A manager of a small business wrote to Ask a Manager about how to handle a “pushy” job candidate. You can read the full story on Alison’s blog, but we’ll give you a synopsis:
This store manager has had the same applicant apply for multiple jobs over the past few years, and each time the candidate is rejected. Though the candidate looks good on paper, she doesn’t interview well – and by doesn’t interview well, the manager says she gives answers completely contrary to the values of the company.
But it’s not one of those interviews that has felt like a waste of time. This candidate routinely applies for jobs at this small business. Even worse – she has approached the manager multiple times (in public) asking why she wasn’t hired. So the manager wants to know whether she should give this candidate even more feedback than she already has (again, here’s the entire story).
As usual, Ask a Manager has a great answer. For this particular situation, she recommends skipping the feedback altogether. Her explanation: Because the candidate sounds pushy and likely wouldn’t accept the reasoning.
If the candidate wasn’t as hostile, we’d recommend explaining that we don’t think they would be a good fit because of A, B and C. This way, if the candidate was serious about finding a new job, they could learn from the experience. Ideally, they would take your advice to heart and realize that in order to succeed, they’ll have to change some things.
Have you been in a situation similar to this? Tell us about it!
