Page 183 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE QUESTION LIFE CYCLE

The key to success with this approach is to give the recruiter enough
comfort so that his desire to be honest with you overcomes his reluc-
tance to get into trouble. Most interviewers faced with a rejected candi-
date fear three things: an argument, a sob story, or a pest who might sue.
Acknowledging that you accept the recruiter’s decision and will not try
to appeal it is the first step. The three promises you make up front are
further designed to counter these fears. The promise that you will not
contact the interviewer is key. That gives a little assurance that what the
interviewer tells you won’t come back and bite him or her. Don’t for-
get, the company is still free to contact you.
If you’re going to try this strategy, I ask only one thing: Demonstrate
integrity. If you promise not to interrupt, bite your tongue and don’t in-
terrupt. If you promise not to defend yourself, stick to your promise. It
won’t be easy. Few of us have the constitution to listen to criticism with-
out trying to explain or justify. Just listen and say thank you. Take what
you learn and do better next time.

ENLARGE THE RECRUITER’S TERRITORY
Whether you get a job offer or not, follow up with a thank-you letter.
You’d be surprised how few candidates actually take this simple step.
Most recruiters tell rejected applicants they will keep their résumés on
file, and a few actually mean it. But if you send a great letter accepting
the recruiter’s decision and suggesting that if another position more
suitable opened up you would very much like for the company to con-
sider you, chances are much greater that the recruiter would follow
through.
In addition to a thank-you letter, consider leaving the recruiter better
off for having interviewed you. You can enlarge the recruiter’s terri-
tory—and perhaps put yourself in his or her debt—by taking one or
more of these steps:

• If you know of one, recommend another good candidate for the job.

• If you can offer some other relationship like a sales lead, do it.
• If you know of a new Web site or job board, alert the recruiter.
• Send an article or Web link you think the recruiter might find helpful.

158