Post interview tips: Don’t get mad, get better

If you’ve been for a job interview, it’s obviously upsetting if you then get a rejection. But at Ambitions Travel Recruitment, we say don’t get despondent or angry, instead be polite, become resilient and use tenacity to learn for the next job interview.

The three most common reasons used to reject a candidate post interview are:

1. Didn't prepare
2. Stronger candidate with more experience
3. Not a cultural fit, didn’t appear to share our values

Of course, there is no excuse for the first reason and the second and third are out of your control. What is within your control is how you react. Having an email hissy fit either directly with the hiring manager or the recruiter won't improve anything. It’s more likely to have a detrimental impact and make them not want to deal with you any further.

Remember, another role via the recruiter will be available. But they won’t want to handle a poor loser in future. And the employer is unlikely to consider you for any other roles should they arise if you react angrily. Indeed, in our experience, candidates who come second are often recommended internally or within the hiring manager’s network for other roles. So it’s always best to be mature and humble. Say thank you for the opportunity and please consider me again in future should another suitable job arise.

There are more jobs out there

Likewise, don’t beat yourself up about not getting a role. It’s a big old world, and there are so many factors that you can’t control. A positive attitude and willingness to work hard for the next interview will get you a lot further than going over and over what went wrong in your head.

Make sure you share all the relevant details about your skills and attributes with your specialist recruitment consultant. By all means, express your disappointment to them, but don’t moan.

The best advice following an unsuccessful interview is to get straight back on that horse. Use any difficult questions from the interview to do extra preparation for the next one.

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