After you interview for a job, the hiring manager messages you and says that they went with another person or in another direction. However, a few days later you see the job is reposted. What is going on?
When an employer does this, it's a rejection of you. I'm going to be brutally honest. For this particular role, they have decided that you're not a fit and they don't want to get into great detail and give you critical feedback for fear of saying the wrong thing. It's easier for them just to give you a generalized rejection.
In that moment when you get the rejection, what you need to do is respond back, but I'm going to give you a pro tip: don't ask for feedback. I know everybody wants to get it, and people say to me all the time, "I went on the interview. I deserve that feedback." You don't. And they don't want to have that awkward conversation with you. But there is something that you can do instead...
Take The High Road
You can take the high road and really stand out. I teach my clients at Work It DAILY to immediately message back, "Thank you so much for letting me know. While I'm disappointed, I'm happy that you found the right candidate for the job. That being said, I really admire your company. Could you tell me the best way to be proactive and stay on your radar screen for future opportunities? I would really love to work here."
By sending this message back, it's classy, it's professional, it's proactive, and it shows that you know how to lose with dignity but you're also not taking it personally.
If they ghost you after you send the message, then that particular person has decided you're not a fit—just that one person. There are a lot of people at that company. But a lot of times, they reply, "Absolutely! Here's what you need to do in order to stay on the radar screen." That's even better because that means that person really does like you, you just weren't a fit for this particular job, and this is a relationship you can continue to nurture.
One person in that one moment decided you weren't moving forward. Let's find other people for you to talk to through back-channeling, which is a strategy we teach at Work It DAILY. To learn more, sign up for a 7-day free trial today.
Good luck, and go get 'em!
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