An ode to my friend.........

[Kappa21]

So my friend told me about this company he applied to and didnt get the job...and it left me feeling a bit confused and I dont have an answer for him.

So basically the story is this, to sum it up:
My friend worked for the a company that was #1 in its industry. There are 3 top companies in this industry currently operating in Canada.
He was on contract and he got let go.

He applied right after to a job opening that the 3rd biggest company had in some sort of management position and he didnt get hired after 2 rounds of interviewa. He felt bad and bit left out but had something else that was going for him.

Later on he applied again for the exact same position he had with the #1 company that the #3 company was posting.
Again, he had 2 interviews and still no offer.......

Is it him or is it the company?
I dont know if I should feel bad for him or I should think that his company industry is simply ridiculous if a 3rd ranked company would not want someone from the top company in Canada.
Mind you that this is not a booming industry and all of the companies profits falters in most years, but market share is important and #3 seems to be the weakest............

How should I explain this? :|

[Joelllle]

If I were him, I wouldn't want it to be brought up more than it already was. He may not feel the same way about rejection/failure, but a simple 'I'm sorry' with a few good words helps more than an explanation.

Sadly for him, there may have better candidates. If it isn't the best industry right now, there are likely a bunch of other people in his shoes competing for the same jobs. They may have also worked at Company 1 before.

I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but best of luck to your friend!

[ishfish]

You do not have to explain anything. Maybe all you have to do is offer him support.

I would think if he needs an explanation he would be wise to talk to those who interviewed him, his former coworkers, references...

[Coke355mL]

People shouldn't have an entitlement complex just because they worked for the #1 company. There could be candidates with way more to offer from the #2 company, for example. Or they preferred to take an internal hire. Perhaps the job is no longer available. It could be your friend who is the problem (he's not as good as he thinks). It could be anything. Just because the company is #1, doesn't mean all of its people are of a certain calibre. For example. the revenue generator portion of the company is of top strength and every other area of the company is mediocre.

Seriously, if your friend thinks it doesn't make sense then he's got a problem. If he was seriously good, then he should have the confidence to say it's not him, it's external factors beyond his control.

[Kappa21]

If I were him, I wouldn't want it to be brought up more than it already was. He may not feel the same way about rejection/failure, but a simple 'I'm sorry' with a few good words helps more than an explanation.

Sadly for him, there may have better candidates. If it isn't the best industry right now, there are likely a bunch of other people in his shoes competing for the same jobs. They may have also worked at Company 1 before.

I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but best of luck to your friend!

I try to help him a lot with his resume and such...but I am confused about this..
they wanted someone with a business degree...he has.
They wanted someone with experience...he has.
on top of that....he has industry experience...yet....he is no good?

Is Network the only way up?
And like i mentioned....The 3rd company..is in a slump. Unpopular brands and real bad management. I think he was a golden goose for them.
This whole feeling made me feel a bit scared about the future and how to survive in the market place!


You do not have to explain anything. Maybe all you have to do is offer him support.

I would think if he needs an explanation he would be wise to talk to those who interviewed him, his former coworkers, references...

From what I know he had a falling with his direct manager. His direct manager was a few years older than him. He had good relations with his department and team mates, but i think the manager made his life worse. He was working long hours and never being appreciated for it. I never saw him in the weekend cause he finished his job late and had to drive back....


People shouldn't have an entitlement complex just because they worked for the #1 company. There could be candidates with way more to offer from the #2 company, for example. Or they preferred to take an internal hire. Perhaps the job is no longer available. It could be your friend who is the problem (he's not as good as he thinks). It could be anything. Just because the company is #1, doesn't mean all of its people are of a certain calibre. For example. the revenue generator portion of the company is of top strength and every other area of the company is mediocre.

Seriously, if your friend thinks it doesn't make sense then he's got a problem. If he was seriously good, then he should have the confidence to say it's not him, it's external factors beyond his control.

But regardless..........all else being equal.....
2 positions, 1 management, 4 interviews...no job offers?
Maybe their HR is blind...

I was freaked out a bit when i heard it

[peanutz]

Is Company #3 Telus? Just curious.

[Kappa21]

Is Company #3 Telus? Just curious.

...........mmmmmmmmno!
This is a FMCG company. The position was for a territory/sales rep. You basically visit accounts on a weekly basis

[noreason]

He was on contract and he got let go.


This is a big red flag for potential employers. Depending on how long he was around the company and how he can explain the circumstances of him leaving before his contract was up.



From what I know he had a falling with his direct manager.


If you're in a tight knit industry, hiring managers and HR could have networks with each other. They may call each other up to ask about a candidate even though no references have been given out yet. Sounds like your friend burned his bridges with company #1 and there's a high chance that the news have filtered to the other companies.

[Coke355mL]

But regardless..........all else being equal.....
2 positions, 1 management, 4 interviews...no job offers?
Maybe their HR is blind...

I was freaked out a bit when i heard it

That's the key phrase. "All else being equal". Problem is, it is never equal. You don't know what other candidates he is up against. In this challanged economy we're seeing overqualified people fighting for lower level positions now. Rather than just the right enough person getting the job, it's going to someone over qualified. Also we all know networking is huge and it may have went to someone who is just slightly not as good as your friend but can do the job just fine (not as good as your friend can do it but it's good enough). Or it went to an internal candidate. Or maybe your friend's personality is not a fit for the team. The point is, nothing is ever equal, there will never be 2 identical candidates and there are many external factors that affect the end outcome. How can you simply think a theoretical "if all things equal" when it is impossible in the real world.

Also, 2 positions 4 interviews, no offer... In this economy that's not surprising at all. Even if not in this economy, that is nothing to be depressed over. Many people experience several getting close to getting a job scenario all the time. Some have worst luck and don't even get interview or don't get past 1st round interviews.

[spike1128]

This is a big red flag for potential employers. Depending on how long he was around the company and how he can explain the circumstances of him leaving before his contract was up.



If you're in a tight knit industry, hiring managers and HR could have networks with each other. They may call each other up to ask about a candidate even though no references have been given out yet. Sounds like your friend burned his bridges with company #1 and there's a high chance that the news have filtered to the other companies.

I agree with you about tight knitness. I know a friend who was applying through a job in a medium size company who aren't hiring. The manager called up a manager of a larger company. The larger company ended up hiring the friend instead of the medium size company. Friend didn't even put up a resume with the larger company. The people of the industry all talk to each other.

The OP friend got smoked. The first company possibly weren't very impressed with OP's friend ability or personality at work. So they didn't put him up for permanent after the contract. Usually contract to permanent is how the system usually work.

[Coke355mL]

I try to help him a lot with his resume and such...but I am confused about this..
they wanted someone with a business degree...he has.
They wanted someone with experience...he has.
on top of that....he has industry experience...yet....he is no good?

Is Network the only way up?
And like i mentioned....The 3rd company..is in a slump. Unpopular brands and real bad management. I think he was a golden goose for them.
This whole feeling made me feel a bit scared about the future and how to survive in the market place!

You cannot just look at it so black and white. What you just described was that he has the qualifications to apply. But that doesn't tell me if he had the right particular skillset or experience to land that job. Maybe they wanted someone who had specific expertise in a particular product or specific business function. This entire statement your making is just so high level. It's like saying I have a friend who worked for RBC and is now applying to say, CIBC. This just means he has experience from the top financial institution only. If we give your friend the benefit of the doubt and he applied for a position in an area he has knowledge in, then perhaps he did not have specific knowledge in a particular product or application that they wanted. Maybe he didn't have the right skills (i.e. He did not have a lot of management experience for a manager position. Or perhaps they felt his experience was not in-depth enough.

It could be your friend was really just a silver goose for them. Or perhaps his price tag was too high. Or maybe they got a gold goose from your friend but a diamond goose (someone better) came applying like I said in my previos posts.

[spike1128]

You cannot just look at it so black and white. What you just described was that he has the qualifications to apply. But that doesn't tell me if he had the right particular skillset or experience to land that job. Maybe they wanted someone who had specific expertise in a particular product or specific business function. This entire statement your making is just so high level. It's like saying I have a friend who worked for RBC and is now applying to say, CIBC. This just means he has experience from the top financial institution only. If we give your friend the benefit of the doubt and he applied for a position in an area he has knowledge in, then perhaps he did not have specific knowledge in a particular product or application that they wanted. Maybe he didn't have the right skills (i.e. He did not have a lot of management experience for a manager position. Or perhaps they felt his experience was not in-depth enough.

It could be your friend was really just a silver goose for them. Or perhaps his price tag was too high. Or maybe they got a gold goose from your friend but a diamond goose (someone better) came applying like I said in my previos posts.

So true. OP's friend will NEVER know why he weren't hired. OP's friend is/maybe cocky for thinking he coming from #1 company, than he is good enough for #3 company. The #3 company will never view themselves as inferior to the #1 company.

Agree with your post. There might be someone a better fit than the OP's friend.