I know many of you are like me and have been in the same position for years.  After a while, you forget what it’s like to be in the candidate’s seat looking for employment.  If you ever really want to feel what it’s like, be a juror.

I’ve been selected for juror duty many times, yet never selected for a jury.  It’s borderline offensive!  Why are they not picking me?  I imagine this is what it would feel like to a candidate on the job hunt who keeps getting rejected for jobs, yet doesn’t know why.

The last time I was summoned to jury duty I made it into the courtroom with 39 fellow jurors. We got down to 30 fairly quickly when they eliminated the four who spoke no English and six more who brought up medical issues or convincing job issues.  Then I watched as the attorneys questioned individual jurors one by one, dismissing the majority.

The minutes/hours went by. By 3:30 in the afternoon there was one seat left to fill and only two of us sitting on the bench. Finally they called my name. As I walked to the jury box, I exchanged glances with the gentleman still on the bench. We both knew that if I didn’t get picked, he would be automatically on.

I took my seat and answered the judge’s standard questions: my name, what I did for a living, if I was married, what city I lived in. Obviously, that was all they needed to hear from me.  The defense attorney politely dismissed me.  Was it something I said?

They decided to take their chances with the unknown instead of me! What was it about me? Was it the way I dressed, the way I spoke? Why did they think I wouldn’t be a good juror when they knew so little about me? 

I learned a long time ago in a training class that job interviewers tend to make hire/don’t hire decisions in the first 30 seconds of the interview. I appreciate the pressure those attorneys are under to narrow the field and get that jury of twelve seated as quickly as possible. It’s really not that different from the pressure recruiters and hiring managers are under to get the job filled quickly. Although as a recruiter you should definitely take more than 30 seconds to decide. You must select the best, and every candidate you talk to could be the one. But you will never know that if you do not force yourself to get past basic demographics and first impressions.

The rejected candidates must feel similar to how I felt that last time I was rejected for the jury. Being told I wasn’t needed didn’t sit well with me. I cannot imagine what it must feel like for a job candidate to be turned down, sometimes over and over again. It must do real damage to your self-confidence, and it must make you think (and say) bad things about the organization you were hoping to join – especially if you were not properly communicated with along the way.

I think everyone who conducts interviews should be rejected for jury duty.  Rejection is a disappointing feeling that can wreak havoc on your self-confidence.  Treat your candidates with respect and give honest feedback if you feel it will help them in the future.