You walk out of the office building feeling elated, having just nailed an interview. You went back and read all of the Job Advice Blog’s interview tips, and saw just how well they work in action. You get home, wait a day, and really want to know about this job. Then you get the dreaded call, they went with another candidate. Normally you would understand, but you felt like you nailed everything this time, so it is an extra sticky and bad feeling. What do you do with it?
Follow up.
If you follow up in a professional manner the worst thing that could possibly happen is you learn a little bit more about why you weren’t chosen for the job, the best possible scenario is that they find you another gig at the company. Either way you walk away from the interaction with more knowledge and possibly more confidence.
So what should the follow-up look like?
First off, you need to thank them. Thank them for taking the time to interview you, thank them for following up and letting you know whether or not you got the job in a timely fashion. From there you want to ask them if they would be willing to give you some feedback. I highly recommend asking for examples of things you did well as well as things that you did not do well. Not only is this better for your self-esteem, it is also more useful to know both your strengths and your weaknesses, instead of just your weaknesses. If you are given this information you will have a much better shot at your next interview, as you will know what things you have to continue to work on, and what work has paid off. Again, if they follow up with this response, it is very important that you thank them for taking the time to do this.
If you want to, the other thing you can do with the follow-up e-mail is reiterate the fact that you want to work for that company (especially if you are willing to take a different, slightly less desirable position). You can tell the HR manager that you would appreciate it if they kept your resume’ on file, in case any other positions open up. If you did a good job in the interview, the HR manager might be very happy to put you back in the stack of applicants whenever a job that fits pops up, especially if you stick out with your memorable and kind follow-up messages (and even thank you cards!).
Everything is a learning experience, and the bigger the experience- the more there is to learn from it. Getting to the job interview stage, meeting a company, and performing in an interview is a big deal- and there is a lot to be learned from it, especially if it did not go exactly as you wanted it to. This space of a rejection is an educational place to be, and while you are in it, try to get as much as you can. If you follow up with the company, nothing but good can come of it!