You aced the interview, dressed smartly, spoke confidently and knowledgeably about the role, company, and your own experience but you still did not get the job. Getting rejected from a job role can really knock your confidence and it happens to most of us at least once or twice in our lives, unless we are really lucky. Managing this rejection however can be tricky and can take some time to overcome.
When you have been pinning all your hopes and dreams on a job, hoping to either move on from your current situation or to end your days or even months of unemployment, suddenly getting rejected can hit you hard. It is often very easy to take the rejection personally and blame yourself for not landing the job, which can be made even worse especially if no feedback was given by the hiring manager.
Even though you will probably be overthinking the whole thing and wondering what you did wrong, the reality is that you probably didn’t do anything wrong at all. If you were fully prepared, then no matter the outcome, you could not and would not have done any better. You can only do your best in an interview and remember that unfortunately not everything in life can go the way you want it to.
Some things are simply out of our control, especially at the moment, with most interviews being conducted via video, which can make building a rapport very tricky!(Check out our video interview advice!). It is also important to keep in mind that there may also be other unknown factors involved that might have resulted in this outcome as well.
Feedback is something that should always be given. If you find yourself in the situation where you have been given no feedback,I highly recommend that you contact the hiring manager or whomever conducted your interview and ask them directly for it. Yes, you will be receiving a negative reason for being unsuccessful, however feedback is a great tool in understanding where you went wrong and what you can improve on.
It could have been anything, from not doing enough research for the role, to not communicating thoroughly, the list is endless but no matter what the reason is, I promise it will be beneficial to know. Receiving feedback, no matter the description, will help you improve for when you come round to your next interview and will hopefully result in you acing the interview and getting the job!
From an employer perspective it is absolutely necessary that when a candidate does receive bad news that they are informed right away. It is unfair to think that anyone should be sat in limbo wondering for days what the outcome was for their interview. This is unfortunately a common occurrence in the world that we live in, so if this has happened to you I am genuinely sorry!
Every employer should be aware of their reputation and understand that this is frankly unprofessional. They should also recognise how emotionally draining a job search can be, especially in the uncertain times we are currently living in. Due to Covid19 many people have faced redundancy, so having a bit of empathy does make a difference and will most certainly make you the recruiter that someone will remember in a positive light, even if you are delivering them bad news.
Unfortunately, rejection is all part of the interview process, it will happen, and what is best to do when it does is accept it and recognise that the right role for you is out there it just hasn’t appeared yet. Keep a positive attitude and learn from the mistakes of your past interviews and try to look at them as learning experiences. Try not to dwell on the past, the right thing will come along, and you will be grateful for having had the patience to wait for it. You can check out more interview advice in our candidate area
If you are looking for a new job at the moment, please do not hesitate to get in touch!.
If you are on the hunt for a new role, you can view all of our latest marketing, digital and technology opportunities HERE
Vicky Walker is IT Recruitment Consultant at Forward Role
