A reader writes:
I credit your advice on resumes for helping me get a recent interview with a company for my dream job: a small publisher (~12 employees), in a city I want to live in, as an assistant editor (I am trying to get into publishing,) working on book topics I am interested in.
I had the interview last Thursday, and it seemed to go well. I spent about an hour each with the CEO/publisher and his senior editor talking about the position, my interest in it, larger questions about publishing, etc. After a few minutes of initial nervousness, I felt things went great and left feeling buoyant and looking forward to the next two things they wanted me to do: write a acquisitions topic proposal and take an editing skills test. I thanked them that night via email and everyone seemed happy.
Well, the next day over email, when I was discussing the topic proposal (it was made clear that I should feel free to consult them, as part of the exercise was seeing what it would be like to work with me), the CEO rearranged things; instead of doing the editing skills test on Monday, they wanted to see the topic proposal first. Well, one of the things I had been clear about during the interview was that I had no experience and little interest in acquisitions, but since everyone was expected to contribute there (because it’s a small shop) I was willing to step up and work at it. So I was a little worried about this new plan, but went ahead and spent the weekend researching and writing up a brief topic proposal, about a page and a quarter. I sent it in Sunday night and then waited.
Monday, and Tuesday I heard nothing back. So after business hours Tuesday I sent a brief email saying I was nervous and asking for an update. About an hour later I received a reply that they “didn’t feel they had a good fit.” I thanked him for getting back to me, and asked for any feedback. I have not received any.
I am wondering how I could have handled things differently. I knew that whatever topic proposal I came up with would be weak; I have no experience doing acquisitions work, and I am trying to move into publishing after only graduating in 2010. (I have had two different jobs in the meantime, which have given me reasonably applicable skills. Especially for assistantships.) Is there anything in this narrative that catches your eye? Do you think it’d be wise to more vigorously pursue feedback? Should I have tried to do the editing skills test first, and had the test I’d be weaker at come second?
I think you’re looking for things to read into in all of this, but what’s most likely is that they just didn’t think you were the right fit. It’s often no more complicated than that.
But no, you should not have tried to do the editing test first, when they specifically told you they wanted you to do the topic proposal first. And if the topic proposal was a deal-breaker for them, it was likely to be a deal-breaker even if they’d seen a flawless editing test first. (It’s also possible that they rearranged the order of the tests specifically because the topic proposal was what they had the most doubts about, and they figured they might as well have you do that first and save everyone time if that showed it wasn’t the right fit.)
I also think you shouldn’t be crushed that the topic proposal might be what took you out of the running, because you yourself say that you “have no experience and little interest in” acquisitions, and that you told them that in the interview. It’s a small shop where they expect everyone to play a role in that, so it’s not terribly surprising that having no interest or experience in it could end up being a deal-breaker — it’s likely that they figured they’d see how that lack of interest/experience played out on a simulated work assignment, and ultimately decided that, indeed, that just wasn’t the right profile for them. Which means that it’s not the right fit for you either, because you don’t want to end up a job that you struggle to do well in or to stay engaged with.
One more thing: While I doubt this was a deciding factor on its own, I wouldn’t have sent that email on Tuesday saying that you were nervous and asking for an update. First, pushing for an update only two days after sending in your exercise is a little too much — most employers are busy and have lots of things going on other than hiring, and this is especially true in publishing, where people tend to be really overworked; two days is just too soon. And second, saying that you’re nervous in an email like that comes across … well, not especially professionally. It’s not that employers expect you to be some sort of superhuman with no nerves, but mentioning it your email comes across a little like asking for hand-holding, or asking them to modify their time table to accommodate your nerves, and most busy employers aren’t enthused about signing up for that.
In any case: Don’t continue to ask for feedback — you asked once, they declined to respond, and that’s the end of that. You can’t force feedback; it’s optional for an employer. At this point, I’d just move on. Not every job will be the right fit, and that’s okay.
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