Page 182 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

YOU BLEW THE INTERVIEW. NOW WHAT?

Florida, recalls working with a hiring manager who rejected a perfectly
qualified candidate because, well, let Rodd tell it:

I couldn’t understand why she was rejected because she could do
the job with her eyes closed. After pressing for a reason, the hir-
ing manager eventually told me it was because the candidate wore
a turtle broach on her suit. Turns out he did not like turtles and
questioned her professionalism for wearing a turtle to a job inter-
view. There is no way the candidate would have gotten that feed-
back directly. I tell candidates that story from time to time because
I want them to know that it is the little things that can get you ruled
out late in the game.

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 why, call
the interviewer. The pitch goes something like this:

Thanks for taking my call. I got your letter telling me that you won’t be
making me an offer and I accept the decision. I need to improve my
interviewing skills and I’m asking for your help. I am asking you to be
brutally honest about my performance and what I could have done bet-
ter. I can make you three promises. I promise I will not interrupt you. I
promise I will not defend myself.And I promise I will not contact you or
your company for a year.Will you help me?

That last appeal is important. It speaks to the desire of most HR peo-
ple to be helpful.
“I would be totally impressed with a candidate who came at me like
that,” says Rich Franklin, HR director at KnowledgePoint in Petaluma,
California. Like many HR people, Franklin is an educator. “This is a guy
that wants to learn. If an HR person is any good at all, they would jump
at that opportunity,” he adds.

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