Unsucessful at shortlisting stage would like feedback

bb69

Hi all

After some advice

Applied for my dream job which I thought I had prepared well for and unfortunatley didn't get shortlisted for interview

The email said they wouldn't be able to provide feedback

But as I have lots of experience, I would really benefit from understanding where I went wrong

Do you think its worthwhile asking for feedback anyway

I was also going to copy in the boss of the company

What do you think?

Bogof_Babe

Maybe you were one of hundreds of applicants, and they couldn't possibly provide feedback for everyone who was unsuccessful if they were only recruiting one person.

bb69

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

Maybe you were one of hundreds of applicants, and they couldn't possibly provide feedback for everyone who was unsuccessful if they were only recruiting one person.

Hi - There were more than 10 jobs available
I agree may have been hundreds, but without the feedback not sure how to progress if opportunities arise for a similar role in future

PenguinOfDeath

I think copying in the boss of the company could be a way of never getting hired by them at all.

Maybe they had already filled the posts internally.

Maybe they were after candidates with less experience so they could pay less.

Maybe they didn't think you were the right fit for them.

Maybe the didn't like the font you used in your application.

At this stage before interview it's not economical for them to provide feedback it could be anyone of a number of reasons...move on.

asajj

When it happens, it is annoying but it is not really unusual. You say it was your dream job - it was also probably a dream job for many others and there were lots of applicants. I wouldn't copy the boss of the company as it is firstly not professional and secondly it might reflect badly on you if you wish to re-apply in the future.

NeilCr

When I was recruiting we experimented on giving feedback (when asked for) for a time

To be honest, it was a nightmare. We did have a lot of applicants for a start. And then, quite often, if you did give feedback it ended in discord as the candidate didn't agree with it and/or argued against it. The experiment didn't last long.

I like the idea, in principle, but can see why a lot of organisations won't do it

YouAsked

Don't copy the boss of the company in, just don't! There is no way they're going to think "well this seems like a reasonable, well balanced person who'd be an asset to this company", they're going to think "good call recruiters, dodged a bullet there with this one!".

Feedback at shortlisting stage has limited value. Companies are cautious about what they say/write in case they open themselves up to further action, which takes time and money.

If you're abolutely certain you met all of the criteria then feedback would go one of two ways:

1) sorry, we had 100s of applicants who also matched criteria and it was a numbers game (so no useful info there!)

2) Your CV and application was littered with typos, there were gaps in employment history, your claims weren't evidence based (and you can see all of that yourself by critically reviewing what you sent off).

They're not obliged to give you feedback. You're not entitled to receive it. But if you don't ask, you definitely won't get! You can ask for feedback - they MIGHT give it to you as a gesture, but as I said, it's unlikely to be much use at shortlisting stage. But be very careful of burning bridges and don't copy in the boss or come across like a trouble causer.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

If there were 10 jobs available this implies that it isn't a specialist field that would attract few applications. That being the case, you will never get any feedback at this stage. It's probable that whoever rejected your CV can't remember reading it and can't remember why they rejected it. It's perfectly possible that nobody even read it as they already had 30 good ones and didn't want to use their time sifting through another 500.

At the moment you are a completely anonymous figure to them, and if you apply again to the company in future, nobody will remember that you have been rejected before and it will be a level playing field.

If you make a song and dance about it and copy in the boss you will flag yourself up as unemployable.

sangie595

YouAsked had it right on that first paragraph. This is an approach designed to ensure you never have an application at that company looked at again. Whether you are realising it or not, the minute you copy the boss in you will be alleging that the company recruits unfairly and that you have been discriminated against because there is no way your application should have been turned down for interview. Is that really what you want to say to them?

You might ask politely, explaining politely to HR - I doubt it will get you anywhere since they have made their position clear, but they might do you a favor if you were polite enough.

KiKi

When I recruit, I like to be helpful in giving useful feedback. However, what I find is that when I explain the REAL reasons why someone hasn't got the job, then you get into a debate, and they come back with evidence to the contrary. So I rarely do this anymore - and only at interview stage.

The chances are they just chose the best few amongst hundreds of good applicants.

DEFINITELY don't copy the boss of the company, that's so unprofessional. If you really want honest feedback which you're not going to go back and dispute you could email something along the lines of:

"Dear xxx
Thank you for letting me know the outcome of my job application for xxx.
I'm keen to progress my career and would be grateful if you had any time to share the reasons for not shortlisting me, so I can take this into account for future job applications. I appreciate you don't give feedback as standard for shortlisting, so I know this is a big ask! However, if you were able to share any reasons that could help me for the future I'd be very grateful.
Kind regards
xxx"

If you get a reply - great. If you don't, just leave it.

KiKi

bb69

Thanks all for feedback

Its a new organisation , so as there are not many people established there that was the reason why I suggested copying in boss not as a trouble maker! I'm definitely NOT going to argue the point that I was unfairly reviewed etc

I have made contact with someone I had been in touch with during the set up process who said they can try for feedback

I have actually replied to the "sorry you are unsuccessful email" and copied in the boss to thank them for considering me and that I wish the organisation every success in the future