Didn’t Get The Job? Let’s Talk About Why.

By Cynthia Oh

You went to three career experts and they professionally critiqued your resumes, cover letters, and thank you notes. You went to three of your closest friends or family and asked them for their opinions too. Your resumes, cover letters, and thank you notes were polished so well you could see the moon bouncing off of them.

You registered with your university’s online job listings service and studied the listings while carefully matching your skills and qualifications to what employers posted. You submitted your resume and cover letter for twelve full time jobs that you were absolutely positive you could handle. You were asked to be interviewed by three of the twelve corporations. You went to the interviews and checked in at the front desk exactly ten minutes early. You had researched each company and asked intelligent questions. You felt great overall about your interview performance, especially because you had previously practiced interviewing techniques through your mock interview sessions with career experts who coached you on the best ways to handle yourself. You were P-R-E-P-A-R-E-D, ready for action, and performed like an Academy Award® winner.

There were two jobs you really really wanted and the interviewers seemed like they really really liked you and wanted you to work for their company. You sent each interviewer a simple and professional note thanking them for their time and interesting questions. Ten business days passed. You got two “thank you but no thank you” letters from the employers in the mail. You can’t help but to feel disappointed and want to be like the happy-go-lucky characters on TV, acting like it’s no big deal…but it is. You didn’t get the job. Let’s talk about why.

First, you must understand that the decision to not hire you is beyond your control. So take a deep breath…and don’t take the so-called rejection personally. Know that there are many reasons that may have nothing to do with you, your skills, or your qualifications, as to why you were not chosen.

Second, you should take into consideration how many openings they had to fill. For example, was there one full time job opening but ten perfect candidates who could all do the work well?

Third, did you do absolutely everything that career experts advise in order to give yourself the edge? Did you go down the checklist of protocols to prepare, research, rehearse, get professional feedback, actively pursue jobs, follow up, and take your job search seriously? Were you on time? Were you dressed in a professional manner that includes a suit and simple clean accessories? Did you conduct yourself in a relaxed but professional way? Did you come across as a positive person? Did you come across as confident and humble at the same time? Did you come across as someone who could take instructions/orders with a good attitude? Would you want to hire yourself if you could see what they were seeing? If at least one of your answers to these questions is “no,” then go back and correct this as soon as possible or you may find yourself wasting a lot of your own valuable time. Remember, it’s a competitive job market. Now, if all the answers to these questions above are “yes,” then we can go on to the next realm of possibilities.

In retrospect, try to look at your two interviews from the perspective of the employer. This will help you to try and see what their perceptions were as they conducted the job search and looked for the perfect employee. A phrase you may have heard is “…a good fit…” Do you think, from the employer’s point of view, that you were “a good fit” for their company? In other words, let’s pretend you are a puzzle piece and the objective is to fit a puzzle piece into a position that is already shaped a certain way. Would you be a match and fit into the puzzle sitting on top of that table? If not, don’t take offense. These are just questions to consider that will help you exercise critical thinking skills for your future. Try to find out what “a good fit” means to each company. Were they looking for someone with more experience than what you have? Were they not looking for someone who could speak a second language and decided to change the job because a candidate could speak Spanish and they wanted that person to travel? The possibilities of what could have happened are endless. Try to be reasonable in your assessment of what could have happened. Talk this over with a professional career counselor and see what advice they have to offer. Assess this information in a logical and non-emotional way. Just deal with the facts and see what you come up with.

Ultimately, the best thing to do is to keep stepping. Keep moving to the next round of job hunting. You will eventually get a job as long as you take this job search seriously and follow the advice that professional career counselors have communicated through the years. Don’t be discouraged. Stay light-hearted and maintain your sense of humor. Make sure you have a good support system of family and friends who love you and care about your well being. Like anything this important, having positive, encouraging people around you can help you to develop into the kind of human being that thousands of companies will want to hire. Be tenacious. Do your homework. You know what you have to do in order to get your next job. So do it. Good luck!

Note: This article was written and posted on this web site on 12.21.04.