You got the interview, you think it went well, and you have this feeling that you still won’t get the job. And you even know why.
Guess what? If you think there’s a problem, then there probably is.
This is great news! Your intuition is telling you something. You really do know why the employer has doubts about you. And you can act on that inner knowledge. You have a great opportunity to show the employer that you really are the right person for the job by addressing the issue head on.
Many times, clients have told me they are sure they won’t get the job for some specific reason. I tell them to trust their intuition, and write a follow-up letter that both reiterates enthusiasm for the job AND responds to the possible problem issue.
One client felt she wouldn’t be hired because she had more experience than the woman who would be her boss. We crafted a letter that said how excited she was to use her skills in a new industry, an industry her future boss was very experienced in, and that she looked forward to learning from her potential boss. She also felt they were concerned about hiring her full-time, so she proposed that they hire her as a consultant. She just wanted to get her foot in the door.
She got the job offer as a contract employee – midway between full-time and consultant. Later, she heard that her letter made a difference. After a year there, she was hired full-time, where she still is quite happily working.
Another client felt the potential employer was wavering because he was from another city, hoping to relocate to New York City. He did some networking and found colleagues in New York who knew the hiring manager and spoke to her on his behalf about his skills and abilities. Based on that and his interview, he was actually offered a job at a higher level than the job for which he originally applied.
I also have a client who DIDN’T send that follow-up email addressing the concern she sensed. When she heard that she didn’t get the job, the hiring manager told her the reason was exactly the reason she supposed. Who knows what would have happened had she acted on that intuition. At very least, she would have done all she could to show initiative and real zeal for the position – and perhaps give the manager something new to consider.
If you have a “feeling” about something in your job search, do something with it. You’re getting valuable information from your intuition, so use it. What do you have to lose anyway? And it might be the tipping point in your favor.
