Finishing second in a job interview does not make you the first loser

Three times in the past two weeks I have had clients tell me that they had a tough time picking the top candidate out of two finalists.  While we can all agree that is a happy problem, there is still the issue of telling one candidate that they didn't get the job.  I have been the messenger many times in ten years of recruiting to the candidate that finished in second place.  There are several reasons why it isn't as bad as you might think.

First of all it provides an incredible amount of credibility to your search.  Although you did not get the position you were ultimately seeking, the company obviously thought you were a solid candidate to consider and would even possibly consider again.  This means that other companies will likely feel the same way.  I know as a third party recruiter, I am extremely motivated to work with that individual again.

Secondly, you never know when the company will come back around and have interest in your candidacy again.  Most times when it is a tough final decision, that means the company would have been absolutely fine with hiring the candidate that finished in "second place" out of the gates.  The candidate finishing in first place may accept an offer, only to turn it down a few days later.  Or perhaps not work out after 3-6 months and the company comes calling for the second candidate.  I have even had companies create positions for the second candidate, which turn out to be an even better long term match.  It all depends upon how the second candidate takes the news at the outset of finishing in second.  If you handle it with grace and professionalism, that will always bode well.  If you are bitter and look back with regret, that gets you nowhere.

Lastly, it might be that the position simply wasn't meant to be at that particular time.  When deep in the throes of the interview process the competitive juices are always flowing.  You may not be thinking truly objectively and you just want to get the offer for the sake of getting the offer.  Once you have some time to reflect you may see that it was a good thing for your long term career development.  Or another position may come along that turns out to be an even better match.

Bottom line is that you must always be thinking ahead while in the interview process.  Prepare yourself for the possibility that you might finish in second place and how you will handle that.  You can view it as defeat with victory your only goal.  But to me that seems short sighted.  I remind candidates that I represent that them finishing in second place also means I finish in second place.  For the reasons I outlined above (and the list could be much longer), you will be someone I will want to work with again and again.

Have you ever finished in second place?  How did it shape your thoughts about future interviews?  I would welcome your thoughts and stories as always!