If you look at Dave’s page today you’ll see he has had a disappointment. He didn’t get the school administrator job he applied for. He just missed out to a younger candidate with more direct experience. The panel thought he interviewed well, but of course he is very disappointed.
When you are looking for work, in the world as it is now, you have got to get used to knock-backs. It is how you handle the news that is all important.
First, don’t take it personally. Panels make decisions based on what they read and what they made of you at the interview, sometimes supplemented by the results from an assessment centre. They then make a subjective judgment about the best fit for the role.
Their judgement is about a particular role, at that point of time, in their view; it is not about your value as a human being.
Second, use this as an opportunity to learn. Get all the feedback you can from the panel. If they don’t offer you an opportunity to discuss your application and the interview, then ask for one. You will find most reputable organizations will have a discussion with you, if you have got to interview stage.
Their feedback is valuable. Try not to be defensive, take a deep breath and listen as objectively as you can to what they have to offer. But weigh their views up yourself; don’t just take it a face value. Do you agree with what they say?
After your discussion, send a thank you note to the hiring manager, the recruiter, or who ever took the timeout to give you feedback.
The reason you doing this isn’t out of sheer politeness. They may have already offered the job to someone but that person may change their mind and never start the job. Or the person may take the job but prove to be unsatisfactory. It happens more often than you think.
Filling a job takes an employer a lot of time and energy. Staff time for interviews plus the cost of posting the job, etc. is expensive for most employers. Your thank your discussion plus your thank you note will remind them of you, particularly, if you include a request that they get in touch with you if the situation changes or another job becomes available.
Take some time out to reflect positively on the experience you have been through and what you have learned from it. Now it is time to move on! Sometimes things just happen! You can’t change what has gone before, but you can make sure that your reaction turns into two steps forward and not one step back.
Have you bounced back from rejection? Do you have good advice for Dave? We would love to hear from you!
Related articles
- Interview Technique – Dealing with interview nerves and anxiety! (leavingthepublicsector.net)
- Handling a Bad Interviewer (leavingthepublicsector.net)
- How to answer questions in an interview! (leavingthepublicsector.net)
I am Wendy Mason and I work as a personal and business coach, consultant and blogger. I have worked with many different kinds of people going through personal and career change. If you would like my help, please email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)2084610114 or ++44(0)7867681439. I will be very pleased to hear from you.
