Being a recruiter, it is part of your job to tell candidates when they are not being considered for a position, when they blew an interview, and when they no longer have a job.  Looking for a job can be a very emotional time for a candidate, and breaking this type of news to them is not an easy thing to do. 

During my career I have had to do this many times, and I can say with certainty I would be more than happy to give a candidate the benefit of the doubt if they are professional about the situation.  On the other hand, if they fly off the deep end they are not giving me much of a choice in the situation.  I thought with the holidays here, I would give the present of some good advice on how to react/act when receiving the news you did not want to hear in your position or employment search.  Below are a few areas where I find the most pain for the candidate in their employment and job search.

1.)   If you live in a Employment at Will state, the employer does not have to have a good reason to let you go.

2.)   If you are working with an agency on finding a position, it is the client who pays the agency…NOT YOU!

3.)   Employers and recruiters can not interview EVERY candidate that applies.

4.)   Sometimes we do make mistakes on candidates who have applied for a position.

When you receive the phone call or email from the company or the recruiter you are working with it is either going to be something you want to hear or you don’t want to hear.  It may be good to prepare yourself for both.  If you are not prepared for both, you may react in a way that will disqualify you for all future opportunities with the company.  The best thing to do when receiving bad news, is to ask for additional feedback.  Don’t argue with the feedback if you do not agree, but explain why you feel the feedback is not accurate.  This may not get you back into consideration, but it will let the recruiter/HR person find out more about your professionalism/skill set. 

On the other hand, you may never receive a call back from the agency you are working with.  I know this is the main pain point for candidates working with agencies.  I’m not defending recruiters doing this, and do agree it is not right for this to happen.  The candidate must realize the agency is paid by the client and will do what is in the best interest for the client company. If you have not heard back, you are MOST LIKELY no longer being considered for the position.  Again, this is an opportunity for a candidate to get mad (rightfully so), but it is best to keep your cool in this situation.  You can always pick up the phone or send an e-mail to the recruiter or company you are working with to find out current status.  It is your livelihood, and it is best to take the bull by the horns and figure out where you stand. 

So you find the perfect position, and you are 100% qualified for it, but you never receive a call…What to do now?  CALL THE AGENCY OR COMPANY!!!!  I can not tell you how many times in my career I have placed candidates who have took the extra effort to call me directly and explain their skill set.  Recruiters are not perfect, we do make mistakes, and sometimes we move too fast to see an excellent candidate when they are right in front of us.

At the end of the day, your job search and your job are YOUR responsibility.