Plan Your Next Steps After a Job Rejection

You may do everything possible to prepare for a job interview, and you may even rock the interview, only to find out that the company has to decided to move forward without you. Being turned down for a role, regardless of the reason, can be disheartening and hard to bounce back from. If you don’t get that particular position, even if you thought it was your dream job, the role was likely not a good fit for you and there is something else out there that you are better suited for. Getting the phone call telling you that you didn’t get the job, signals that it is time to move on. We are going to review how to plan your next steps after a job rejection.

Dealing with a Job Rejection

Before you can plan your next steps after a job rejection, you need to first deal with the elimination itself.

  • Remain Professional: Although you are probably swirling with emotions, thank the interviewer for their time and ask them to keep you in mind for future opportunities. Your resume made them interested in you in the first place, so there could be other positions that open up that they believe you are a better fit for.
  • Ask for Feedback: Take the time to use the job rejection as a learning experience. Ask for detailed feedback as to why you didn’t get the role. It could be that someone was more qualified than you, you didn’t interview well, etc. It’s important to know the reasoning, so you can improve in the future.
  • Accept the Rejection: While it may be hard to move past the role that you thought you were perfect for, you need to accept that the position was not offered to you. Don’t wallow in a situation that is beyond your control. Most people get rejected from jobs from time to time, so don’t take it personally. You can control some things in your life, but not all of them, so shake it off.

Next Steps After a Job Rejection

So you have received a job denial and dealt with the rejection, now it is time to move on and continue your search. Below are some tips for your next steps.

  • Revise your Resume: Before you start searching for other open positions, take a look at your resume. Make your resume stand out and ensure that it truly reflects who you are and your past experiences. If you received feedback about your resume, use that to improve it.
  • Address Areas of Feedback: After receiving feedback as to why you didn’t get the role, you should identify your mistakes, learn from them, and move on. Take the feedback and use it to improve in the future. Maybe you didn’t know enough about the industry in which you were applying, maybe you didn’t seem very interested in the role during the interview, etc. Whatever the case may be, make note of areas of improvement for the next time.
  • Practice your Interviewing Skills: It is always good to prepare for a job interview, this is true even after a rejection. If the reason you were rejected was because of the interview, focus on the areas where you struggled. Practice makes perfect and will help you gain confidence for the next opportunity.
  • Keep Job Searching: The most important thing to do after a job rejection is to keep going with your job search. Don’t give up. Searching for a new job can help you forget what went wrong and motivate you to find a new and better opportunity.

Are you Looking for a New Job Opportunity?

A job rejection can be just the beginning of you finding the perfect role and career. When you plan your next steps after a job rejection, you should remain positive and optimistic about the future possibilities.

At Mackinnon & Partners we aim to provide first class candidates to a variety of emerging and established markets with a wealth of knowledge in the renewables, oil and gas, and construction industries both on and offshore.

If you aren’t suitable for a role, we will tell you the truth. If you aren’t a good fit for a position, we will tell you why, to help you move forward with future opportunities. We, at Mackinnon & Partners, keep in contact with candidates regularly when working on a role together.

Get started on finding your next position today.

Jack Miller

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