Have you ever gone through an interview process
and you felt really good about it
and you were anticipating an offer,
and then you didn't get the job?
Hi, I'm Dalena Bradley, job interview coach
and career marketing specialist, and today,
I am going to share with you some reasons
why you may not have been selected for a position
you felt really good about.
I've worked with people who have driven themselves crazy
trying to figure out what it was they said
or what it was they did or what they didn't say
or didn't do that made them not get the position.
And there are so many things
that are outside of your control.
Number one is, maybe there was an internal candidate.
A lot of companies and organizations
are required to advertise their position externally,
even if there is a strong internal person,
and then they run everyone through that same process.
There is, this is a hard one to come up against
because the internal candidate knows the players,
sometimes, certainly knows the company,
and so they're at a huge advantage.
Another reason is experience gap.
Now, not everyone they bring in is going to check
every single box of their required and desired skills.
So they may bring you in
even if you don't have necessarily everything.
However, if they're weighting more heavily, let's say,
with management expertise or team leadership
and that would be a vertical move for you
versus someone who was pretty well established
in that realm, then they're probably going to go
with the other person.
Another reason is a salary gap.
Maybe you divulged your salary too early in the process
and they felt that you were coming in
at a higher salary level than they could afford
or maybe you were with a larger company
and they're a smaller company.
So there was that salary gap.
And another reason is chemistry.
This is an intangible, and yet, so, so important
to an employer.
They want to feel like they can work with the person.
They want to feel like they like the person.
And so if they felt that chemistry and fit
more than they did with you, they'll go with that person.
Next is, maybe they decided to put the position on hold.
So the timing just wasn't right.
Most employers are gonna come clean with this
if this is the reason because it's so neutral.
For some reason, maybe they just didn't get the budget
that they wanted for the role or something changed.
So it's on hold.
And a final reason is maybe they redefined the position.
So they brought in some candidates in the context
of one role and then as they got to talking with people,
they decided they really needed somebody different.
This happens more than you think.
And at that point,
there's really not much you can do about it.
So those are some of the reasons.
Now what can you do?
Well, leave the process on an up note.
And by that, I mean write them a note.
Write them a thank you note that says,
"Thanks very much for the opportunity to interview.
I'm really excited about your company.
And should other opportunities come up in the future,
I would love to come in and talk to you again."
And that way, they realize you're still interested,
you're leaving on a positive note.
Who knows, maybe their first person won't work out,
and you were a close second and you might get offered
the job eventually.
Or maybe there will be another opportunity
and they'll keep you in mind.
So these are some of the reasons
you may not have been chosen,
but generally, there's another really good opportunity
around the corner.
If you're interested in preparing for your next interview,
potentially, with me, you can visit my website,
www.dalenabradley.com.
In the meantime, I wish you the very best
in your next job interview and in your career.