How To Turn A Job Rejection Into A Golden Second Chance

By Dorcas Karuana,
You send off your CV, full of hope and expectation that your qualifications and experience will stand you in good stead for the position you are applying for. And if you’re lucky enough to be summoned for an interview – well, you just become even more confident and hopeful about your chances of success. You also congratulate yourself on managing to get this far, mindful of the fact that there are many thousands of job seekers who don’t even make it to interview stage.

Your hopes soar even higher that you will be offered the position. You then wait patiently for either the phone to ring or for a letter or email to be sent, giving you the verdict you so hope will be a favourable one. Only to finally get word from the employer that – “oh no, not again – you have been unsuccessful,” or sometimes you may never get a response at all.

Feelings of utter disappointment, dejection and, quite often, anger accompany you. After being so hopeful of your chances of landing the job that you wanted so much, you just feel as if you have been kicked in the face. And with those feelings comes the usual gloomy self-analysis, as you start asking yourself questions about your own personal abilities (e.g. was I good enough? What could possibly have let me down etc.)? As you bin yet another rejection letter, you wonder again if your jobless misery is ever going to end

If you’re one of those top interview candidates that the company seemed to love, but who still wasn’t hired, don’t go kicking your furniture or weeping into your sleeves. Life isn’t over-in fact, there’s a great way to turn this rejection into a fighting second chance.

The best way to handle it is to type out your own response to this rejection. Make it a simple, clean, professional response. Don’t let malice or even a shred of sarcasm creep into your letter, hinting at how they missed out on a great thing by not hiring you. Okay, so of course they did, but do not get dirty since your aim is to create a second chance here.

So here’s what you can say in your letter, words that can ultimately get you that job you want most:

a) Tell the hiring manager, or whoever you spoke with in person, how you truly appreciate the time they took to interview you, and be sure to thank them for this. For instance, I am truly grateful for having been considered for the position of (name of position), and that you took such valuable time out of your schedule to meet with me.

b) Tell this person that you hope you’ll be kept in mind for any future openings/positions that may arise. For example, please keep me in mind if this position becomes available again.

c) Wish the company the best of luck, and mention something positive that recently happened, like a new acquisition, a rise in sales-something that benefit the company. Why? This is a reminder of your strong interest in the company, simply because you’re aware of what’s going on.

Potential Outcome!
This post-rejection letter will get your name & written voice in front of them once again, which increases your chances of being remembered even more. Believe me; this can only work in your favor. How? Just consider these possible results:

Fighting chance 1: The candidate that the company decided to hire may decline the company’s offer of employment and choose another…

Fighting chance 2: After working at this company for a while, the hired candidate may decide that the position isn’t exactly what they wanted, and they may quit, with or without notice…

Fighting chance 3: For whatever reason, the company may see that the hired candidate isn’t all they thought he/she would be, and will let this person go.

Either way it may work out, each possibility is a golden fighting chance for you. Your cleanly displayed professionalism in your post-rejection letter will only help to keep you in mind if this position opens up again. And you never know, that could happen even sooner than you might think.

So stay positive! The end could be the beginning!

Dorcas is a Human resource Officer Corporate Staffing Services. Email dorcas@corporatestaffing.co.ke Website www.corporatestaffing.co.ke