When You Don’t Get The Job: 4 Tips To Help You Bounce Back

Your resume is well polished. Your LinkedIn profile finely-tuned. You land the interview, and you’re hitting it off with everyone you meet. Then you’re called back for a second…then a third interview…you’re feeling like you’ve really got this! Then the waiting begins…followed by more waiting. And then the news…”We’ve decided to go a different direction.”

Paul Freiberger, author of When Can You Start? Ace the Job Interview And Get Hired, says that getting passed over for a job is, by no means, an indicator of your future success. “Don’t let a job rejection stop you in your tracks,” Freiberger says. “If you’ve applied for a job and don’t make the cut, you’re in exceptional company.” In his blog post on the topic, he puts things in perspective by listing successful people we’ve all heard of who were rejected at one time or another, including:

• Madonna – Rejected by a producer who didn’t think she was ready to make a full album.
• U2 – rejected by RSO Records in one short paragraph describing the band as “unsuitable”.
• Kurt Vonnegut – The Atlantic Monthly sent him back his manuscripts when they did their “usual summer house-cleaning.”

Granted, these are high profile examples, but I see the same thing play out in my coaching practice when it comes to the job hunt. A client will be rejected for a position they’d been hoping for – only to get a far better one down the road.

While not getting the job can be a real blow to your self-confidence, it’s important to “get back on that horse”, as the saying goes, and be proactive about saying “Thank you”. Here are four tips, culled from Freiberger’s strategies, to help you end on a gracious note and move on:

• Keep negative emotions in check. Even though you may feel defeated, bitter or even vindictive, it’s essential that you keep emotion out of any further communication. The last thing you want to do is burn any bridges.

• Send a follow-up note. If you had previously corresponded with the employer by email, sending an email expressing gratitude for being considered is a simple and gracious way to end your discussions. Many job candidates don’t go this extra mile, and it can keep you in the ‘Consider For Future Opportunities’ file.

• Move beyond the ‘Why?’ – Oftentimes, we feel we’d have closure after a rejection if we just knew why we didn’t get the job. Pressing for answers, however, could be off-putting to the hiring manager. The fact is, you may never know why it wasn’t a match since there’s often no one single answer. Also, in many cases, HR/ hiring managers aren’t allowed to give specifics due to the legalities of hiring practices

• Keep the door open. If you didn’t get the job, but are still interested in the organization – indicate that in your thank you note. You can also keep in touch with an interviewer you particularly clicked with by occasionally sending along industry news/ comments that may have been relevant to your interview discussion.

It can be heartbreaking not to get the job, but if you can think of every “No” as one step closer to a “Yes”, with valuable learning thrown in for good measure, then you’ll be primed for success because you’ll have an attitude of success – and that can make all the difference in your next job interview.