What To Do When You Don’t Get The Job
By Kevin Donlin | February 5th, 2008
Should you give up on a company when the job you interviewed for goes to someone else?
No.
Your response to a letter (or phone call) of rejection may get you the job, according to James Adams, a former job-search consultant to the U.S. government, whom I interviewed for one of my books.
Adams counseled a woman who interviewed very well for a job, but still got a letter of rejection after applying. Most people would have torn up the letter and gone on to other things.
But, instead, she wrote a gracious reply, thanking the company for their time and reaffirming her strong desire to work for them.
The top contender for the position had to relocate on short notice. The hiring panel remembered the letter they got from the really eager and pleasant woman who replied to their rejection letter. So they offered her the job, according to Adams.
Simple Lesson: Write a polite reply to every rejection notice you get. Thank the company for their time and restate your strong desire to work for them.
One more thing — include a final sentence requesting that the hiring manager(s) pass your name on to other companies who may need talented employees like you.
Write something like this: “Because you saw enough value in my background to consider me for this position, would you be so kind as to pass my name and resume on to anyone you know who would benefit from my skills and experience? Thank you very much in advance!”
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February 11th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Dear Mr. Donlin,
I just read your letter about writing a follow up thank you note. I am wondering if I should do the same for a phone interview?
February 13th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Yes, follow up to every interview you have, whether it’s in person or by phone. Get the correct spelling and SNAIL MAIL address for people who interview you, then mail a printed thank-you note.
Kevin
July 1st, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hello,
I appreciate your advice about responding to rejection.
I am wondering what I should do in this situation:
I live in Michigan and this has been such a difficult time for our state. I have been unemployed for over 8 months now.
The economy here has been terrible for several years, ahead of the rest of the country. So now, it’s even tougher to find a job than ever before.
I had an interview last Friday with a PR firm for an Account Exec position. The main partner got stuck in traffic and couln’t make it. I ended up meeting, very briefly, with the other partner for about 5 or 10 minutes, while we waited for the other person to show up.
I hardly had a chance to talk about my qualifications or anything I could add to the company, after which, I waited in a conference room for almost 40 minutes, alone.
Finally, they said that the other partner was not able to attend. I wrote a thank you email to the man I did meet with within two hours of my interview, thanking him and letting him know that I was very interested in the opportunity and that I looked forward to continuing our discussion when we could all reconvene. He emailed me back and thanked me for my time, then said they’d be in touch. (nothing concrete)
I called Monday and left a message with the person who set up the original interview, letting her know I would like to reschedule.
It is now a day later, and I still haven’t heard anything from them.
What would you do at this point if you were in my position? I don’t want to be a pest.
This is the first opportunity that even looked like a decent fit, since I’ve been unemployed.
I have been keeping a very positive attitude, but now I am starting to get depressed and scared about my financial situation.
Sorry it is such a long email.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Best regards,
Anne
July 1st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Anne,
See my response here!
http://www.thesimplejobsearch.com/blog/2008/07/01/job-interviews-with-halfwits/