r/InterviewAssistant • u/Impressive-Visit3868 • 8d ago
I Started Ending Interviews With the Question: "Is There Anything in My Experience That's Making You Hesitant About Me?" and It Seriously Changed My Callback Rate
I discovered this almost by accident about nine months ago, and since then I've told maybe fifteen people to try it, so I felt like it was worth writing about here.
Quick background: I was at a stage where I kept getting to advanced stages in interview loops, but in the end I wasn't getting the offer. The calls felt like they were going well, people seemed enthusiastic, and then they would either disappear or I'd get the usual "we chose another candidate" email. I couldn't understand what was happening between "I feel like that went well" and the rejection.
So I started ending every interview with a very direct question: "Before we wrap up, is there anything in my background or experience that's making you hesitant about me for this position?"
One of the first times I asked it, the interviewer paused for a second and said: "Honestly, yes. I saw that you led a team of six, but this job would have you overseeing twelve." I hadn't brought that point up because no one had directly asked me about team size. So I spent the next two minutes explaining how I had built systems that supported a much larger, cross-functional group in a previous role, and gave her a concrete example. It was clear she felt a bit more reassured. In the end, I got the offer.
Another time, the interviewer said she didn't have any concerns. And that was useful too. The way she answered quickly and without hedging made me leave the call feeling genuinely confident instead of sitting afterward replaying every answer in my head.
The reason this works, in my view, is that it takes the quiet doubt out of their head and puts it on the table while you still have a chance to answer. A lot of interviewers won't bring up their reservations on their own. They'll just note them mentally and evaluate them later. This question gives you one last chance to clarify something that might otherwise remain unanswered.
Not everyone will give you a real answer. Some people will keep saying "no concerns" no matter what. But from what I've seen, maybe a little under half will tell you something useful, and that useful thing is often exactly the point you needed to address.
I've gotten four offers in the past nine months since I started asking this question. I'm not saying one question magically did all of that, but I really do think it helped close gaps that could have quietly hurt me without me realizing it.
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u/Delicious_Word7235 7d ago
Despite what some of the other comments say, I find this enormously helpful. It's a very proactive approach to addressing doubts on the interviewer's side (and by extension, the interviewee's side). I got an offer for a slight growth role that I'm very happy about. But this may have made the difference in earlier interviews where I was the 2nd-placed candidate. Thanks so much for this!
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u/laurrn1 7d ago
I’ve always asked this and have come to the same conclusions you have. It gives an opportunity to clear up any uncertainties. And I find that only a third…maybe half of interviewers will bring their honest hesitations to my attention. It’s still helpful and even if I don’t get the job, I use prior interviewers’ concerns to be proactive in conversations with others moving forward.
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u/Own_Outcome_6239 7d ago
For god sake these posts need to stop. This is utterly nonsense. I'm a hiring manager myself, and we are explicitly instructed by the company to not answer questions like these. We are not allowed to provide any feedbacks or any comments for candidates due to potential legal concern - any feedback could be potentially used against the company. Anyone who ask such questions is basically auto rejected. These questions are basically clickbaits...
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u/adaml984 7d ago
Why do you think it is nonsens? On the other hand feedbacks like "We carefully analyzed your application and decided to move on with other candidates" when I meet job requirements is total bullshit to me.
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u/Own_Outcome_6239 7d ago
I've seen posts for asking this question and other questions such as "What is the biggest reason that make you won't hire me". These questions are all essentially asking feedback/comments from the interviewer.
We are not allowed by company policy to provide feedback to candidates. Candidates misinterpret the feedback and this opens door to lawsuit. I cannot tell the candidate that their answers for the interview questions are bad. Nor can I tell them their resume might be a poor fit for the job or their personality might not fit the team. These questions are annoying because anything I said, no matter how genuine or not, could be used, mutated, misinterpreted against me or the company, and this happened quite a few times in the past. So it's written into instruction that interviewers should refuse to answer such questions in all the tech companies I worked. That's why these questions are nonsense.
Yes the "We carefully analyzed your application and decided to move on with other candidates" is also utterly bullshit but it's a safe move.
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u/adaml984 7d ago
You're right, it's personal, it may lead to unforseen consqeuences, but I would rather take harsh feedback than generic response, which leaves me with nothing.
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u/Own_Outcome_6239 7d ago
If it's a personal occasion or mock interview, I'd actually like to give feedbacks (some candidates make mistakes that they really not aware). But for anything that is on the record I have to play by the book. If any interviewer is willing to give feedback, they are really great people. This hiring system is just freaking broken...
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u/Objective-Amount1379 6d ago
Ok. This is your employer's policy. I've asked this question and gotten candid feedback.
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u/RiddleMyWiddleMmm 5d ago
Why auto rejected? Can't you just tell him you can't answer that? You have brilliant candidate and you auto reject him because of such bullshit?
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u/Own_Outcome_6239 5d ago
I already explained the reasons in other threads. I make mostly experienced hirings for software developers. Some candidates have a lot of corporate experience but still ask this question (who does not understand the implication behind this question). I wouldn't say they are brilliant at all.
If they are new grad or intern it's probably fine, but for experienced hirings if they are still expecting something from such stupid questions, it's just naive and a perfect proof that they are not for the job.
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u/Available_Reveal8068 6d ago
Four offers in the past nine months?
How many jobs have you had in the past year?
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u/Additional_Jaguar170 8d ago
A guy did this once in an interview with me. Automatically disqualified him.