Dear Ms. BetterLuckNextTime:
Thank you for your interest in our company. We had a great deal of applicants apply for the position, and after careful consideration, we have decided to move on with another candidate.
We will keep your resume on file for one year, but encourage you to review our website for other positions as they become available.
Good luck with your job search.
Sincerely,
Random HR Associate
Yes, the dreaded rejection letter that is most likely computer-generated and has zero personal attachment. Anyone that has been exposed to the job market has most likely seen a letter such as the above. It may come after sending in your resume or after a job interview, but no matter how many times you receive a letter like that, it never gets easier.
Rejection is a hard thing to overcome, especially when you get rejected from something you had your heart set on. Rejections from a computer without a personal message can be even more frustrating. What do you do? Sulk? Cry? Get angry? All of the above?
No, you take that letter and you respond!
If you receive a rejection letter after submitting your resume, you can respond by reviewing their website for other positions. Perhaps the position you applied for wasn’t a good fit for you, or you didn’t meet the minimum requirements. If that is the case, and this is a company that you really want to work for, then keep looking for the position that you meet the requirements for.
This task might not happen overnight, but don’t get discouraged. Look for ways to improve your skill set for other positions, find out if you know anyone that works for the company that you could network with and get some insights, or rework your resume to fit the job requirements.
Receiving a rejection letter after an interview is harder because you have already invested a lot of time into wanting to get the job. However, you owe it to yourself to invest even more time. After an interview, you should have sent a thank you letter to the interviewers, therefore you have contact information.
After you receive your rejection letter, email the interviewers letting them know that you are disappointed in not receiving a job offer but that you are still very much interested in working for the company. Ask them for feedback as to what you can do to improve your chances in receiving a job offer in the future. You cannot be accepted if you don’t know what caused you to be rejected, so ask!
Rejection is a hard thing to overcome if you let it overcome you, so don't let it!
