This Is Why You Missed Out On That Great Job

This Is Why You Missed Out On That Great JobThis Is Why You Missed Out On That Great JobThank you again for giving us the opportunity to consider you for a position with our organization. However, we regret to inform you that we will not be moving forward with your candidacy for this role. We wish you all the best in your job search.Thats an email no one likes receiving, especially after going through a dog-and-pony show of the phone vorstellungsgesprch, in-person interview, and even a 2nd in-person interview. When the opportunity feels like a perfect fit, it can be emotionally draining to find out they went with an internal candidate, they put the position on hold, theres no longer a budget for it, or to hear basically no real reason at all.If you never find out the actual reason why you werent selected, its easy to turn inward, filling in the blanks with something negative about yourself. You dont have the degree or certification, there was that gap in your employment timeline from a few years back, or some other reason. However, imperfect candidates get hired every single day of the week, so dont hang your hat on something about your own history that youre worried about. The reality is, the reasons they didnt hire you likely have nothing to do with you specifically or personally.The Timing Just Didnt WorkA question I frequently hear from candidates has to do with whether its better to apply when you first see a job posted, or shortly before the role closes if you know when that is. Youre only going to know that if the closing date is posted. Otherwise, theres simply no solid way youre going to be privy to the internal workings of the organization, nor to the thought process of the hiring decision maker.Ive had candidates find out that by the time they applied, the company was already in the final stages with 2 other candidates. That has nothing to do specifically with my candidate whose qualifications were great. It simply has to do with where they were in the process with other people.The Company Shifted Its PrioritiesSometimes, we decided to go in a different direction, has to do with the company or department as a whole, not necessarily, we decided to go in a different direction without you.That happens. So heres what you do be gracious in thanking the company, and make sure to stay in touch with the relevant people. Connect with them (notice how Im saying them there is always more than 1 relevant person for you to connect with in an organization) on LinkedIn, or follow them on LinkedIn. If youre still on the job hunt in 60 days, circle back to them. You may just be the reminder they needed, and they may be ready to resume the discussion about how your qualifications can help them at this time.Someone Else Was mora QualifiedI get it you were a perfect fit and you could have done that job 10 years ago with your eyes closed. That may be true. But perhaps someone else came in just a shade better than you just a shade. Does this me an you were terrible? Absolutely not.More importantly, does it mean that the rejection email is the period at the end of the sentence? Also, absolutely not. Todays, no, could really just mean, not yet, or not this role.One thing Ive talked about in other posts is to elevate your mind from job search to company search. A rejection regarding a job opportunity should not be the end. View the organization itself as an opportunity. If you like them, keep a sharp eye out for similar roles, and dont feel bad about applying for multiple roles within the same organization. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. Keep on the radar of the companies you like, and keep in contact with the connections youve made, rather than always trying to ferret out some brand new opportunity at a different organization.Heres whats important even though being rejected is always disappointing, change your attitude about it, and dont take the rejection personally. Take a deep breath in and keep moving f orward.If you want to see what winning candidates do to land interview after interview and ultimately get hired in the roles they actually want, we lay it out for you step-by-step in 5 Secret Job Search Hacks For The Age 50+ Job-Hunter.This is where we demonstrate how mature, experienced candidates beat the overqualification and age discrimination hurdles. You can rack up one success after the next and move forward in your job search consistently until you land the role you need. Register today.