Your Skills and Experience just don’t match the Business Need
Interviewing for a job in the insurance industry can be a fickle process. There are certainly times when you think you have absolutely no shot at the next step in the interview process, yet somehow you receive a callback for a follow-up. And there are other times when you feel you absolutely nailed the interview, only to receive a form-letter response from the recruiter or hiring manager stating that although your skills and experience are impressive, they have decided to go with other candidates who better fit their business objectives.
It’s the latter that usually leaves you scratching your head in wonderment of how or what went wrong during the interview that left you on the outside looking in. Dealing with rejection is all part of the interview process. The important next step is trying to understand why you were not considered and moving onto the next interview.
Requesting Feedback
It’s easy to be left feeling rejected when an insurance company goes with another candidate, but it’s important to be able to leave that rejection in the rearview mirror and move on. In some cases it may be possible to get feedback from the recruiter or hiring manager on why they went in another direction. The only way to find out is with a follow-up email.
Some managers may be happy to provide you with the additional feedback you need to be able to learn from the experience and apply it toward your next interview. Be careful not to feel rejected yet again if you do not receive a response though, as some managers may not have the time to provide you the feedback you are looking for, or they may not even want to provide you the feedback. In any case though, there is no harm in asking to help you learn from the experience and apply it towards future interviews. Don’t be surprised if larger companies don’t give feedback. Many insurance companies do not allow feedback because they want protect themselves against an employment discrimination suit.
Looking Forward
If you are lucky enough to receive feedback from the hiring manager from your last interview, understanding their concerns maybe an important next step for you. If the feedback is simply that they went with the stronger candidate, than there really isn’t much you can do. But if they do provide you specifics about your answers to their questions or in your presentation, then applying that feedback into your next interview is an absolute must.
Preparation for your next Interview
Overall, it’s important to simply look forward to the next interview and not dwell on the previous one. Remember as you move forward with your next interview, preparation is always a key to a successful interview. Do thorough research on the insurance company beforehand to ensure you know exactly what they do as a whole as well as research as much about the actual position as possible. Come loaded with questions. There is nothing that makes an applicant look more unprepared than not having relative questions about the company or position ready.
The bottom line is that it’s easy to feel rejected but it’s important to leave the last interview behind and look forward on how to nail the next one.
