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How to salvage

Background: Had a phone interview with a firm I applied to 3 weeks ago. Recruiter was impressed with my background and skill sets.

Issue: I generally research all firms I apply to regardless of interest level. This particular firm fell through the cracks as after I applied to the job I got back more interview responses than anticipated. (Not an excuse, this was my mistake) I could not answer the recruiter's question on "Do you know what we do" Recruiter heavily emphasised while my credentials and skills were very impressive, recruiter stressed they were looking for people committed and interested in the industry, not just someone to fill the role. Recruiter gave me second chance to research the firm and industry and reply back if I was still genuinely interested.

Question: I went back and did my research, spent some quality time and I better understand what they do and where they fit in as a whole in the industry. I AM genuinely interested. How do I salvage and phrase my reply to the recruiter from this poor first impression I made?

To preempt any dupe votes:

  1. This question is specifically on how to phrase my response to salvage my poor impression.

  2. Other questions related to poor performances.

Any advice is hepful

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  • "recruiter stressed they were looking for people committed and interested in the industry" Did the recruiter really mean that they want someone who has "shown interest" by doing a bit of research once they got an interview? Or did they mean, "someone who has hands on experience actually working in this industry?"
    – dwizum
    Feb 7, 2019 at 19:12

2 Answers 2

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The fact that they gave you second chance to go research the company shows that you haven't necessarily burned that bridge. Now that you have more information about the company and what they do, and you are still interested, the best thing to do would be to let them know and include why you are interested.

What is it about this company that impresses you? How do your skills fit in with their mission? Why do you think joining them would be a good next step in your career?

Consider a response along the lines of:

I want to let you know that I am interested in applying for the position of [position]. Having had a chance to learn more about your company, I am particularly impressed by [what impressed you]. I think my experience in [your experience] would be valuable to you, and I would be excited to contribute to [what they do]. Please let me know of next steps so we can continue this conversation.

But don't make stuff up here. Be genuine about what interests you about the company, because it will come up again. They have indicated they are interested in you, you just need to tell them why you are interested in them.

Good luck!

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  • Thanks! I'll definitely use this in my response. I think the only reason the recruiter even bothered was because they were fairly impressed with my technical aptitude for someone who had just graduated college and the fact I was candid when I said I wasn't able to answer the question.
    – my_dumb_mistake
    Feb 7, 2019 at 19:51
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How do I salvage and phrase my reply to the recruiter from this poor first impression I made?

They've given you a second chance, so it's simply a case of taking them up on it.

Hi Bob, thanks for the offer of a second chance at that interview - I'd love to take you up on that. Apologies for being ill-prepared last time. Can we get a time for that arranged ASAP? Thanks!

The only thing I'd add is really make sure you've done your research this time, over and above what you think might be required. You've been thrown a bone with the second interview attempt, you're extremely unlikely to get any others if you've somehow unwittingly missed something critical this time around.

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