When you apply for a job at your dream company, you're hoping, maybe even praying,
that you'll be successful in the interview process and receive an offer.
After all, it's the company you've always wanted to work for. So when you
don't get an offer,it can feel devastating -but it doesn't have to.
Why rejection happens
There was a "better" candidate.
This may seem like the most obvious reason, but "better" doesn't always mean better
than you. Sometimes it just means different. Once a job is posted and candidates are
interviewed, hiring managers sometimes realize they could use skills or experience they
didn't know they needed. Or, your skills and capabilities may be right in line with what
the hiring manager needs, but there are always intangibles that aren't listed. If another
candidate demonstrates those intangibles during the interview process, they may
be "better" because they can contribute and bring value in a different way.
You didn't tie your skills and experience to the role.
You may have all the necessary capabilities and experience, but the hiring manager needs
to understand how you'll apply them to this particular role. Too many people focus on
making sure they talk about their accomplishments but ignore the actual job description.
Truly understanding the role and articulating how you would apply your skills and
capabilities to it is key to helping the hiring manager visualize how you can bring
value to the team and organization.
The job scope changed.
Once a job is posted, changes at the company could change the scope of the
job - for example, maybe someone departed the team or there was a reorganization
of functions. While a company should update and repost the
job accordingly, not all of them do.
Learning from rejection
Rejection stings, and not knowing why you were rejected can cause you to engage
in negative self-talk about your skills and capabilities. Here are some ways to learn
from the rejection and move forward:
Understand that the perfect job isn't always perfect.
It's normal to romanticize a job and company based on what we read or hear
about them. And part of an interviewer's role is to sell you on the job and make
it seem amazing and exciting from their first contact with you.
If you weren't selected for whatever reason, use the rejection to reset that romanticized
vision and remind yourself that no company or job is as perfect as described. To get a
more realistic view of a prospective employer next time around, take time in advance
to think through deeper questions than, "Tell me about the culture."
Reflect on your values.
When we're desperate to find a job - any job - we don't focus on what's important
to us and whether the role will contribute to our overall fulfillment. Take a step back
and reflect on the job you didn't get and whether it truly aligned with your values.
This exercise will help ensure that when you do land a job, it will be fulfilling.
Sharpen your interviewing skills.
Going through any interview process allows you to practice your interviewing skills
and messaging for the next job interview. Think back to the questions you were asked
and how your counterpart reacted to your answers. Which responses landed and
which didn't? Did the hiring manager rephrase what you said more succinctly? Do you have
an opportunity to make your message crisper or change your messaging completely?
Incorporate feedback.
If you can obtain feedback from your interviewer, you'll have some actionable information
to apply to your next interviews. This is a neutral party's perspective on how you were
perceived in that short period of time they interacted with you. Even if you don't
agree with the feedback or it doesn't resonate with who you are, consider the 2% rule:
What if 2% of it was true? Use the feedback as fuel to advance
your skills or change your interview approach.