Failed Interview

Dear Career Tips:
Is it Worth Following Up a Failed Interview?

From Career Tips, 2020 Volume 8, August 2020

 

Three weeks ago I interviewed for a job with the hiring VP which went really well per my recruiter. The following week I interviewed with a member of the group I would be working for. The feedback was that he also liked me.

 

This was for an auditor in the health care area. While I only have minimal health care experience, I have years of claims and audit experience and it would not take more than a week to review their policies and get up to speed.

 

Last week I had the final interview with the SVP. At the end of the 45 minute interview I asked her what would be my challenge for this position and she said learning the policies. I explained to her that I am an attorney and have my A&H and Life producer license, with years of reviewing contracts.

 

The feedback from the recruiter was that I was not the right fit for the position. I really needed this job as I have been looking for over a year for a full-time position. My question is:

• Should I email her and ask her to reconsider her position or just move on?
• Have you heard of any offers coming from this type of strategy?

 

Dear Un-Fit:

Asking to reconsider would likely be counterproductive - it's coming from a negative position:

"You made the wrong decision."

 

On the other hand, if there is something you feel may not have been covered in the interview, or some new evidence as to why you would be a good candidate, you could try approaching them along the lines of:

 

"I realized this may not have come up in our discussions, and wondered if it might make any difference..."

 

Still not very likely to change things, though. You could see if your recruiter might be willing to make an approach along those lines on your behalf.

 

The strongest approach would be to talk to them along the lines of:

 

"Thanks so much for your consideration. Obviously, I'm disappointed, since I thought I could do x, y and z for you (make a results-oriented statement), but I understand it's a business decision. To help me in future interviews, can I just ask what it was that prevented me from being the right fit?"

 

If it were me, I'd want to have that discussion with the Hiring VP. It's probably also a good idea to caucus with your recruiter first, as you don't want to blindside him / her, particularly since they want to keep a good relationship with the company for future opportunities.

 

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