A rejection letter is arguably one of the most disheartening things a job-seeker can receive. The application process can be long and arduous and when your efforts prove fruitless you may start to consider giving up entirely.
But worry not; this guide will help you improve your candidacy, help you refine your job search and enable you to acquire the confidence to shine throughout the interview process.
Where to start first?
If you’ve received a rejection letter regarding a previous application, do you think it is acceptable to continue trying to get accepted for this job posting? What if your initial application was accepted by the employer, but you failed to make it to the interview process, should you try again?
It would all depend, however, if the reasoning for not being accepted is not made clear to you, maybe look back at your original resume to determine if there are any grammatical errors, poor vocabulary, or a bad resume format.
The first step is to regain the courage to reapply for the job in the same company even you have received a rejection letter.
Why should you reapply?
Did you forswear dating when it didn’t work the first time? When you attempted to win the marathon and you failed on the first attempt, did you give up right away or you gave it another try? Job market almost works the same way, and experts are often asked a question repeatedly: Is this okay for a job seeker to reapply for a job opportunity with the same company after being rejected?
The obvious answer to this question is a big Yes!
The rejection from a company must not deter you from giving it another try if you see the job posting again for the same position. Even it is totally fine to apply for a different position with the same organization if you think that your skills and qualifications match their job requirements.
How informative is your resume built?
Job seekers often spend less time building their resumes and more time wading through spam in the job market. If you have received a rejection letter from a job offer you found while surfing the many job boards, it may be due to the way that your resume is built. Maybe you do not meet the type of job requirements this employer has to offer.
If you find that this is a valid reason as to why you have been rejected, look and start fresh, or edit your current resume, to better inform other employers of your skills, knowledge and experience.
Do you struggle to try to design a resume that will catch the eyes of hiring managers and other employers? Maybe you are not the greatest at using your vocabulary to your advantage to produce a professional, eyebrow-raising resume? That is okay, the internet has you covered!
The internet has an abundance of choices in terms of resume formats, resume-builder websites and tips and tricks to providing a beautifully laid out resume and cover letter. Do not be deterred in your job search, there are plenty of opportunities out there.
The job market is a competitive one – make yourself unique, yet not overly aggressive in how you present your accomplishments. Balance the humbleness with pride in all you have done. Follow the given steps while you reapply for a job after receiving a rejection letter to make the recruitment manager feel the difference.
Don’t send the same cover letter & resume
You didn’t get the job offer when you attempted it the first time and you must not expect something better if you intend to apply for the job with the same resume and cover letter.
Very well said by an anonymous author: “Repeating the same mistake over and over is foolishness. Wise people learn the lesson from their mistakes and never repeat them again”.
So if your previous application was rejected, and still you are planning to apply with the same resume and cover letter then why should the results be different this time?
So this is the time to learn the lesson, correct your mistakes and prove yourself as the best candidate for the job.
Consider revamping your cover letter
The internet has excellent resources on how to format your cover letter and provides good examples for how best to stylize yours (but remember not to copy any word for word, or that will land you with no success). There are numerous online sources for redesigning your cover letter and offer you guidance to put your best foot forward to the excellent job opportunities for work-life balance.
Your cover letter should be customized for each individual job you apply to and should describe why you would like to work for the job at hand – ensure to keep close attention to the desirable characteristics that may be outlined within the job description.
Find powerful ways to revamp your resume
The best thing to do is scour your previous application for anything that may be amiss; make sure it is in the correct resume format and then refine it for the job description you are aiming towards. Job requirements must be adhered to within your resume – make sure to outline how you are qualified for the position you are applying to. You need to learn to sell your skills and expertise while making use of the right words in your resume.
If you adhere to the advice given below to revamp your resume, your job search will hopefully prove to be more successful.
Make the content of your resume the most relevant to your target job
Remember one thing that many job seekers’ resumes fail to bring them a job offer because they believe in “one size-fits-all” and truly it doesn’t work at all. This guide offers you some incredible tips and tricks to make your resume relevant to the job posting.
