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You may have gone through several rounds of interviewing with a company, only to get to the final round and not get an offer. Most of us have been in this position, feeling rejected and wondering why. Perhaps the interview didn’t go too well with some unanticipated question, or maybe it went super well, but some other candidate blew the employer away completely. Although you might never get a clear answer as to why you weren’t chosen, there are a few ways that you can move on and learn from the entire experience in a positive and productive manner.
If this was a job opportunity that you really wanted, such as a position at your dream company, congratulations on getting so far within the recruiting process! Although it might be disheartening to not receive an offer, recognize your achievement of getting through to one of the final stages. Here are some tips on what to do if you’re still hoping to pursue another role or job with this company in the future.
- Compose a very nice follow-up email to the recruiter, hiring manager, or somebody who interviewed you. Make sure to genuinely ask for feedback as to why you were not selected for the position, worded more so as suggestions on how you can improve as a candidate in the near future. Ask if there’s a waitlist or talent network you can choose for other positions and express your interest in future employment at this company.
- Look back on your interviewing experiences throughout the process. If you were thrown some difficult technical questions that you may not have answered to the best of your ability at the time, try to remember as much as you can, and redo them. At least complete more research and become more knowledgeable about topics that you may need to brush up on in order to go through the process with this company again.
- Recognize your advantage. After going through a rigorous interviewing process, whether it included a HireVue or a case interview, with a company is a good indicator of how their recruitment process works and is set up. Although you may not have a chance to apply for another internship within the same year, you will have a headstart in preparing yourself for future recruitment processes with them.
- Talk about your thoughts regarding this experience with peers, colleagues, professors, and friends. Asking other people questions about their own experiences or framing questions in a way that will allow you to figure out what you can do better during our own interview process is very beneficial.
- Tailor your future achievements to this specific company or role. Now that you have a little more understanding of what the role and company are looking for in a candidate, be mindful of this going into positions for clubs or organizations on campus or while looking for other future work experience. Think of ways to add value to your clearly strong application and make sure that you are maximizing your chances to get that offer the next time around.
- Apply again! Having all of this in mind should motivate you rather than discourage you from trying a second time!
- Continue looking for other opportunities and don’t limit yourself to one position or company. Even if that one particular opportunity did not work out, there’s still a lot of great options if you keep looking! You may even be surprised about how well things turn out.
