Dianne Gubin on Who Makes the Cut?

Tip of the Week
by Dianne Gubin



Who Makes the Cut?

You leave the job interview confident that you gave it your best. You answered all the questions and knew everything possible about the company.

Days pass and you learn that you didn’t get the job.

What happened?

Here are some of the “closed door reasons” hiring managers and team interviewers have regarding candidates and why things don’t work out:

Overqualified and won’t stay
Too much of a learning curve
Not strong enough in _____ and we don’t have time to train
Working with him/her would drive me crazy
I didn’t like the way he/she answered a question
We have stronger/more qualified people who work here already
Talked too much
Talked to me, but didn’t talk to everyone in the room
Not enough eye contact
Ugly outfit
Won’t pass a background check because…
Said too much about why last job didn’t work out.
I know “So and So” who worked with candidate at his last company. We don’t want him here.
He/She will be too distracted with family/child care/eldercare issues
I don’t think he/she will get along with…
He/She just won’t work out here. It doesn’t feel right.
Candidates don’t usually hear the true reason a position doesn’t go forward.

Larger companies and educational institutions generally include all stake holders in a hiring process. This can mean that 10 or more people participate in the hiring process, each taking a minimum of an hour per interview from normal work, and ranking the candidates. All candidates are asked the same questions and graded on answers. This process is subjective at best and designed to weed out as many as possible.

If you’re not offered the position, chalk it up as a learning experience and continue the search process.


The right job is out there for you.