I recently had a first phone interview and I thought things went well providing honest and through answers to questions asked but it was the end of the phone conversation that has me puzzled. The interviewer wanted me to “dwell on the conversation we had” and if I wanted to continue the process for me to email her to schedule a time to come in and sit with the team to see what they do and for me to show what I can do. Now, I started to think about it and a thought sunk in, was this a passive rejection of my interview?

For me, if there was excitement/interest in my candidacy, normally I would think that they would immediately like to schedule me to come in for a test or 2nd review but with this approach, I was not sure if it was a passive way to weed me out of the running.

I would like to know your perspective as your insight is a refreshing view.

The “dwell on the conversation we had” line makes me think that someone went to some sort of self-actualization for recruiters training. “Now, take a deep breath and ponder upon the things the candidate said. How did his responses bond with your soul?” I imagine soft lights and yoga pants.

But, besides the cheesy nature of it, I actually think it’s a pretty good thing. Remember, recruiting isn’t just about them finding a warm body to fill the position. It’s about finding someone who wants to be in that role. Asking you to think about it, is saying, “We want this to be a good fit for all of us, so if you think this won’t work for you, drop out now. Otherwise, we’re impressed enough to continue.”

I love that they want you to come in and sit with the team and show a bit of what you can do. Now, if this morphs into a “give us work for free” then they stink. But if it really is “come and see what we do and let us see what you can do” I think it’s a great idea.

So, no, I don’t think you’ve been rejected. I think the recruiter might be a bit nutty, but I think you should go in and see.

Good luck!

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11 thoughts on “Was I passively rejected?

  1. It’s just a really polite way to say:

    “I didn’t hear any excitement in your voice about this role – let me know when you get some and actually want this job”

    Dwell is not a place of ponder – Dwell is a place they lock you away with your thoughts because you’re not good enough.

  2. Could it be that the position was at a lower level and they wanted to know if the person would be interested in a “step down”?
    Or they wanted to gauge the interest level.

  3. If you’re truly interested in the job, being asked to “dwell” is redundant. While I don’t care for the phraseology used, I think it is a good thing, too. What I might think about is that something must have been said or a tone or inflection that brought a doubt to the interviewer’s mind. I.E. “Why don’t you think about it and if you’re truly interested, call us back.” Another possibility might be that the interviewer is inexperienced and uses that with all candidates. But while it strikes me as a good thing, it comes off as strange.

  4. You also must consider if you want to work at a place where people are encouraged or even allowed to use the word “dwell”.

  5. I had an interview like this about a year and a half ago. In my case I think the recruiter suspected I was having doubts about whether this was a good fit for me, even though my CV, application and profile had been highly interesting to them. Ultimately I told them that I appreciated the interview – and I certainly did, and I was impressed with the company – but I felt it was best I looked elsewhere. (Looking at where I am now, I know I definitely made the right decision.)

    Basically, I think Evil HR Lady nailed it right on the head. I would take it one step further and suggest that, so far as your interactions with recruiters go, you should take their words at face value. Not that there are never hidden meanings, but you need to show that you are sincere and straightforward and don’t play games with words or try to “improvise” or “cowboy” your way through things. Living in a country (France) where everything is so codified and bureaucratized, I have witnessed how knowing how to stick to the letter of things can save one’s neck, legally and professionally, on a number of occasions.

  6. “Dwell on our conversation” usually applies to thinking about criticism. Not a good sign. “Email me to talk further” inserts a delay into the process. Not a good sign; it tells the applicant not to call.

    If I had to choose between following up on this company or another one, I would pick the other one. But, having plenty of time, if the applicant likes the company, then there is little to lose in following up. Companies are crazy about interviewing and hiring.

  7. I think it sounds like you applied for a crappy job or a crappy company and the recruiter maybe was trying to tell you this through the conversation and asking you to read betw4een the lines. I’m a 16 year recruiter.

  8. While I don’t agree with the word choices the recruiter used, they probably only want to consider those candidates truly jazzed about the job for the role. I use this method (totally different wording) when I feel that the applicant is either using the open position as a short-term band aid remedy while they look for something they think is better, or if they seem bored or disinterested. Yes, we don’t want just warm bodies, but those who roll out of bed and actually want to be there and are excited for the opportunity. I’ve been hiring for 17 years.

    1. It’s always interesting to see how to get that extra piece of information out of a person to tick all the boxes for an interview. On my last phone interview I got a similar question at the end, I already had the why do you want to join us, your motives at the start, but at the very end they asked in a way where I had to express myself in much less of a corporate way.

  9. Wow – it’s funny because everything everyone said seems right on. I’m hoping that they meant something like what Marsh said above. I can’t believe the number of job applicants we’ve had who seem like they don’t care less whether they work there or not. In that case, they are just looking for you to “pursue” them. But it could be what Stefanie said too, which is kind of freaky. If you do go onsite for a second interview, I would pay close attention to the company culture to see. Honestly, I don’t think she was blowing you off – she wouldn’t have said that she would schedule a second interview with you if she didn’t want you to come back….

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