As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, Murray Resources knows getting a rejection letter or email is never fun, especially if you really wanted a particular job. But what can make matters worse is when a hiring manager doesn’t let you know the reason you weren’t chosen and sends out a letter chock full of vague statements. So why don’t employers want to just tell you the real reason you weren’t hired?

Because that’s what their lawyers told them to do.

In many cases, lawyers advise their clients not to share the reason a person didn’t get hired in case the candidate decides it’s discriminatory. Consider this example:

What if an employer tells you they didn’t hire you because you didn’t have enough Microsoft Office skills. Then four months later, after still not being able to find someone with the right skill set, the employer decides to hire someone they can train. That person happens to be a different gender, race or age than you are. So you decide you weren’t hired because you are white, or black, or male or female, or pregnant or disabled…and the list goes on.

Because there’s not enough time in the day.

A hiring manager’s job is to find the right candidate for the position. It’s not to write personalized rejection letters to every single candidate. It may not seem fair, but remember: You’re not the only candidate who applied. In fact, when you consider that hundreds of people oftentimes apply to a single job, you’ll realize that writing personalized letters to that many people simply isn’t reasonable.

Because they don’t want to give negative feedback.

No one likes to give negative feedback, including hiring managers. So if the reason you weren’t hired is an awkward one – your social skills weren’t up to par, or you didn’t act professionally or communicate clearly – then don’t expect a letter detailing your weaknesses from the hiring manager. Keep in mind, the hiring manager is not a professional career coach. If they give you some feedback, take it to heart. If they don’t, realize it’s not their obligation to do so.

With that said, if a hiring manager doesn’t offer any specifics, you can certainly reach out to them and ask the reason you weren’t hired. Just make sure you do so in a polite and professional manner.

If you need more help finding a job that’s right for you, contact Murray Resources. As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, we can assist you with the entire job search process – from resumes to salary negotiations – all so you can secure a job opportunity that is a great fit for your skills and background.

Ready to get started? Contact us today.