How To Cope With Not Getting The Job When You Thought You Nailed The Interview

dealing with job rejection - how to handle rejection after interview

Almost of us have been there… rejected for a task you lot were perfect for and thought you were going to land.

Only what should you do adjacent?

As a former recruiter, I'thou going to share 11 tips for dealing with job rejection after an interview and so you can land a new task faster.

Ask for Feedback

It's frustrating and confusing to exist rejected for a job afterwards seeing signs that the interview went well.

Your beginning thought when receiving a job rejection is likely, "Why did I get rejected after a good interview?"

The first step y'all should have is to respond and enquire the employer for feedback well-nigh the rejection.

You lot won't alter an employer's mind afterward they've rejected you, and that's non the goal here.

But you tin pick upward some valuable tips and brand adjustments moving forward in your chore search.

So either telephone call or send an electronic mail to the person who informed you of the hiring decision and politely ask if there's any feedback they can share.

Never appear as if you're trying to change their mind; that will just make the hiring managing director or other interviewer hesitant to share any information.

Instead, I recommend thanking them for updating yous, telling them that y'all're always looking to improve in your job search, then inquire if they tin can provide any feedback to aid you improve your interview skills.

This article has templates and examples you can apply.

This starting time step is crucial to getting on top of your game for future interviews, so don't skip it. Make this a habit after job rejections and yous'll proceed to get meliorate at interviewing.

Make Adjustments

Knowing that y'all didn't quite make the cut earlier, and taking note of feedback on how you can better, yous can now adapt your arroyo for your next job interview.

Y'all take the advantage of knowing how to tweak your functioning to win over the next hiring manager.

Don't just vow to do better next time; be strategic.

Practise answering some of the questions that caught you off baby-sit or challenged you in your terminal interview.

Call back about topics and areas where the conversation didn't flow well or the interviewer didn't seem too impressed. Brainstorm ideas for what y'all could hash out next time for those topics.

With some exercise and planning, you can nail these topics next fourth dimension.

It Might Not be Your Error

The truth that nobody always tells yous is:

Each recruiter and hiring manager is looking for dissimilar qualities in an interview and information technology's impossible to know beforehand what they're targeting.

Companies all accept unique preferences that they aren't going to disembalm to a candidate.

As a recruiter, I had some hiring managers tell me they wanted someone with a lot of experience. Others told me they want someone with less feel so they can pay them less.

Yous also don't know who else you're upward against in the interview process.

Maybe you lot were amazing but two other applicants were as well nifty, and the employer had to brand a tough decision afterwards days of debating.

That's a mutual blazon of chore rejection that happens.

Yet if you don't realize that this is what happened, you could take the rejection as a sign you're doing things poorly in your interview and need to modify everything.

Here are more examples of reasons you may accept been rejected:

While working every bit a recruiter, I've had companies say, "We desire to hire a woman adjacent because we accept too many men on the team right now."

I've had a hiring managing director tell me that he thought 1 of the applicants would desire his job in the future, so he didn't experience comfortable hiring them.

In that location'southward a significant amount of luck in the interview process (whereas I'd say the remainder of the job search process, similar job applications and getting interviews, entails very piffling luck).

And so continue this in listen and don't overreact to any one rejection from a company later your interview.

Information technology'south just if you run across a pattern of many task rejections that you should worry. So, information technology'southward fourth dimension to rethink your interview preparation.

Always Thank the Interviewers

If you're not already doing this, make sure to thank each individual interviewer from the company within 24 hours of your interview.

This tin be the difference-maker for some jobs. Not every recruiter or hiring manager cares nearly a thank-you e-mail, simply some exercise.

Think of information technology like this: If you're one of four people in the final round of interviews, and everyone else sends thank-y'all emails yet yous don't, how is that going to look?

If each of you is qualified and could do the task well, they're going to pick the candidate who seems well-nigh interested in this position and in taking this path in their career.

And one way you lot show that is past thanking them, reaffirming your interest in the role, talking almost how the chore fits your goals for the future, and telling them you're excited to hear nearly the side by side steps as soon as they have feedback.

Those are the cardinal pieces to include in your interview thank-you emails. And this is a step I never recommend skipping.

Know That You Are in Good Company

Job rejection stings, especially when you thought you had it in the bag, but take some comfort in knowing that practically every candidate has faced this feeling of disappointment.

Walt Disney was rejected by bankers and financers 300 times while trying to build Disneyland.

You likely have great skills and traits simply it takes the right employer to meet it.

The cardinal is to not give upwards. Walt Disney didn't quit after a few rejections; he kept pushing and now Disney is one of the all-time-known brands in the world.

This is an example of how rejection and setbacks can make you lot stronger.

Receiving a rejection letter or email is frustrating, but you can also use them as an opportunity to reevaluate what you lot want and how to go information technology, and adjust your approach if needed.

