Job search can seem like an unending journey with peaks and valleys. As a coach for almost 20 years and having coached thousands of clients, I consider it part of my job to keep your time in the valley as short as possible!
In that regard, I noticed that once people hear “no”, they are off to the next thing. I understand “no” is a hard thing to hear but there are next steps. Once you have mourned your loss and of course spent some time recovering (24-48 hours I recommend), then let’s move forward in a productive way. Remember you may get a lot of “no’s”, but you only need ONE YES! Please consider the following:
- There may be a reason way beyond your control for the “no”. Perhaps the hiring manager has a friend or former colleague they are hiring, or they needed to hire the internal candidate, or the job was put on hold altogether. Focus on what you control and know that a lot of this is out of your control….
- Let it go. Focus on things that you can do to move forward. Activate more people in your network. Take on some consulting. Step away from the search and get new, helpful feedback. Ask people who have recently landed, what they did to get their new role. Avoid negative people and negative speak. Know this takes a lot of time and persistence.
- Encourage everyone to give you feedback about your skills, marketing collateral (CV, LinkedIn, marketing plan, etc.) and act on that feedback. Ask probing questions to create a safe place/space for people to tell you the truth about your candidacy.
- Use self-care techniques that work for you, to present your best self. Are you high energy, succinct and positive in your language, look “TV ready”, using metrics and examples regarding your impact and work, following up and looking and sounding ready to hit the ground running.
- Take the time to review and re-group and ask:
- How was your communication?
- Did you depict your skills (both hard and soft) well?
- Did you include examples with metrics/results?
- What seemed to resonate with the interviewer?
- What could you have done better?
- Did you send timely and personalized thank you notes to all?
- What is keeping them up at night?
- Did you ask good questions to learn their challenges?
- Did you connect well with all interviewers?
- How did you re-calibrate for each team member?
- How might you follow up?
- Can you put a 90-day plan together of how you could be helpful in this role?
- Did you send a thank you note after the “no”
- Do you have feedback as to why the “no”?
- Can you figure out a consulting assignment for them?
Answer these questions truthfully and you will know what you can use from your answers to improve your next set of interviews. And there WILL be more. Chin up.
Some additional items to remember after you have been told no:
- Maintain your composure and be gracious in light of this news. It’s hard but actively listen.
- Respond positively and if possible, ask for reasons and how you could better position yourself for a future role or assignment.
- Stay in touch with all team members.
- Try to send an article of interest to them a month later.
- Acknowledge any good news about them or their company/division/results.
- Remember holiday notes are always appreciated.
- Always be positive.
Remember—-job search is transient; your brand is forever
Try not to ever give up. Your turn will come but you have to stay on the carousel to capture that gold ring. It is impossible to determine when the job will happen but have faith, it WILL happen. Stick with it. Sometimes an assignment that is full time becomes permanent. Sometimes not. Just focus on being current and value-added. This is what you can control. Try to say yes and always say thank you! Seek feedback and act on it, as appropriate. Reflect on your performance and what else you can do. Explore new techniques/strategies. Set goals and have a partner you can work with. Pay it forward. Good karma is important. Someone is always having a tougher day than you. Be empathetic and remember, what goes around, comes around. That job is out there for you. Show your creativity and resilience. These are two key traits employers are looking for!
We are all here rooting for you. You’ve got this!
