5 Reasons Employers Don't Tell Why They Didn't Hire You
No one likes the form letters that employers use to deliver the
news that you didn't get the job: They're impersonal, they don't have
any real information about why you lost out, they say you were
impressive when obviously you weren't impressive enough, and so forth.
How are job-seekers supposed to become better candidates when these
canned letters don't give them any useful feedback?
Here are five common reasons companies use these maddeningly vague
rejection letters:
1. They're afraid of being sued. Many companies are
under orders from their lawyers not to get into the reasons for job
rejections, in case a candidate doesn't like the explanation and decides
the "real" reason must be discriminatory.
2. They don't want to deal with candidates who get angry and
try to debate the decision. Everyone who does hiring has
stories about rejected candidates who wouldn't stop arguing the
decision, and some who got so angry that they were scary.
3. The reason you were rejected is an awkward one.
It's one thing to explain that you needed stronger writing skills or
more bookkeeping experience. But most people don't want to have to
explain that you seemed like a jerk, or crazy, or not very bright.
4. They don't have time. Offering up thoughtful
feedback to every rejected candidate could be a job unto itself, and
ultimately that's not what hiring staffers are there for.
5. They did tell you the reason and you don't believe them. A
lot of times "you were really great, but someone else was a better
fit," is just the truth.
All that said, you have nothing to lose by writing back and asking for feedback after you get that vague rejection E-mail. If you do it well (politely, non-defensively) and you have an interviewer who wants to help, you just may get some helpful advice.