If you can find a way to utilise the strong emotions of rejection to drive you frontwards and increment your task search motivation, you'll be in a better position to land a job offering from the next company you talk to.

Review Your Strengths

Habitation on the negatives only serves to increment feelings of inadequacy and rejection. Focusing on the positives has the opposite event.

This is why looking at your strengths is then benign to improving motivation and restoring your mindset so you can get back out at that place and state your dream job.

What do you have to offer that puts you above other applicants?
When information technology comes to the essential criteria for the position, where in your career do you excel?

These are the areas you demand to focus on, as this is where yous'll score your points with employers.

Perhaps in your final interview you were too minor and didn't go your strengths across.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel to play ourselves down; it's in our nature not to brag and boast. However, you demand to go these stories of your successes into your interview to wow your potential employer.

If they enquire a question like, "What are your strengths?" or "Why should nosotros rent you?" it'southward not the time to be humble. You should brag a bit virtually yourself and share what you exercise best or what sets you apart from other candidates.

Working on your strengths as you handle rejection will do wonders for your confidence, likewise. It volition give you a real sense of knowing that you have what it takes. Next time, the job is yours.

Look to Your Next Opportunity

One smart manner of handling rejection after an interview is to refocus your attending on what matters next.

Look ahead to the side by side interview or the adjacent steps in your job search.

Not merely volition that assistance you get a job much faster than dwelling on a rejection, it'll also take your mind off of the frustration.

And beating yourself up almost a rejection or spending hours thinking about what y'all should and shouldn't accept said won't help you lot.

Become look for that next company. Go apply for more jobs. That's the but real way to move your job search forward now.

Each interview is a fresh risk to first over. All of those things you wish you lot had said differently, or interview answers that didn't quite come out right… you'll take a hazard to deliver them better next time.

Only focus on that next interview and brand sure y'all're ready for information technology.

Think virtually how you can amend, what you can do differently and where you might take weak spots, merely don't dwell on the by.

Get Support from Your Network

It'due south natural to demand a fleck of support or need someone to talk to afterward getting a tough rejection letter of the alphabet or disappointing phone call proverb you weren't chosen for the chore.

Then if you feel it'll assistance you, attain out to your personal or professional person network, or a family member, and tell them what yous're going through.

Sometimes, simply sharing what's happened in contempo events can take a weight off and allow you to recover faster so that you tin reflect on what to do differently adjacent fourth dimension and start preparing for that next opportunity.

Practice

You lot've completed an interview now, yous've been given feedback and you've worked out your primary strengths.

Now exercise how yous desire your next interview to go.

Yous can practice with a partner, family unit fellow member, or 1 of your friends.

You can do information technology in front of the mirror, record yourself talking in your phone'south sound recorder app, or even rent a career omnibus or interview coach.

The bottom line is: Nada comes out perfect the first time you lot say it, so practicing common interview questions and topics beforehand is almost always going to have a positive impact.

Set stories and examples that you'd like to share next time, too.

Review some of your past successes in recent jobs and what y'all're most proud of in your career. Create some talking points about how yous'd help your next employer in the specific jobs y'all're applying for.

Being detailed and specific in an interview is better than talking in general terms.

For example, imagine the interviewer asks, "Why tin yous practise well in this job?"

It doesn't audio very impressive to say:

"I saw that the job requires managing a team and I've done that in the past."

It's better to say:

"I saw that the job posting mentions leading a team, and in my virtually recent office, I led five people, including treatment their training, performance reviews, scheduling, and more. We were the peak-ranked sales squad among 12 teams, too."

Remember How Close You Are to a Job Offer

If you lot're getting job interviews, you're doing a lot of things right in your job search.

Simply a select few candidates are invited to interview for a job. If that'southward yous, then you have skills that employers want, and you're matching up well with the other candidates who are applying.

So don't go change everything or start panicking.

You but need to go along going in your search. Certain, try to improve whenever you lot can. But also just keep 1 human foot moving in front of the other. The worst thing you could practise at this point is to give up or lose hope after a job rejection.

Continue Job Searching as Soon as You're Gear up

It's okay to take time to residuum and rebuild confidence, simply try to bounce back and get back into interviewing equally soon as yous're ready.

At that place are many reasons why yous could take faced rejection fifty-fifty if you lot did zip wrong. At that place's increased competition from job seekers given the tough job marketplace we're in right at present, and it'southward tough on all task seekers.

Just when yous're set up, you need to walk into your next interview with optimism and focus on the factors y'all can control. Become in with better preparation than other candidates, and a high level of energy and positivity, and you'll exist more likely to become hired.

Whereas if you're still stuck with self-doubt or negative thoughts well-nigh the past rejection, it could make you appear to lack confidence or be uninterested in the role.

This is why it's disquisitional to go through the steps higher up and gratuitous yourself of thinking virtually past rejections so that you can move on.

Yous only need i chore offer to state your dream job, so don't quit. You're 1 skilful interview away.

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