In-House Counsel

How To Bounce Back After Being Rejected For A Job 

Rejection is merely redirection to where you’re meant to be.

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young woman’s job interview

(via Getty Images)

As the market heats up with a higher number of job seekers in the new year, you may find yourself in an array of situations: 1) not hearing back as fast as you typically would in past years from companies or firms, 2) radio silence after an interview that you thought went well, or 3) receiving a cold-hearted rejection letter after multiple rounds of interviews.

The latter example happened to my husband after four (yes, four!) rounds of interviews at a Fortune 100 company towards the end of 2022. His grueling interview process lasted more than five weeks, with multiple company leaders interviewing him each round. Two days after his fourth interview, he received an autogenerated rejection letter at 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday. He called me, stunned, and I felt equally shocked. He believed the fourth round had gone just as well as the other rounds, and he anticipated an offer letter by the end of the week. Instead, he was caught off guard with a boilerplate rejection letter and no explanation.

After reviewing the letter, which was cringeworthy, I found myself annoyed for him. You put him through four rounds of interviews, only to send the same rejection letter that HR sends out to people who don’t even make it to the interview phase? I told him that he should contact the HR point of contact and ask for feedback, including what he can do differently or better for interviews down the road (the same advice I would give to any of my clients). I also thought, what if this was accidental? Or, what if there’s another role that he is better suited for?

He never heard back on any of those points.

It left a sour taste in my mouth, not just for my husband, but also for any potential job seeker or past client who has gone through the ringer with interviews, only to be ghosted or rejected. It’s increasingly becoming the norm across various industries, not just in the legal profession. Frankly, it’s disheartening and maddening.

My husband, a sales and business development professional with 15-plus years of experience, had never been in a predicament of enduring four rounds of interviews. Had the rejection happened in the first or second round of interviewing, he wouldn’t have felt gutted or shocked by it. But, to get to the fourth round, and not even receive a personalized letter or a call, left him (and myself) speechless.

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To this day, we don’t know what happened after the fourth interview — maybe there was someone in the pipeline from another division, a personal referral who slipped past him, or simply another candidate who was more qualified. This type of scenario is very plausible, which is why I always suggest trying to get feedback whenever possible and finding out if there’s another similar opportunity that you might be considered for.

Notably, during my husband’s second round of interviews, one of the directors said to him, “There’s a lot of competition for this role. If you don’t advance to the next round, don’t let it deter you because I see real talent in you.”

I had to play the role of wife and career coach — admittedly, it’s not easy to “coach” someone you’re emotionally connected to. Of course, I reminded him, “It just means something better is coming.” I’ve always believed in that adage based on my own legal career experiences, and it rang true. Every rejection I’ve had in my life and career has just been a redirection to something even better and worth waiting for.

As a job seeker, you must remain focused, positive, and never put all your eggs in one basket — especially in a fluctuating job market. It’s important to carry resilience with you during the job search as you may face a lot of “no’s” before you reach the “yes” from the right company. Keep sending out your resume, keep reaching out to connections, and keep going on interviews. Most importantly, remember that each interview is a learning experience, and practice for the next one (or five).

Within 48 hours of the job rejection, my husband had another interview at a different company that turned into a lucrative offer two weeks later. The point of all of this is: don’t give up, even when you feel you lost out on a great opportunity. The next one might offer better growth and financial incentives (just as in the case of my husband).

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Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at wendi@writingguru.net, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru. 

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