With the invitation to an interview in hand, most applicants are initially infinitely happy to come a good deal closer to their goal. The job is now within your grasp. Accordingly, every candidate tries to make the best impression and convince the HR manager. And of course, everyone pays attention to the verbal and non-verbal feedback – signals that show how good the chances of the job really are. That’s why you never want to hear a few sentences from an HR manager.
Be careful with these sentences: threatened rejection!
During the interview, you will hear countless sentences, questions, answers, and explanations. Most of them can contain useful information for you – about the job itself, the company culture, about colleagues and the future boss. 95 percent of the statements made by the recruiter are completely harmless to applicants. For some, however, it is important to pay attention and act particularly cautiously, as they can contain an important clue. The two main reasons for this:
-
You made a mistake.
Some responses contain the subtle hint that you made a (small) mistake. Others are a wink with the fence post and point out a serious mistake you have made. Either way, you should notice that something went wrong and act on it. Mistakes can happen to anyone. That’s not bad. But with this, the HR manager gives you another chance and wants to see how you – even under stress – turn things around again. As confident as possible.
-
You hardly have a chance at the job.
Sometimes the statements of the HR manager suggest that you will probably no longer be shortlisted. This judgment is then difficult to reverse. But if you notice that, you can always find out what caused it and what you can do better at the next interview. That is also an opportunity.
Hardly any job interview runs perfectly. Uncertainty and nervousness play a dominant role every time and can thus torpedo even the best preparation. At the latest when one of the five following sentences is spoken, you should listen carefully and react accordingly. That means: Please do not cover up the mistake, but rather name it and correct it immediately. That at least shows empathy and the ability to deal with one’s own mistakes in a reflective way.
Something that will help you many times over in your professional life and which cannot do any harm to your personal development anyway.
“Actually, my name is …”
A very bad start for the job interview. You remembered the name of the HR manager incorrectly or misunderstood it the first time and you are addressing it to your counterpart. The faux pas will not mean the end, but you will certainly experience an embarrassing moment. Only one thing helps: apologize and get it right from now on. If you already know the name of the recruiter in advance, be sure to memorize it or write it on a small piece of paper so that it will be remembered. If you only find out the name on-site, there is no shame in politely asking again what the name is or how it is pronounced correctly. This is how a casual conversation often begins – small talk.
“As you know, we only hire the best candidates …”
This is not a good sign. The sentence sounds a bit like instruction, but actually subtly opens an emergency exit for the HR manager. To put it differently and more directly, the sentence could also be: “Other candidates are better suited and are more suitable for the position and our company.” In most cases, this will reduce your chances of getting the job. At the same time, you now have the opportunity to ask what makes these best candidates stand out. In this way, you will find out which qualifications you can use to improve your job opportunities by working them out better (if available). Obviously, they weren’t noticed enough.
“The application process is still ongoing …”
Of course, no applicant assumes that the application process has already been completed with the interview. It should make you all the more suspicious that the HR manager emphasizes this anyway. There are typically two reasons for this: Either you have to be prepared for the fact that it will be a long time before you receive an answer. Or the recruiter assumes that you are the only second choice and won’t get the job. So he puts you off until a later point in time to keep one option open.
“May I give you some advice for further discussions …”
Oh dear, a rejection is hardly clearer. The advice is meant to be friendly, but contains a damning verdict: You made a few mistakes too many in the interview and will not get the job. Even if this annoys you spontaneously and you find the instruction condescending – accept the offer anyway. You cannot change anything from the mistakes and the decision. From the feedback, you can still learn how others will perceive you and what you should do better next time.