Don’t Get Mad, Get Feedback
“I’ve been applying for months with no luck."
"I make it to the final round and lose out to someone else."
"Is there even a job out there for me?”
As a recruitment partner, we help our nonprofit clients identify talented individuals with specific qualifications to consider for open positions. And sometimes we get hundreds of folks interested in one opportunity.
Sometimes the rejection of not getting the position you want can really sting. But here’s my best advice: don’t get mad. Get feedback.
A candidate I worked with recently lost out on a role he really wanted. Instead of blaming the messenger, he called me up and said:
"𝘓𝘢𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴. 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺?"
I spent 15 minutes giving him direct feedback on his résumé, his interview approach, and how he could position himself more strongly next time. That conversation gave him way more than frustration ever could.
Could I do this for the hundreds of people who are interested in a position? Probably not. But usually, only a handful of folks reach out to ask for specific feedback. Remember:
Recruiters aren’t the enemy - we WANT you to succeed. And, we want to help hiring managers find the right person for the team just as quickly as you want to get through the process.
Hiring managers make the final call, but feedback is your secret weapon. We even offer candidates a prep call before an interview to answer questions about the role and what they can expect during the interview process.
If you’re not getting past a certain stage, that’s data. Explore it. Adjust. Keep moving.
And finally, nonprofits ARE hiring. At Bonsai Leadership Group LLC, we’re getting tons of calls from environmental organizations looking for talent. They're staffing up to implement bold new strategies in this new political climate.
Your right fit opportunity is out there. Keep going.
