You Did Not Get the Job! Now What?
Marc Miller
Career Pivot | Author of Repurpose Your Career A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life | Forbes Top 100 Career Website | Podcast Host & Producer of the Award Winning Repurpose Your Career Podcast
You did not get the job! What do you do now?
You just got the rejection notice that said you did not get the job you really wanted.
What could have happened:
- There was a more qualified candidate than you for this position.
- You did not demonstrate one or more attributes that they were looking for in a candidate. You may have those qualities, but you did not convey them in the hiring process.
- There was an internal candidate that was deemed a safer hirer.
- They just made a mistake and hired the wrong person.
You did not get the job. That is true—but let’s create a process where you can learn and grow from the experience.
What are you going to do now?
Post Interview
Immediately after the interview, consider doing the following:
- Write a personalized, hand-written thank you note to everyone you interviewed with. If possible, hand carry them to the office where you interviewed.
- Write a personalized e-mail to everyone you interviewed with.
- Send a LinkedIn request to everyone you interviewed with.
Post-Rejection Notice
After you have been informed that you did not get the job, consider doing the following:
- E-mail the hiring manager, thanking him or her for the opportunity to interview for the position. Mention that you would like to be considered for other opportunities in the future.
- E-mail others that you interviewed with, and thank them for their time. Ask them for any feedback that they may be able to provide.
- If you followed the Targeted Job Search strategy and Targeted the Company , you should have had an employee referral. If so, then ask your referral to do some detective work.
1-2 Months Later
Monitor LinkedIn for changes in the department that you interviewed:
- Check to see who was hired for the position.
- If it was an external candidate, check to see how their credentials compare to yours. Were they better qualified?
- Send a connection request to the individual who was hired.
3-6 Months Later
Reach out to person hired and ask to meet for coffee or lunch. Ask for AIR – Advice, Insights and Recommendations!
What could happen:
- The person who was hired might not work out. I have seen this happen!
- They might open up other positions for which you will be a better fit.
- You could learn that the person they hired was better qualified and a better fit.
I recently had a client that was hired a year after the person they hired did not work out, and they changed the job description to better fit my client’s qualifications.
When you do not get the job of your dreams, be persistent and do not let inertia set in!
You can read the rest of the Targeted Job Search series here:
- Targeted the Company and Quit Chasing the Job
- Building your Target List – The Targeted Job Search
- Research Your Target List – The Targeted Job Search
- Connecting with Recruiters – The Targeted Job Search
- Build Your Referral Network – The Targeted Job Search
- You’re Hired! Now What? – Targeted Job Search
- Employee Referrals – Your Ticket to Your Next Job
- You Did not Get the Job! Now What?
- Case Study - Targeted Job Search
If this is of interest to you, feel free to contact me for a free 30 minute consultation.
You Did Not Get the Job! Now What was originally posted in July of 2014 on the Career Pivot blog.
Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot, which helps Baby Boomers and others design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Marc authored the book “Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers.” You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.
Project Manager and Analytical Chemist
7yWhat's a rejection notice? This article has a lot of great advice, if it was maybe written 5 or more years ago. Companies no longer send out rejection notices. What happens in this day and age is after an interview, the candidate that is rejected, receives radio silence. You send out your thank you notes after the interview. Days or weeks pass, you send an email to HR or the hiring manager requesting an update, which is ignored. You call HR or the hiring manager and you get only to leave a message on their voicemail, which is again ignored. Eventually you write off this job as one you didn't get and realize that you will never receive any official word as to the status of your interview.
I have been turned down so many times I can't remember them all. I always follow-up with thank you notes after interviews to no avail. I have used email as well as snail mail and sometimes both. After rejections, I also try to determine why but employers never never ever respond to my requests. I usually let them know that I am disappointed but also make sure that I let them know that I respect their decisions. After probably 100 interviews (usually via phone), all but one went silent on me. Even that recruiter gave a weird response. She informed me that the chosen applicant had experience in a technology that was not a part of the job description and was not listed on my resume. The interviewer did not even mention that technology in the interview. I am still trying to figure that one out.
Financial Futurist and Philosopher at American Note Warehouse
9ySo many in my generation are doing a "Career Pivot" you services will become more and more essential. I've done hundreds of interviews and if anyone of them would have done what you suggested I would have hired them.
Hiring Engineers and Sales Engineers
9yThis is solid advice for companies on your target list. Generally, it's a pretty small world and it's helpful to maintain the relationships you developed through the interview.