Dealing with Being #2 in Your Job Search!

During a job search it is hard to predict how the process is going to play out. There are so many variables in a job search that it is difficult to control or predict what factors create which outcome in that process. But, many of my clients call me when they are told that the company that they were after has decided to make the job offer to someone else and that they came in as their next choice; they were #2 in the final candidate ranking.

In many cases the clients that achieve this status in the selection process are, indeed, disappointed and are tempted to walk away from that frustrating experience. Many decide to go in a different direction or even stop looking further altogether. However, what they do not realize is that if you are told that you were their next choice, you still have about a 30% chance of getting that job at a later time if you learn to do the following at the right time.

This 30% chance of getting that job after a company has already made an offer to someone is an average from my own experience after having worked with thousands of clients during the past 14 years as a career coach. This estimate is more accurate for middle-management jobs. For individual contributors and for senior executives this number can be considerably different (lower). The reason a #2 candidate in the selection process still has a chance of getting the job stems from the vagaries of the selection process, too many false positives, and the expectation mismatch that can occur when two parties finally come together. Often, too, some candidates are great at interviewing, but lousy at delivering.

Having observed this during my career as a coach here is my guidance for those who are told that they were # 2 in the final candidate ranking:

1. When the recruiter or the hiring manager calls you with the bad news telling you that you were #2, they are signaling that they liked you in many ways and that they have not found a perfect candidate as a result of their process (no one ever does). So, rather than expressing your disappointmentor worsethe best response is to thank the caller and ask them in what areas important to them you came up short.
2. Listen carefully to how they respond to that question. In many cases, since you were close to winning that race, the caller will tell you where the other candidate aced you. In many cases this perception is mistaken or is compounded by how you responded to some inferential questions, not directly exploring your fit.
3. Without getting defensive the best response to this surprise should be for you to say that you are sorry that you were not able to communicate that well to the interviewer and probe further to see if you can get more information on where and how you came up short. Do NOT argue with the person and complain that they got this wrong in any way whatsoever. Not at this stage. Just listen first.
4. Thank the person for calling and say again that you continue to be interested in their company and that job. Show interest in similar jobs if they open up in the future.
5. After you hang up send a note (email, card, letter) to the person who called you and thank them for letting you know of the outcome and for responding to your queries. Make a brief statement of the unfortunate circumstances that led to their conclusion and fortify your statement with some quick examples that support your claim: I do not know how I left some interviewers thinking that I have not led large teams (of 10 or more). Two years ago when I inherited a derailed project I assembled a team of 15 and completed that project on time. Currently, I am leading a team of nearly 20, and some contractors in addition.
6. After you state your case in brief narrative specifically state that you continue to be interested in that position and if anything were to change youd be open to consider it again. Make sure that this is how you close your note.
7. Depending on the job level contact the same person in about 4-6 months after you send this note. In that discussion you can jog that persons memory about your last encounter with them and express your continued interest and ask if anything has changed since you last talked.
8. If their selection was based on a false positive and if the incumbent has not worked out well, by this time the hiring manager should have decided if they need to correct their mistake.
9. Wait for a few days or weeks and see if they come back and approach you to consider joining their team.
10. If they offer the job do consider negotiating their offer and present the terms that you find acceptable. Since they do not have to go through the entire selection process again they are likely to bring you on board on your terms or at least meet you half way!

The advantage of revisiting a rejection with you as #2 candidate is that it is a win-win for both sides. It has worked for my clients in many cases (15-30% depending on the job level) and is a good way to change jobs without putting a significant job-search effort all over again!

Good luck!

About Author

Dilip has distinguished himself as LinkedIn’s #1 career coach from among a global pool of over 1,000 peers ever since LinkedIn started ranking them professionally (LinkedIn selected 23 categories of professionals for this ranking and published this ranking from 2006 until 2012). Having worked with over 6,000 clients from all walks of professions and having worked with nearly the entire spectrum of age groups—from high-school graduates about to enter college to those in their 70s, not knowing what to do with their retirement—Dilip has developed a unique approach to bringing meaning to their professional and personal lives. Dilip’s professional success lies in his ability to codify what he has learned in his own varied life (he has changed careers four times and is currently in his fifth) and from those of his clients, and to apply the essence of that learning to each coaching situation. After getting his B.Tech. (Honors) from IIT-Bombay and Master’s in electrical engineering(MSEE) from Stanford University, Dilip worked at various organizations, starting as an individual contributor and then progressing to head an engineering organization of a division of a high-tech company, with $2B in sales, in California’s Silicon Valley. His current interest in coaching resulted from his career experiences spanning nearly four decades, at four very diverse organizations–and industries, including a major conglomerate in India, and from what it takes to re-invent oneself time and again, especially after a lay-off and with constraints that are beyond your control. During the 45-plus years since his graduation, Dilip has reinvented himself time and again to explore new career horizons. When he left the corporate world, as head of engineering of a technology company, he started his own technology consulting business, helping high-tech and biotech companies streamline their product development processes. Dilip’s third career was working as a marketing consultant helping Fortune-500 companies dramatically improve their sales, based on a novel concept. It is during this work that Dilip realized that the greatest challenge most corporations face is available leadership resources and effectiveness; too many followers looking up to rudderless leadership. Dilip then decided to work with corporations helping them understand the leadership process and how to increase leadership effectiveness at every level. Soon afterwards, when the job-market tanked in Silicon Valley in 2001, Dilip changed his career track yet again and decided to work initially with many high-tech refugees, who wanted expert guidance in their reinvention and reemployment. Quickly, Dilip expanded his practice to help professionals from all walks of life. Now in his fifth career, Dilip works with professionals in the Silicon Valley and around the world helping with reinvention to get their dream jobs or vocations. As a career counselor and life coach, Dilip’s focus has been career transitions for professionals at all levels and engaging them in a purposeful pursuit. Working with them, he has developed many groundbreaking approaches to career transition that are now published in five books, his weekly blogs, and hundreds of articles. He has worked with those looking for a change in their careers–re-invention–and jobs at levels ranging from CEOs to hospital orderlies. He has developed numerous seminars and workshops to complement his individual coaching for helping others with making career and life transitions. Dilip’s central theme in his practice is to help clients discover their latent genius and then build a value proposition around it to articulate a strong verbal brand. Throughout this journey, Dilip has come up with many groundbreaking practices such as an Inductive Résumé and the Genius Extraction Tool. Dilip owns two patents, has two publications in the Harvard Business Review and has led a CEO roundtable for Chief Executive on Customer Loyalty. Both Amazon and B&N list numerous reviews on his five books. Dilip is also listed in Who’s Who, has appeared several times on CNN Headline News/Comcast Local Edition, as well as in the San Francisco Chronicle in its career columns. Dilip is a contributing writer to several publications. Dilip is a sought-after speaker at public and private forums on jobs, careers, leadership challenges, and how to be an effective leader.

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