What am I being told if the feedback is that I am not a good fit?

I am assuming that you are receiving this feedback either after a phone or in-person interview. Likely, you were not told this in person but through an email. Therefore, you have no opportunity to clarify what was written to you (and even if you email back, you are likely not to get any response). 

So what does “not a good fit” really mean. It can mean many things. 

1. You lack the required experience. You may have been interviewed, either by phone on in-person, because your resume showed you had some of the required skills, experience or knowledge required for the job. After speaking with you, it was either determined that you did not have the level of skills, experience or knowledge required for the position (think intermediate level Excel skills when advanced level skills are required) or the right kind of skills, experience or knowledge (you are well versed in marketing analytics but not digital marketing).

2. You have weaker soft skills than other candidates. Soft skills include anything from problem-solving to relationship building to teamwork. Most employers are looking for a combination of technical knowledge and soft skills. If you could not demonstrate that you have the soft skills needed to be successful, then you may hear that you are “not a good fit.”

3. You are not a fit with the corporate culture. Corporate culture includes the beliefs and practices of the employees of a company. It is the standard that people use to interact with each other and how they will conduct business. An example of corporate culture is an entrepreneurial focus where risk-taking is encouraged. This may be great if you always like to try new things; it could be challenging if by nature you are cautious. Therefore, you may hear that you are “not a good fit” based on a culture mismatch.

4. The interviewer had an issue with your personality. Maybe you are an extrovert and the interviewer and team members are more introverted. It may have been decided that getting your energy from interacting with others was going to cause issues within the team. Other personality concerns could be with those that are perceived as being controlling or not able to accept responsibility for failure.

5. Maybe you just did not “click” with the interviewer. Hiring managers often are looking for people that can do the job, AND they would like to work with. You could have met all the requirements of the job but if the hiring manager did not feel that s/he was personally interested in you (you were not on the same wavelength), then they would pass on you and you would hear the “not a good fit” explanation.

It takes a lot of self-reflection to try to figure out which category or categories you might have fallen into. Often, there is nothing you could have done to change the result of the interview anyway (how are you going to change being an extrovert?). Best to just move on.

I want to quit my job but do not have another one lined up yet. Is this a dumb thing to do?

“Dumb” is a very loaded word. I would never call a well thought out decision dumb. Sure, not having a new position might be problematic. But it also might be exactly the right thing for you to do in your situation. Let’s break down some reasons why you might feel you would want to quit without another job in hand.

• Your health might be at risk. Perhaps the stress of a job is seriously impacting your health, either physically or mentally. 

• You have a long commute that is causing issues in your personal life - missing family time or having a negative impact on your relationships.

• You are encountering a hostile work environment. Perhaps you are feeling bullied, harassed or discriminated against.

• You believe there are ethical issues surrounding the business and this is making you feel uncomfortable.

• You feel the work you are doing is too easy, too boring or too challenging.

• You have a challenging relationship with your manager and there is a difference between how you are managed and how you want to be managed.

• You believe you are going to be fired and would rather quit now and not have an involuntary termination on your record.

So what might happen if you do quit without another job lined up? Unless you are in an industry that is very hot or you have in-demand skills, expect to be out of a job much longer than you anticipate. A Randstad study in 2019 found that the average job search took 5 months. Can you afford to be out of work for that period of time? 

You may also lose some of your social contacts if many were centered around your co-workers. Keeping these up can prove challenging, especially if the situation at work is difficult for all, and they feel left behind.

When you are out of work, you also lose some of your leverage as a candidate. There are hiring managers that prefer candidates that are currently employed over those that are not employed. I know, weird but true. Sometimes it is because of a belief that those who are working have better skills because they are practicing them daily and yours are not keeping up. If you quit with no job, you also have to battle the impression that you might be a person that gives up easily and will leave when things get challenging.   

Depending on how long you remain unemployed, your ability to successfully negotiate a higher salary might also be limited. The employer knows that your bargaining position is weak - you need a job. They may low-ball or refuse to negotiate on an offer.

Lastly, do you have a support system (friends and family) that will back you up on your decision? It will be very hard on you to do this if your spouse, parents, children or friends are not in agreement that this is the right course of action. A decision such as this can tear families apart, especially if people are relying on you financially. 

So what should you do? Unless the situation is just untenable, it is better to plan your exit.  First, save money aggressively. Strive for at least a six-month emergency fund. That way if you absolutely have to leave, you have money to access to pay the bills while you look. I would also want you to come up with a plan. What are the must-haves at your next job? Rank them. Then do the same with any want-to-haves. Get clear on what a good situation would look like for you. Lastly, make sure you are networking. Contact old co-workers, people you went to school with, anyone that you know as a friend or an acquaintance. Cast your net wide. Tell people what you are looking for and how they might help you. Can they introduce you to others? Can they review your resume? Can they be part of your job search support network? Let people know that you are looking. The majority of jobs are not found through applying on job boards. It is through networking.

I applied for a job once and never heard anything. I see it is open again. Should I reapply?

It depends. Specifically, it depends on how well you meet the requirements of the job and what part of the recruitment process you got to last time. 

Let’s talk first about how well you meet the requirements of the job. I have seen many people apply for a position that really have no business doing so. They have perhaps 10% of the qualifications needed for the job. There is no way that those people will ever get to a screening interview. If you fall into this category - forget it. You can apply ten times and no one is ever going to contact you. Now if you have 75% of the requirements of the job, this could be a different story. Did you not present your skills, experience, and knowledge well on your resume? If you did not, you will have to redo your resume. If it was not compelling last time and without any revisions, you will surely get the same response. If you did have a good resume that showed accomplishments and was targeted for the job - then there is possible hope for you. 

Next, let’s explore the second question which is how far you got in the recruiting process. If you did get through a screening interview or in-person interview and did not hear anything back, then I would not bother trying again. You already made your case with someone at the organization, and you were judged to not be as good as other candidates for this position. Either your skills were not what was needed or there were other factors that eliminated you from the process (see question #1 for possible reasons). The reasons for rejecting you for this position are pretty much fixed and would be the same unless you have suddenly acquired a bunch of new skills - possible but highly unlikely.

So, if you were never were contacted by the company and you do meet at least 75% of the qualifications for the job, then you might want to try again IF you do things differently. Do not apply again through the applicant tracking system. Your name will already be in there and the recruiter will see that you applied previously and were rejected. That is a guarantee that no one will re-look at your application. What you need to do differently is apply directly to the hiring manager. Find the person and their email address (use LinkedIn or do a Google search) and submit your resume directly. Likely, the hiring manager will take a look at it as s/he is interested in filling the position and few candidates send a resume directly. If you do meet most of the requirements for the job and can demonstrate this on your resume, then you might get the hiring manager to ask HR to set up an interview. This is the only situation where I would recommend trying again.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.