On a daily basis, I am seeing posts on LinkedIn of people being laid off in the most unceremonious ways or being ghosted in interview processes after candidates have put in a significant amount of work. It is awful and enough to not want me to be on the platform at all but the sad reality is most of the jobs are posted there so LinkedIn is a necessary evil these days.
I want to focus on the situations where people have done the right thing in terms of rejecting me (because let’s face it: if you didn’t get the job, it’s a rejection). Each of these people gave specific feedback that helped me hone my approach a bit more instead of the generic “we have so many great candidates - yada, yada, yada”. I hope by showcasing some people who have done things the right way that others who have not can hopefully learn how to showcase the same going forward.
Great Expectations: I did SO MUCH prep work for this interview loop and I loved every minute of it because it was bringing me back to my big data roots. I really enjoyed talking to all of the people I met with and appreciated the product-centric approach that everyone in the company espoused. Unfortunately circumstances changed which meant the role changed, and that meant I wasn’t the right fit anymore. I was gutted but the hiring manager had enough respect for me to set-up a call and explain it all. Thanks, Hernan.
Stealth Start-Up: I did not get as far into this loop as GX, but I did spend some time thinking through the problem and possible ideas on how I would take things forward. Some good conversations took place but in the end, it wasn’t the right fit. But it was fun doing the homework. Again the CEO took the time to get in touch with me and explain things instead of ghosting or having an automated email come to me, which I appreciated. Thanks, Jim.
Puzzle: This was another one where I went all-in on the loop and in the prep, and things went pretty far. I really liked the CEO and the people on the team. By the end, I suspected I was not what they needed for where they were at and if a rejection came, it wasn’t necessarily about my qualifications. Sure enough, the email came from him and it was very forthright on his thinking along with an offer to help me in my job search if I needed it (which has happened). Thanks, Sasha.
Healthcare start-up: The role I was talking to the COO about was going to be a bit of a combination of things as they closed out their Series B. As the economic climate shifted, they decided that they had to ruthlessly prioritize other roles in 2023. The COO asked to chat and explained a number of things that were going on that were driving the decision. He didn’t need to go into the detail that he did…. but he did. Thanks, DC.
If any of these people (and some others I did not mention) ever contacted me for a favor, I would not hesitate to help them because they still treated me with dignity and with class even while rejecting me.
To all of my fellow job-seekers out there: Regardless of the circumstances around why you are looking for a new role in what is arguably the worst job market since the dot-com crash in 2000/2001, I see you. And know that no matter how poorly some of the hiring managers/recruiters may treat us that we are all going to get through this. It isn’t going to be pretty but we will do it. Finally if I can help, even if it is to vent about feeling like crap or being treated poorly, please reach out.
To the recruiters/hiring managers out there: If someone actually gets to the interview process and participates in an interview, please recognize that this person likely spent a significant amount of time prepping to be their very best for you. By not taking the time to give people specific feedback that they can use to potentially snag another role, you are not helping them. Hiding behind a corporate policy in these times is a choice you make as opposed to choosing to show empathy. And yes, hiding behind an ATS (applicant tracking system) is lame if someone has taken the time to interview. If you feel as though you cannot conjure up actionable feedback without being worried about being sued, you likely have a bigger problem.
Please don’t ‘yada, yada, yada’ your candidates. It’s a rough job market out there and as we have seen over the past 12 months, the pendulum can swing both ways and people will remember who treated them well and who did not.