Interview Rejection
Handling Interview Rejection
From Career Tips, 2024 Volume 10, October 2024
| Most of us at some point in our career have been turned down for a job. Unless you had already decided you didn’t want it, it usually stings, at least a little bit. Even when you didn’t want it, there can be a negative reaction, either because it closes down an option, or because you wanted to be the one in the driver’s seat who turns it down.
What do you do when you get that “thanks but no thanks” response from an employer? (What to do when you get no response at all is an entirely different matter.)
Most just ignore it and move on. (See the Dear Career Tips below for more on this.) Some simply respond with a thank you. Some make a halfhearted outreach to seek feedback, generally by email, knowing that most times they won’t get any.
These miss what I think is the most important point.
You have just put time and energy into an interview process. You’ve met with some people inside a company that was presumably of interest to you, and started to build relationships with them. Isn’t it worthwhile to make the effort to cement those relationships so that they can be part of your ongoing network?
Think about the possible psychology on the part of the interviewers, especially if they liked you. They know that you lost out on the job. They expect that you are disappointed:
Here's where you can use a request for feedback as a way to remove any such awkwardness. You can call the hiring manager (or the HR contact, if you only got that far in the process), and leave a professional, upbeat message along these lines:
“Jim, I really appreciate you taking the time to interview me for the Project Manager role. Obviously I’m disappointed not to have been selected, but I understand that it’s a business decision and you needed to select the person you deemed to be the best fit. Would you have 10 minutes to give me any feedback you might be able to share that could help me in my ongoing search?”
Even if you never hear back from Jim, this message will go a long way to showing that you bear no ill will, smoothing the relationship for the future.
My recommendation is to do this via a phone call, as the voice mail will provide a personal touch that makes it more effective.
Often people say at this point, “I don’t have Jim’s phone number. I'll just email him."
Others will say that they didn't get Jim's email, so they can't even do that.
Really? Is that what you would say if your boss came to you and said that you need to follow up with an important contact? If so, you have a bigger problem with your search than just the rejection. Plus, I would have to question why you let yourself get through the interview process without requesting contact info.
How difficult is it to find Jim's phone number? A little Googling can go a long way. Emails can be trickier, but most companies have a 'format' to their email addresses that you can uncover. There are also services like Rocket Reach that can help find emails and phone numbers. Plus there’s always the 'old school' method: call the main company phone number, and most times they will have a switchboard or phone directory that can connect you to Jim’s line.
Once you’ve opened the door via your message (or conversation), if you haven’t already, reach out via LinkedIn and invite them to connect with you. Do the same with anyone else in the interview process with whom you felt you had a connection. Just be sure to personalize the invitations, rather than letting LinkedIn send an impersonal connection request. Yours could be as simple as:
“Jane, I really enjoyed meeting you during my recent interview for the Project Manager role at Synergistics. While I’m disappointed we won’t have the opportunity to work together, I’d like to stay in touch if you’re open to it. Please accept this invitation to connect. John”
Another point to consider: Since most candidates don’t do what I’ve discussed above, this provides you an opportunity to stand out. You show the hiring manager and other interviewers that you follow through on things, and that you aren’t daunted by rejection. Those could be qualities that they value, making them a little more likely to keep you in mind for the future, or provide advice or connections down the road.
Anything you can do to stand out (in a positive way) among the competition will help you in your search.
Finally, what if the rejection note said something along the lines of ‘we’ll keep your info on file in the event of future openings.”? I’ve sometimes been asked if the company really means it (see the next article).
Frankly, I don’t care whether they really mean it. They've just created an additional opening for my follow-up. I can reach out to whoever sent it and thank them for the interview and for keeping my info on file. I can ask if there’s anything else I can provide them that might be helpful, and what steps I could take to keep my application fresh. Mostly, I’m showing myself to be more proactive than the average candidate, setting the stage for potential reconsideration in the future. |
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