Is is ok to ask why?

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ok, heres the story, i had an interview on monday for a job, and i think things went well, but theres always that part thats saying you screwed up in some way, there are 2 positions available, and 6 or 7 people going for it. and i REALLY want this job. he said he would phone me by friday to tell me if i had the job or not. now in the event that i dont get the job, is it ok to ask him why i didnt get the job? and is he allowed to "not" tell me why?
 
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Frack off, nosey
marcus25 said:
ok, heres the story, i had an interview on monday for a job, and i think things went well, but theres always that part thats saying you screwed up in some way, there are 2 positions available, and 6 or 7 people going for it. and i REALLY want this job. he said he would phone me by friday to tell me if i had the job or not. now in the event that i dont get the job, is it ok to ask him why i didnt get the job? and is he allowed to "not" tell me why?

I would say yes. I would contact him and say that you understand that you weren't the right person for the job, but you'd appreciate feedback so you can improve your potential.

I'd always be impressed when someone did that, and if I was interviewing for say a team leader position in my old job, I always remembered the internal candidates that rather than sulking, came and asked me what they could have done to improve their interview/prospect of getting it next time.
 
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its fine to ask for an evaluation of your interview. I always liked asking the "is there anything that makes you feel i'm unsuitable for this position" towards the end of the interview. Puts them on edge for once and gives you a chance to counter any worrys they have. But they should be happy to give you feedback if you don't get the position. Just be mature and polite about asking :)
 
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kitten_caboodle said:
I would say yes. I would contact him and say that you understand that you weren't the right person for the job, but you'd appreciate feedback so you can improve your potential.
That will certainly go down better than just flatly asking "Why didn't I get it?"
 
Soldato
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When he calls and says either way, if you have not got it say how dissapointed you are not to have been successfull in your application and you hope he is not offended but to help you in applications in the future, what was about you that meant you were not chosen.

Then be prepared for him to tell you a crock of ****.
 
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they've already not given you the job, the worse thing that could happen is he says no.

Phrase it so that he's helping you improve your chanes of getting employment not as any dig at him or hie selection criteria.

HT
 
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Definitely call up and ask. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to find out what you did wrong so you can learn for next time, in fact a lot of companies welcome it, and to be honest he/she would be a bit of a git if they didn't tell you.

Also ask them to keep you in mind should any further positions open up, especially if its a company you want to work for, and maybe drop their HR dept a call every couple of months to see if anything is going to be coming up. If you stay in their thoughts they'll think of you when the next opportunity comes up and knew that you're enthusiastic for the role.

Depends how dedicated you want to be to getting into the company :)
 
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It is perfectly acceptable to ask for feedback after an interview. From your own point of view, you need to find out why you didn't get the position and whether you need to brush up on your interview technique.
 
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marcus25 said:
ok, heres the story, i had an interview on monday for a job, and i think things went well, but theres always that part thats saying you screwed up in some way, there are 2 positions available, and 6 or 7 people going for it. and i REALLY want this job. he said he would phone me by friday to tell me if i had the job or not. now in the event that i dont get the job, is it ok to ask him why i didnt get the job? and is he allowed to "not" tell me why?


They should be obliged to give you a reason as to why you did not get the job. If they dont, you definitely need to ask them. But dont say, why didnt I get the job. Word it more along the lines of, is it possible to have some feedback or an assessment of my interview. Fingers crossed you will get it though :)
 
Man of Honour
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I read somewhere about job interviews that a good question to ask at the end of the interview is "For what reasons would I not be a good candidate for this job?" or something along those lines.

This helps turn the tables a little bit and it gives you some feed back of what the interviewers first impressions of you were.
 
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I think its a good thing to ask for feedback, its the only way to know why you were not successful. Otherwise you start to wonder whats wrong with you and that brings on the self doubt.
Its also a good sign to the interviewer that you are keen to improve your potential so might keep you in mind for future posistions etc.
 
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I didnd't get a job last year, i asked for feedback, they said

"You were the strongest candidate acamdemicly, and with the strongest work background, your technical knowledgoe was one of the most impressive, but in the end we gave awarded the position to someone who had a more stable home environment."

I told them I live on my own, in my own place, no where near a nuclear reactor.

What the hell did that mean?
 
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Sorry if someone has said this, but I'm positive that potential employers are obliged to give feedback to unsucessful candidates if it is requested.

However this nugget of information is pointless as I think the thread has already achieved its goal. :)
 
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callmeBadger said:
I didnd't get a job last year, i asked for feedback, they said

"You were the strongest candidate acamdemicly, and with the strongest work background, your technical knowledgoe was one of the most impressive, but in the end we gave awarded the position to someone who had a more stable home environment."

I told them I live on my own, in my own place, no where near a nuclear reactor.

What the hell did that mean?

Translation:

I gave the job to my wifes nephew.
 
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Some companies like to see you living a stereotypical lifestyle: Partner, kids, happy family. If you're not, then they could conclude you are living (what might seem to them) an abnormal lifestyle.

That's just my own opinion, though. Nothing intended, at all.
 
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