Situation
Recently I was turned down for an excellent position after two grueling interviews that appeared to go well. I was even given a tour of the facility.
Nine days after my second interview, the company called to say they had deliberated an extended amount of time about hiring me, but they decided to pass because they felt the fit wasn't right. When I probed for an explanation, they couldn't give me one.
So, what happened? This appears to be a trend in my job search. Is it possible there are pre-employment investigations that are turning up incorrect information about me? How could I find out about my own employment history to make sure everything is in order?
Nick Corcodilos's Reply
Any of a number of things could be going on. My inclination is to apply the law of parsimony: The simplest explanation is probably the right one. I'll bet they just disagreed among themselves about what they wanted in a candidate. The fact that this seems to happen repeatedly to you may not mean much. It just feels that way. Remember that most interviews result in rejection; that's just the nature of the beast. I know it's not easy to accept that when you're the one hearing "no."
If you think something funky is turning up in your background, investigate it yourself. Do you have a trusted friend who is also a manager who might consider hiring you? Let the manager call each of your references. Unless a reference requests confidentiality from the manager, the information can be shared with you. You may learn a lot that you didn't know. I'll caution you about those "reference checking" services that charge to go dig up dirt on you. They have a great incentive to find something bad -- it makes it look like they've done you an important service. The larger problem is that you don't know who is making those reference calls and what impact they may have on your good references. So be careful.
Get a credit report from the leading credit bureaus. (Recent regulations enable you to get one copy from each bureau for free.) You'd be surprised how often bad credit turns employers off. You could dig deeper, or use a private investigator. But unless this happens to you again and again and the circumstances appear suspicious, I don't think investigation is the solution.
My advice is to address this head-on. A company owes a rejected candidate an explanation. I'd write a short, pointed letter explaining that you devoted X hours to meeting with the company, not to mention Y hours preparing for it. Try something like this:
"In good faith, I was pleased to provide what you asked for: my time and attention to interview with your company. I believe that now it's your turn to return the good faith. I believe I deserve some details about why you decided not to hire me. I have no ulterior motive for this request -- I would just like honest feedback on our meetings
."
See what happens. You might try this on the phone with the interviewer who was originally most receptive to you. But I'll caution you: If you are given the information you ask for, do not argue or attempt to further influence the employer
. Remember: this is a post mortem, not another interview.
Then move on. Don't let this grind at you.
