Recruitment Rejection: How to Bounce Back

First, feedback

It’s useful to ask for feedback, and then (the hard part!) take it onboard. As a job seeker, if you’re keen on the business and would like to be kept in mind for future opportunities, it’s important to leave a positive impression. How you react when you receive feedback may impact the relationship between you and the other party, so prepare yourself for this conversation. Cultivate an open mind; focus on listening and learning. Every relationship that you build can make a  positive difference to your working life.

How to go about it

There are several different points throughout a recruitment process where you may be declined, and while each may sting a little, you can use that moment to reflect on what you learned, for next time.

• Have another look at the initial brief or job ad. Did you match it, or can you now see that you were missing significant “must-haves”?
• Did you do all that was needed and requested for the application; a personalised cover letter, adapting your resume to the role, answered mandatory questions?
• Assess your interview performance. Did you show respect, enthusiasm and industry knowledge? Could you have done more preparation, or communicated your skillset more clearly?
• How did you act throughout the process? Did you respond promptly to communication; were you professional, and personable?
• Were you consistent and up front about your goals throughout the process? While it’s not unusual to change your position as you learn more about the role, it’s important to be able to explain and communicate any changes in requirements.

When you aren’t successful, remember; it’s not that you’re ‘no good’, it’s just not the right match. Even if, when you reflect on the process you believe that you did everything right, it’s worth remembering: sometimes we just miss out. Nonetheless it’s still good practice to consider what you would do differently (if anything) for your next application.

No one likes being rejected, but it’s a normal part of (working) life. Treat it as a skill like any other: with practice, you’ll find you can get ‘better’ at being rejected. This means you don’t take rejection to heart, and that you find the way to learn and grow from the experience.