How to Reapply for a Job After Rejection

By Mary Salvino, Career Management Coach

You've found your dream job at your dream company. You apply. Maybe you even land an interview. What you don't land is the job.

Does this mean you'll never be an employee at The Company of Your Dreams, Inc.? Far from it. Too many job seekers react to a single rejection by crossing that employer off their list when, in fact, having been passed over once might actually give you an advantage as you reapply in the future.

So, how can you turn today's ‘no’ into tomorrow's ‘yes’?

Knowledge is power. Just because you were rejected from a job, doesn't mean you didn't come close to landing it. Part of your follow up process should be to call up the hiring manager, or someone that you interviewed with, and ask for some insight as to why you were not the best fit for the position. There are any number of reason for not getting the job. Some reasons include the following:

• You were lacking a specific skill
• Someone else who applied had more experience
• The company decided to fill the position internally

Persistence Can Pay Off. Regardless of how much you wish to work for The Company of Your Dreams, Inc., remember to keep applying for other jobs at other companies. You can't neglect your career or your bank account while waiting for the ideal opportunity to become available. At the very least, the additional experience will make you even more attractive to the next employer.

Improve your follow-up performance. Call a few weeks after submitting your résumé to make sure it is in the right hands. Don’t forget to send thank-you notes to everyone who interviews you or tells you of an opening.

It’s not you, it’s your résumé. If you’ve received a computer-generated rejection letter for a position for which you believe you are qualified, you should understand that your résumé has been rejected, not you. In such cases, the issue may be that your résumé lacks specific keywords and search terms or the format caused a problem for the software. Hint: Use the same keywords as those found in the original job posting.

Tweak your résumé and try again. Many large organizations use résumé applicant-tracking systems (ATS). These systems use the candidate’s e-mail address as the primary identifier to sort résumés, therefore changing your e-mail address will probably convince the ATS it’s a new application so once you have taken the time to re-vitalize your résumé, you can feel free to apply again.

Take the time to fill out the on-line application as well as uploading your résumé. While some company sites allow you to upload your resume, others require users to fill in on-line application forms. To increase the chances of getting your application selected, fill in the on-line applications forms as well as uploading your résumé regardless of the fact that it will contain the same information. These on-line applications are likely to be searched using filters for specific skills and/or years of experience, so, it is best to give those who use such systems the information they need in a manner that is easy for them to accept.

If you like this article, please feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues.   You can also join our open group on LinkedIn @ http://linkd.in/MRJMAH

Copyright © 2012, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2012, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca