of the process when the interviewer says “Have you got any questions for me”. It also helps to reduce nerves when you do your homework!
It doesn’t take long to do research and you can take any note you make into the interview with you to use as a crib sheet. You can use the checklist below to guide you.
Interview checklist:
• Check the employers web site and history
• Visit their social media platforms
• Check their location online and make sure you know how to get there
• Look up the people you are meeting on LinkedIn
• Read their profiles and study their picture to help you recognise them
• Take extra copies of your CV
• Make sure you have a note pad and pen
• Take the research notes with you!
• Have some cash for parking if you are going by car
• Make sure your phone is on silent
• Check the weather and take an umbrella if you might need it
• Take your best and most positive attitude!
Notes to make pre interview:
Why you are excited about the job? Write down specific things you like about the company and the job you appiled for.
Why you believe you would be great for this job? What are the key skills and knowledge that you could bring to the ‘must have’ requirements of the role?
Specific achievements to talk about. Measurable personal achievements and projects that demonstrate the value you can bring to the company.
Concerns to be handled. Anything that the interviewer might ask about your background and experience that might be a bit difficult to answer.
After the interview make a note of:
What you like most about the company and role
Why you think you would be good in the role
Any clarification needed?
Preparation reduces nerves and will impress the interviewer. What’s not to like about that?
Tricia Hay. MD First Base
FREE SEMINAR ON HOW TO NAVIGATE THE SHORTAGE OF TALENT
20 years in recruitment has taught us a lot !
We are inviting our clients and local employers as special guests to join us and celebrate our 20th anniversary at this free to attend, inspiring, practical and informative seminar designed to help you attract the best people into your business.
In an economy with high employment it is tougher than ever to find the people that employers need. Candidates are no longer desperate to find employment; they are increasingly more discerning even about the employers they want to be put forward to.
• Find out what really attracts the best people
• Learn about the impact of social media
• Understand how to manage your employer brand
• Three expert speakers
• Panel discussion
There will be opportunites to network, with a buffet and bar following the seminar.
Over the past 20 years we have seen the good, the bad and the downright ugly of recruitment practice and in this seminar we will share our experience of the organizations that are getting it consistently right.
JOIN US FOR THIS FREE SEMINAR FREE OF CHARGE
Happy Friday from the team at First Base
Have a great weekend; be sure to relax and spend some quality time with loved ones.
Thank you for another excellent week.
