Rejected during Phone Interview
Hi - I recently had a first round phone interview with a bulge bracket bank in NYC. The phone interviewer was a member of the team (not of HR). She asked me to walk her through my resume. I do. After I finish, she says my experience isn't relevant, they are looking for someone with more direct experience, and I'm not a good fit. She hangs up.
Is it worth following up via email and explaining that my skills/background are applicable to the position?
izzynichols
Aspiring UX researcher
25
11/07/19 at 4:46PM UTC
I'm sorry that you had this uncomfortable experience, but as someone that has been in a similar position, I would not recommend following up with this particular company. How you're treated during the hiring process is an indicator of how a company is run (this is not always the case of course). Considering such, I would not recommend pursuing further contact if the interviewer was short with you. Gratefully, there are so many other opportunities available! Good luck! :)
User deleted comment on 11/07/19 at 3:14PM UTC
Anonymous
11/06/19 at 8:04PM UTC
Thank you both for your advice! I did follow up with an email giving some examples of why I am qualified/a good fit and while I don't expect a response back, it certainly felt better to take some positive action!
Maggie CorneliusMarketing Manager in Luxury Real Estate.
13
11/06/19 at 6:50PM UTC
As a former recruiter/interviewer I can say not everyone is cut out to interview a potential hire it may be this person wasn't well prepared to phone interview you or anyone for that matter, I would definitely reach out and say you are very excited about the position and feel that you have skills that fit the role whether or not your direct experience was a match offer to send her a break down of those skills and how they apply if she doesn't have time to do another phone interview. I have pushed people through from phone interviews who were able to make a case for why past experience that may not seem relevant actually applies so just focus on the actual skills from your past jobs that might apply to this new role, good luck! At the very least like JDaisy said above you can feel confident that you did everything in your power and it's a good skill for any future interviews you will have, you can never practice interviewing enough!
Paula R. JosephSource/Manage/Coach/Scale High Performance Teams
1.04k
11/06/19 at 4:33PM UTC
Yes, definitely follow-up with an email. Make it a concise but powerful list of the most relevant skills you possess based on what the job description states and any insights you might have picked up during your conversation with her.
It may be that she was distracted or the job description does not really match what they are looking for, but at least you can feel good about being able to get her attention one more time, with strong content, and show your perseverance.
Be sure to end the email professionally so she'll get a glimpse of what she's missing out on.
Good Luck!
