You perfectly crafted your resume. You searched. You applied. You got the call-back. You did your research. You went in for the interview. You got your hopes up and thought you hit it out of the park. You sent your follow-up email, waited–and received the dreaded rejection letter. They are going with someone else, you weren’t qualified enough, they decided to head in a different direction. If you thought this was your dream job, and already started picking out new stationery, this can be a hard blow. You probably feel confused, frustrated, and angry (that’s normal!). It doesn’t matter what kind of rejection it is, getting rejected always hurts–especially when it relates to your career. So, instead of wallowing in your disappointment, what should you do when you don’t get the job?

  1. Send an email: It’s very tempting to just ignore the rejection when you get it in your inbox. What’s the point in responding? What would you even say? Well, the point is to show you are mature, to thank the team for their consideration and to wish them well in their search. Accepting the rejection with dignity allows the hiring team to see that you were invested in the opportunity–and, who knows, that one email may give you a shot at another opening down the road. Just because it’s not the right fit now, doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future! 
  2. Ask for feedback: Getting helpful and valuable feedback is another great reason to send a follow-up email after not getting the job. Depending on your interactions with the hiring manager, you might be able to ask if there was something you could have done differently, or if there was something they were looking for that you didn’t have. The worst thing that could happen is they don’t respond to your email. The best thing is that you gain incredibly valuable knowledge on what you can do differently the next time a dream opportunity comes your way (because it will!). 
  3. Resume Clean Up: Whether or not you think your resume is the problem, you should definitely do a once-over after a rejection. Make sure everything is spelled correctly, and that all your points are aligned. Maybe even add a few things/take a few things out. Rejection can often be a great catalyst to improving your job-seeking materials. 
  4. Practice and Review: While you may think that you have your interview skills down pat, there is always room for improvement. Think honestly about how your interview went and learn from any missteps. Every time you practice telling someone why you deserve the job over anyone else, you become that much more comfortable selling yourself. 

The most important thing to remember when you get rejected is to keep your head up. Your perfect job is out there and you will find it!