Make use of the most relevant keywords to land a job
The most significant aspect of your resume is how quickly it can grab the attention of the recruitment or hiring manager. For the scanning program used by the recruiters or your prospective employer to catch your resume, it is essential to use the relevant keywords in your resume.
For every job application, you need to revisit your resume and specifically when reapplying for a job, you need to consider adding all the relevant keywords that you missed the last time when you applied for the same job.
Be smart while adding the keywords in your resume and sprinkle them throughout the document to avoid the keyword stuffing and eventually ending up adding the fluff.
Make Your Resume Language Stronger
For many job seekers, it is always overwhelming to create impactful and remarkable content for their resume and that becomes a major hindrance for them to land a job. What matters at most while producing the content of your resume is the word choice, and that goes wrong mostly when you are trying really hard to highlight every single detail from your professional experiences.
Always make use of the precise verbs in your resume while describing your experiences. Have a look at the following examples:
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Dull
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Attention-grabbing
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Avoid the verbs that can make your resume weaker. Use active verbs to give an impression of the original resume and try finding the words to make the reader feel that you are the one who always takes initiative.
Have a look at the examples and see how you may transform simple sentences into something elegant:
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Use of Passive Verbs
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Use of Active Verbs
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Better skip the pronouns to make it sound like an original resume.
One may ask why a job seeker should avoid the use of pronouns. This is because the pronoun “I” seems very redundant. It makes the readers (recruiters and hiring managers) feel that your resume is bluntly touting the stuff you have done in professional history.
And replace the other pronouns with particular professional terms for instance ‘customers’, ‘clients’, ‘colleagues’ and ‘manager’.
Fill the gaps in short sections of your resume
Look for the parts of your resume which are short and seem incomplete. Read carefully and see what is missing in each section. Is there anything specific that is worth mentioning and you have not added such details in your resume yet? If yes, this time, don’t skip such significant details while reapplying for the job.
Omit outdated and irrelevant professional experience
You must have browsed thoroughly the company’s profile, you have their job posting at hand and have read the job description as well, so you must not have difficulty in finding what in your resume is irrelevant to the job you’re reapplying for.
Apart from that remove personal details, headshots, buzzwords, images and embedded charts as well as salary history to ensure your resume avoids the trash heap.
You’ve improved your application – what next?
Now would be the best time to double-check everything you have written and show it to somebody you know who has experience in the field of job applications – a friend who is a teacher, for example. But not everybody has access to these sorts of people, and so what can be done from now is to send off your cover letter and application – stating all your qualifications, skills, and personal hobbies relevant to the job requirements.
The waiting period is probably the most stressful period of the job application process but remember to keep searching on the job market for more job postings in case the previous one rejects you again. You can never be too careful.
Consider the interaction you had last time with the company
While you were interviewed, did you notice any sign from the recruitment manager that you were missing some critical skill or an essential element required for you to be a suitable candidate for the job they are offering?
Did the recruitment manager mention that your level of experience didn’t match the job?
Did you forget to highlight your important transferable skills in your resume? Matthew Warzel, the certified recruiter is of the view that hiring managers always look for the candidates who can effortlessly transition in their new role.
Also, consider whether you followed the required process of the job application or you didn’t rush through the process of the application. Here you need to keep in mind that while you go through the interview stage, you have got very limited opportunity to sell your skills to the recruitment manager.
So you want to be very smart. Remember, your one-word response or a phrase with punctuation error may offer a succinct answer to the recruitment manager’s question but it may give an impression of you being apathetic and uninterested in the interview process. When the correct and the appropriate responses from other candidates are compared with yours by the recruiters, you almost lose the opportunity there and then. Hence take this chance earnestly to demonstrate your communication skills.
So recall everything from your interaction with the company’s recruitment team and HR professionals and try to incorporate all that in your job application while explaining how you are prepared to make up for the shortcomings.
Contacting the company about the rejection letter
Contacting the company or employer who rejected you is not for everyone. We know the awkward, gut-wrenching feeling of rejection. It scares you into thinking you are not skilled enough, you are under-educated, or you simply do not meet the job requirements.
