What Can I Do If an In-House Recruiter Says They Won’t Submit Me for the Job?
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
This is an interesting problem that someone has posed. I believe the answer starts with understanding why.
Why is HR Calling Me After a Final Round Interview?
Hi! This is Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter and welcome to Job Search TV. I know it’s a video , but we still call it Job Search Radio. Today, I want to talk with you about the situation that someone wrote to me about. The question they asked is, “What can I do when an in-house recruiters says they are uncomfortable submitting me for a job.” In other words, this person has applied and been interviewed but the recruiter doesn’t want to take it any further.
The ministry here is, “Why?” What happened during the interview with the enhanced recruiter that makes them want to shut the door to you? That is the mystery question that has to be addressed. I would’ve responded by saying, “How come?” Just that simply. “How come?” Asking the question makes them talk about what it is in your background that they saw as being deficient.
Your response cannot be to be critical of them, “BUT! BUT! BUT! I TOLD YOU ABOUT THIS! I TOLD YOU . . You can’t respond that way.. ” You cannot act like a lunatic or act defensively. What you can say is, “Oh! Let me go into that a little bit more so that you can get a full picture of my background.” If you did go into it a little bit more in your conversation with them and they are judging it is being insufficient, that is on you. You did not do a good enough job to demonstrate your fit for the job. They did their job; you didn’t do your job. You cannot convert them into a fan just because you want to go further.
You have to understand the interviewing is a process for evaluating and assessing people for their qualifications for a job and (I hate this part because I don’t believe organizations are qualified to evaluate for it) fit for a job. Minimally, they are there to evaluate your qualifications. If they say your resume doesn’t demonstrate your qualifications for the role, you can respond by saying, “Great! Let me expand my resume to include those qualifications so that I’m giving you the best information possible. After that, if you feel the same way, I respect that choice.” What you’re trying to do is get what they are looking for in your background. In this way, you can always enhance (by that, I don’t mean mean lie) how you describe yourself in your resume, cover letter and/or interview to give them the best information that they can receive. If at that point, it is not good enough, you just weren’t qualified. Accept It! You just, weren’t qualified.
You might follow-up by asking, “What were you looking for? What depth of experience were you trying to find in me or someone else for this role?” They may actually say, “We have a finalist for the job,” which means you actually got there too late.
However, the reality is that you did not do a good enough job demonstrating your qualifications for the role and they are being kind enough to tell you that, instead of stringing you along. Try to draw out of them where the insufficiency is so that in this way, you can tell them how you actually do measure up, so that if it is in your resume, you can enhance your resume or explain how your background actually measures up.
Telling Stories, Not Tall Tales
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ career easier. Those things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
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