Page 214 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

YOU BLEW T HE I N T ERV IEW. NOW W H AT ?

the recruiter is willing to communicate the bad news, then the inter-
viewer may be more willing to tell the truth. A hospital administra-
tor told me the story of an otherwise well-qualified candidate for a
position as a hospital administrator who was rejected because he
was chewing gum at the interview. Sound unfair? Maybe, but that’s
why some candidates get rejected. It was clear that the interviewer
would not have revealed that critical fact directly to the candidate.
But to the recruiter who presented the candidate, the interviewer
could be more direct. The recruiter then had the unenviable task of
confronting the candidate with the costs of his gum chewing. The
good news is that the candidate learned, gave up the gum, and soon
got a well-paying position.

Sometimes the subjectivity of hiring managers can be unreason-
able. A recruiter for TMP Worldwide, Inc., in Tampa, Florida, told
me about working with a hiring manager who rejected a perfectly
qualified candidate because of a clothing accessory the candidate
wore. After the recruiter pressed the interviewer for a reason why
the candidate was rejected, the interviewer reluctantly said that it
was because of a turtle broach the candidate wore on the lapel of her
tailored suit. It turns out that the interviewer questioned her profes-
sionalism for wearing a turtle broach to a job interview. There is no
way the candidate would have gotten that feedback directly. “I tell
candidates that story from time to time,” the recruiter says, “because
I want them to know that it is the little things that can get you ruled
out late in the game.” The important thing is to get accurate feed-
back whenever possible.

CUTTING THROUGH THE PRETENSE

There is one strategy for cutting through the pretense, but it’s pretty
strong medicine and it doesn’t always work. Of course, you have little
to lose. I personally have had success with it, so I know it can pay off.
After you are rejected for a position and you genuinely don’t know

193