It's never a nice feeling to hear that you've been turned down from a job after going through the interview process, but sometimes your rejection can be helpful, as the employer may give you some constructive criticism that could help you improve your interview skills for next time.
However, not all companies will give you feedback you can use to improve, as one woman recently found out when she was turned down from a job because she wasn't "rough enough".
The baffled woman said she landed the job interview via a recruitment agency, and a few days later she received a call from the agency telling her she hadn't been successful - because the hiring manager thought she was too soft to "deal with the banter" in the office.
In a post on Mumsnet, the mum-of-two wrote: "I had a job interview last week, set up via a recruitment agent, at a big posh relatively newly built building, with two managers who had been the longest serving members of staff in the whole nationwide company - at 4 years tenure. This put me off so I wasn't interested in the job.
"However, I've just had the feedback from the recruitment agent which has made me laugh. Apparently, they feel I wouldn't fit in with their team as I'm not 'rough enough' and they don't feel I would be able to deal with the banter that their staff have."
The woman then asked fellow Mumsnet users to share their bewildering interview feedback, and the commenters did not disappoint - with one even claiming she was rejected from a telephone-based job because she wasn't tall enough.
One person recalled: "I was told I was too young looking and they weren't sure people would take me seriously. It was a telephone-based job and I was nearly 30 at the time. The interviewer commented on my height (5'2" so not exceptionally short) twice during the interview. They were a 'tall team' apparently."
While another said: "Many years ago not long after I had relocated to England from Scotland I interviewed for two jobs on the same day.
"Interview one feedback was they didn't want to hire me as people might assume the company is in Scotland with my accent. My CV had my school in Scotland, college in Scotland and all jobs in Scotland, no idea why they thought I wouldn't have a Scottish accent.
"Interview two feedback was that they would be worried I would get homesick and just leave without working my notice. I was 27 years old, married with a child and had just bought a house with my English husband."
And a third posted: "That I am 'too proactive' and would get frustrated quickly at the slow pace at which they work. The recruitment consultant was fizzing when he relayed this, I just saw it as a lucky escape."
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