Job rejection could be disheartening, especially if you applied for your dream job and even reached the final interview phase. It could be as painful as a heartbreak or divorce because it may demoralize you or dampen your confidence. But don’t let the job search rejection eat you up inside and make you bitter. Getting angry will only make it harder for you to continue your job search. Instead, follow these tips from Resume Prime to get past rejection and land an even better job.
Dealing with Job Search Rejection
1. Reflect on your actions.
Try to step back and assess the situation after a job search rejection. Was the job not suitable to your lifestyle? Was the hiring manager seeking a certain skill set or qualification you lack? Likewise, think about your communication skills. Were there experiences you forgot to highlight in the interview? Were there questions that tripped you up? While it’s not easy to rehash the experience, recalling your previous interview will benefit you. You’ll learn how to be a stronger candidate and apply that knowledge to your future interviews.
2. Ask for feedback.
After a job search rejection, follow up with the hiring manager and ask how you can improve for the future. While it might feel awkward, getting their feedback on your qualifications or answering skills is actually quite common.
To maximize your chances of a useful response, however, don’t sound as if you are frustrated or challenging the employer’s decision. Likewise, never use an email template. Make your words sound more engaging and personal so your interviewer may feel more inclined to respond.
3. Send a thank-you note.
Send a gracious note thanking the hiring manager for his time. Despite not making it for the job, say that you enjoyed meeting him and learning about his company. Why? Because being polite is remarkable. Besides, applicants who give gracious responses to rejection often get the job when the employer’s first-choice candidate failed to make it for whatever reason.
4. Keep in touch.
After a job search rejection, you might want nothing more than to wipe the memory of your interview from your mind and pretend the whole experience never happened—but don’t. That recruiter is now a business contact, and you should stay in touch. Connect on LinkedIn and/or send an article that you think he would like. Who knows, he may be able to tell you about another opening someday, either at his firm or with a contact.
While being turned down is not the best feeling in the world, you can still learn a few lessons from a job search rejection. You may seek a federal position, too, if you like. Hire us and let us create your federal resume and other application tools now.
Sources: | theladders.com | lifehack.org | themuse.com | money.usnews.com
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