What To Do When You Didn’t Get The Job

So you found a great job, maybe even the dream job. You’ve applied, you’ve scored an interview, you thought you did well at said interview. However, you’ve received the dreaded rejection email, that assures you that although you had a lot of great qualities, you just fell short of the mark.

This is never an easy pill to swallow and can be a great knock to your confidence if you thought you did very well or if you really wanted the position. So now you’ve been rejected, you’re disappointed, so now what? What is your best course of action?

You may still really want to work for the company, or you may have felt that there was another position at the company that would suit your skills. Perhaps you felt that maintaining a relationship with the interviewer could unlock a few doors in your future.

Either way, it is best to ensure that the steps you take after the interview benefit your future career, whether at that company or at another.

Ask For Feedback

If you’ve gotten as far as the interview stage of the application process, then you are well within your rights to ask for feedback should you be unsuccessful in you application. Keep your questions positive.

For example, “What could I do to improve?” rather than “What did I do wrong?”  This will give you an idea of where your strengths and weaknesses are, and help you move forward in your job search.

Reflect On Your Experience

Think about the strength of your application and your interview. Maybe the interview didn’t go as well as you thought, or perhaps you had some spelling mistakes in your application that you failed to notice.

Once you’ve pinpointed where you went wrong, you’ll be able to correct your mistakes and make a game plan for future applications. Practice makes perfect and making mistakes is the best way to learn.

You’ll get there.

Recognise When It Wasn’t You

Sometimes you genuinely couldn’t have done any more or been any better in you interview. The reason for you not getting the job could bee as simple as the fact that there was someone with more experience than you or somebody who had training in some software that you didn’t. Chalk it up to part of the job hunting experience and take what you learn with you into the next application process.

Don’t Dwell

If it’s a job you really wanted, then it can feel like a massive disappointment and you may find yourself feeling like a bit of a failure. Realise that it can take some time to get your dream job, and that you have to crawl before you walk.

Be as patient with yourself and with the process as you can, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you’ll learn from every mistake you make. Don’t dwell on your shortcomings, look towards the future.