“Not a fit”

Q: What do the words “not a fit for the job” actually mean?

A: This is a common response to a candidate when they are not offered a job.  “Not a fit” can have many legitimate meanings.  Some of these reasons include the candidate’s skills are a mismatch for the job requirements.  For example, if a job posting states that QuickBooks experience is required, and the candidate has never worked with QuickBooks, then the candidate’s skills are “not a fit.”  Or the candidate has not worked in a similar environment and therefore wouldn’t “fit” into this work environment.  We have clients who have struggled with hires from large companies, expecting to hire a large team or have generous budgets available to them.  In the job descriptions, one of the requirements is working in a smaller, more entrepreneurial environment.  If a candidate doesn’t have work experience in a smaller environment, then another candidate may be hired (who has experience working in a smaller organization).

I encourage our clients to offer more specific reasons for why a candidate was not hired.  However, truthfully, sometimes it is difficult to deliver negative feedback to a candidate.  And some of the reasons are embarrassing and may be awkward to share.  It is awfully difficult to tell a candidate that they did not receive a job offer because they had body odor or their resume was full of typos or their grammar was less than stellar. Some candidates respond very defensively or angrily if you share honest feedback with them.  This is why some hiring professionals will resort to “not a fit” as a reason for why another candidate was hired.

However, there are also situations where I think employers have used “not a fit” as a euphemism for some other attribute that may be an illegal reason for excluding a candidate.  I have seen sales teams, mostly in the 80’s (although I am sure that they still exist today) prefer to hire men.  The reason that they give women are “sorry, you are not a fit,” meaning you don’t fit our preferred gender.  This is clearly illegal.  I also have seen candidates from different ethnic backgrounds or races be classified as “not a fit.” Let’s face it, discrimination exists.

Finally, there are candidates who seem to apply for every role under the sun, from accounting to engineering roles.  I call them the “perpetual posters.” it is difficult to believe that they are genuinely interested in this one specific role, when you have seen their resume three times in the last week, for other roles.

When a candidate receives this as a reason, a smart response would be “can you tell me why I was not a fit?”  Remember, a candidate has to be open and receptive to the feedback.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Honoring a verbal commitment

Q: I have been with my current company for seven years.  I was recently promoted to a sales rep for a region.  I have been in this role for six months.  The first three months, my company provided extensive sales and account management training to me.  I was told that the training cost the company thousands of dollars.  I am finally functioning pretty independently.  When I accepted this position, I gave my word that I would stay in this position for one year at least.  However, there is a competitor who has tried to get me interested in a new role within their company.  I am flattered but I am torn.  How would you handle this?

A: Careers are full of twists and turns.  Good for you for remaining employed with your current company for seven years.  It sounds your company values your hard work and has rewarded you with a recent promotion.  Additionally, your company has made an investment in your professional development by providing extensive training.

When a competitor comes knocking, it is indeed flattering.  There is no harm in talking to the competitor.  You may learn some new information that could be useful to you in your current role.  It is always helpful to have a contact elsewhere so if your role or career becomes uncertain, you have options.  However, your situation is a bit different.  You have been with your current company for seven years.  You were recently promoted and you gave your word that you would remain the current position for one year.  Your word is important.  Your current employer also invested quite a bit of time and money into developing your sales and account management skills.  I, personally, would have a hard time, ethically accepting another role within the one-year time frame.   Again, it can’t hurt to talk to the other company but I would think seriously about making a job change after you had given a one-year commitment to your current role.  I know you did not sign a document , but your word and your reputation are both important.

If you do talk with your competitor, I would be gracious and thank them for approaching you.  At some point in your career, the contact at this competitor may be a valuable contact for you.  I would explain that the timing is not ideal though.  Hopefully they will understand your dilemma and respect your decision and your integrity.

Finally, you know your current company.  You know the internal workings, the culture, the customer base, the sales process and the product or service.  There would likely be a learning curve if you joined the new company.  There may be surprises with a new role in a new company.  Keep the connection and remain in contact with this competitor.   The world is an uncertain place and it helps to have well-placed connections.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Balancing several offers

Q: I have been job hunting for several months. I have two offers in front of me, and both are an improvement of my current role. I am interviewing for a third role this week. How do I keep the first two offers warm without losing them? I need more time to interview for this third role.

A: Congratulations on enjoying success in your search. Timing can be tricky in job hunting though, as you have discovered.

First, a question regarding the two offers you have been presented: have you been given a deadline for a decision? If you haven’t, it is wise to ask when the hiring representative would like to have a decision. Explain that this is an important decision and you want to make sure that you give the offer proper consideration. Obviously if you can ask for a bit more time on responding to these offers, the better. Be reasonable however. A requested extension of a few days is reasonable. A requested extension of a few weeks is not. When you interview for the third role, ask questions about their timeframe and any additional steps in the interview process. You may interview for the third role and decide that it is not as promising as offer #1 and offer #2. Assess the full offer, not just compensation. Compensation is important but so are other factors, like benefits, the commute, the type and variety of work, the workplace culture, as well as the management style of your supervisor.

Realize though that you are traveling a bit of a slippery slope. Asking for an extension of a few days may be reasonable, however it also sends a bit of a message to the hiring representative. Yes, you may need more information but you also didn’t jump up and down and accept immediately. Those of us who extend offers would prefer that a candidate accept immediately. However, we understand that sometimes a candidate does need more time, more information or to discuss it with a spouse, partner or another trusted person. It is a bit of a balancing act.

Glad to hear companies are extending offers to candidates. We are seeing that too. It is good news to share!

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Job Doc Chat with Pattie Hunt Sinacole @ Boston.com on June 1

This week Pattie answered questions regarding job applications, including application for different positions at the same company and how to change careers. She also answered questions about how to make friends in the office, what do about receiving multiple job offers and more...

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
 

At-Will Phrase in Offer Letter

Q: I just received a job offer. How wonderful right? Not so wonderful. Well some of it is good. The company is great, exactly where I want to be regarding both location and industry. Compensation is good. Benefits information looks competitive! However, they have this line in there that is really bothersome to me! The sentence says that my employment is "at-will and either party can terminate your employment relationships at any time, with or without notice." Does this mean I am going to leave my job only to be at risk for being fired at any time and on a whim? I am too afraid to ask the recruiter about this sentence!

A: I understand your concern! Most employees in the US are working in an "at-will" employment arrangement. Although the phrase may sound ominous, it common language in the world of employment experts. In lay person's terms, it means you can leave this role at any time and yes, they (or your employer) can terminate your employment relationship at any time. Most US workers are "at-will" and not members of a union and do not have an employment contract in place. Exceptions to "at-will" employment are generally found with teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters.

I consulted Jeffrey A. Dretler, a partner with Fisher and Phillips. Dretler explains, "Even in at-will employment situations, an employer is prohibited from terminating an employee’s employment or taking other adverse action that is motivated by illegal reasons, such as the employee’s membership in a “protected class” (e.g., age, race, color, gender, disability) or because the employee engaged in some sort of protected activity, like 'blowing the whistle' on illegal or improper activity."

Do not let wording concern you. When I work with clients, I often encourage this same type of language be included in their offer letters. It sounds like a competitive offer worth further consideration!

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section. Click here to read about more employment topics in The Job Doc Blog at Boston.com.

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