Recently I was interviewed by an executive recruiter for a position that greatly interests me. A few days later, I learned from the recruiter that I was no longer being considered as a candidate because there were others better qualified for the position. Is there anything I can do to get myself back in the ball game?
When an executive-recruiting firm turns you down, it's almost impossible to get yourself back in the running. I do know of a number of aggressive, determined individuals, however, who tried to do just this. What each of them did was to try to "end run" the recruiter - is not an easy assignment when you consider that in each instance the recruiter hadn't revealed the company he represented. What each of these imaginative job-seekers did was to identify twenty or so companies that "fitted" the recruiter's description. After that, most wrote "broadcast" letters to these companies as though they were unaware of the search being conducted by the recruiter. In one instance, the job-seeker phoned companies he thought were the subject of the recruiter's search and after getting through to the person he thought was the responsible executive, asked if a position were open. When he was told one was, he succeeds for an interview and got it! And, while several of the job-seekers who wrote broadcast letters did succeed in getting interviews with companies directly, most did not. The reason: the companies wrote - telling them that their letters were referred to you, know whom-executive recruiter they were trying to maneuver around in the first! If a recruiter has a close working relationship with a company, once he has turned you clown your chances of getting in the door are next to nil. Be better off in using your energies to pursue other opportunities.
Getting back to the Interviewer
About three weeks ago I had an interview for a job I really wanted. I felt the interview went badly. At the end, the interviewer said he'd get back to me within two weeks, after he had a chance to interview several other people. I've not heard one word since then. Is there anything I can do at this late date to make things more positive?
Unfortunately, not much. If the magic didn't exist when you met with your prospective employer, it's difficult to create it later on from a distance. The most valuable things you might do at this time are (1) to try to assess why the interview went badly so that you don't repeat your mistakes; and (2) to work hard on getting interviews with other companies.
If your heart is really set on this job, however, and you want to make one last-ditch attempt to get this job even though your interview went poorly, here are two suggestions:
- Call the person who said he'd get back to you and didn't. At the very least you show your courtesy and interest in the job. If his secretary stops your call from getting through to him, you pretty well know you're out of the running. On the other hand, if you get through, he might appreciate your call. Who knows? The other candidates he has met since your interview may not have scored any better than you did! If this is the case, your call may help you get back in the running.
- When you speak to your prospective boss, if he seems friendly, ask if he'd like you to tackle an assignment that might convince him of your interest in the job, and your ability. Over the years I've known a few job-seekers who got themselves job offers by using this technique. Not only did the offer demonstrate the job-seekers interest, but probably just as important, it enabled them to provide solid evidence that they had the ability to get an assignment done. You might try this. But don't expect miracles.
You make a professionally done job search sound as if it is extremely time-consuming. Would you recommend I quit my current job since it is also time-consuming, in order to go full-time after a new position?
Absolutely not! Being out of work for any reason puts you at a psychological disadvantage with many recruiters and employment agencies. If your search takes longer than you think and your resources start to dry up, being out of work also puts pressures on you to accept jobs that you might not otherwise take. And, most important, it really isn't necessary to do this. Pace yourself so that you do not find your job search overburdening. Don't contact all employment agencies and recruiters at once if you can't keep up with the number of interviews that such correspondence generates. Begin answering ads only if recruiters don't seem to have many searches for a person with your background. Conduct a broadcast campaign only if there aren't many ads you can answer, and so on.
