What to Do If You Get Rejected for a Job

No getting the job you applied for is not necessarily the end of the road, especially if you have made it through a few rounds of interviews. It is possible that the company and team really liked you but ultimately decided to go in a different direction. Regardless of the circumstances, here are 4 best practices to remember when handling job rejections

1. Respond diplomatically.

No matter what the situation or outcome is, it is always worth it to respond to a job rejection. It would be helpful to take a few minutes to absorb the news before crafting a response so the emotions are taken out of the equation. You can start your response with something like this:

Hi [contact], Thanks for getting back to me. While this isn’t the news I was hoping for, I really enjoyed meeting the team and going through the interview process.

2. Ask for feedback.

Although ignorance is bliss and hearing feedback can be tough, it is still a good thing, especially when it comes to interviewing. While many companies won’t be able to share feedback, you might still come across someone who will give you a tip you can use in your job search going forward. While you’re not always going to get it, it’s always worth it to ask. You can say something like:

As someone who is constantly looking to grow and develop, I was wondering if you had any feedback you would be willing to share with me. 

3. Keep the relationship open.

Many recruiters have turned people down for specific jobs and for various reasons but have gone back and hired them in the future. Recruiters are sometimes hiring for a job and have two amazing candidates. They are forced to split hairs and ultimately turn down a perfect candidate. Therefore, it’s important to keep the relationship open and see if your contacts at the company would like to stay in touch by saying something like:

Additionally, I am still very interested in working for [company name] and I would love to keep in touch for future roles. I will plan to keep my eye on the careers site and check in from time to time.

4. Thank them.

While for some people, thanking someone for a job rejection seems absurd, but you have to stick with us on this one. It is a very good way of keep your chances as high as possible to get a job in the future. Being gracious is part of that strategy. You can simply say something like:

Thank you again for your time throughout the interview process. I enjoyed getting to know you and the rest of the [company name] team and look forward to keeping in touch!