However, if you receive a rejection letter regarding your candidacy at a particular company, it may not always give you detailed, valid reasons as to why they did not continue your application process further.
Reaching out to them to determine what caused them to reject you could be incredibly lucrative in terms of finding out what you could do to qualify or meet their standard.
Say you call the hiring manager, and they give you a couple of bullet points they found within your application, cover letter and resume that they did not find particularly attractive. This is okay, that does not mean you are out of the game yet.
Maybe you just read the job description incorrectly. If you continue to be respectful and appreciative of their professional criticism, you may just be able to reapply later, when you do qualify for the job offer.
A good tip to staying professional and open to other possibilities is to be personal when writing an email, making a phone call, or even if you are going into their office for a more personal touch.
Think about what you will say before you say it. It might help to make a small punch list of things that you wanted to ask them. Make eye contact, listen closely, take notes if it helps you remember and understand.
Do you meet the job requirements?
So now you have fixed your resume, ensuring that it is up to par. You have contacted the employer or hiring manager to determine what was wrong with your application process. Now, you need to look at their job requirements. For the sake of the argument, let’s say these are some of their requirements and you have been applying to a telecommunications company:
Lead/ foreman
- High school diploma/GED or equivalent
- Minimum one or more year(s) experience on DAS, Public Safety systems.
- Organization and project/ crew management. (three years required)
- Knowledge of Microsoft office.
- Detailed project reports daily.
So, you have the experience needed, with DAS and Public Safety systems, you have previously been in this exact position for the last few years, you meet the education requirement, you have put out daily field reports with your last job, but you do not have any adept experience with Microsoft office. No biggie, this can be easily fixed now that you know what the issues are.
You can work this plan up to find a few courses on learning the software as a start. Once you do this, download the software and begin testing out the features. Get a tutorial under your belt, watch a few YouTube videos and read up about tips and tricks to get more skilled at using it.
Once you have done this, you could find that you now meet the job requirements, giving you the opportunity to re-submit your application.
You’ve been invited to the interview stage!
Excellent! Your hard work and good candidacy have paid off. Now the first thing to do is to practice; research interview skills online and apply them to your routine. Research the company you have applied for and remember the job description; this will be vital if you want to impress your potential boss.
The interview process does not have to be scary – if you prepare well enough, you may find the entire thing enjoyable. Present yourself as though you are excited to work for the company or industry and check your body language; a firm handshake and good eye contact is always positive when it comes to interviews.
Keep in mind any questions you may have for the interviewer, as this will impress them – ask them further details about what the job entails, as it will also help you scope out whether this is the right job for you too.
Plan what you will answer to common interview questions, such as ‘What are my strengths?’ and ‘What are my weaknesses?’ Perhaps one of the most important things for most jobs is the ability of the job seeker to work as a team; let your interviewers know how easy going and hardworking you are, by mentioning any previous jobs you worked on. Perhaps you were part of a restaurant or even did volunteering work – anything relevant should do.
Reapplying for a job after rejection
To recap, you searched through one of the many job markets out there, found a job listing you found attractive, went through the application process and received a rejection letter.
You contacted them to inquire about why they rejected your candidacy, you took notes, reviewed your original resume and corrected all grammatical errors, fixed some of your vocabularies and updated your cover letter to better suit your skills and achievements.
Now, the big question.
When and if it is a good idea to reapply even after the rejection.
In short, it is said that if you have done everything right, professional and respectful wise, that you could be in a good spot to begin the application process anew, anywhere from four to six months from the initial application.
If you follow all these steps and apply them dutifully, you will find yourself with a greater chance of success in avoiding that dreaded rejection letter. The job search is a long process that can be daunting and infuriating, but with the right cover letter, the properly presented resume, and a fluid interview process, you will be well on your way to victory.
If you do find yourself unsuccessful once again, do not fret; try, try again. We will all succumb to mishaps in our lives but the only thing we can do for certain is to keep powering on. With this mindset, you can achieve anything.
