Career Advice
Why You Should Send A Thank You Email After Not Getting The Job
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 1 Mar 2018
You thought you had the job but then find out that you were pipped to the post by someone else and you’re not too happy about it. Getting a rejection, especially if you’d had your heart set on the job can make anyone feel glum. The last thing you want to do is to send an email to the recruiter thanking them for their feedback. It’s tough but sending an email is exactly what you need to do, you have to brush yourself down and be positive, it’s just a setback, you can’t give up that easily.
Why the thank you email?
First of all, a recruiter should always be thanked if they’ve given you valuable feedback that you can carry forward to another interview. They should also be thanked for their time they spent interviewing you; it’s the courteous thing to do. There are also many other reasons why you should send a thank you email:
91 days
65% of people look at new jobs again within 91 days of being hired, which means you have a 91-day window to get your dream job. Your competition who got the job may conclude that it’s not a right fit for them, it happens, that’s why you have to send the thank you email. OK, you don’t want to be the second choice, but sometimes mistakes are made, you are the right person for the job, but the recruiter didn’t realise it at the time.
Wrong decision
Yes, mistakes are made; the person who got your dream job could realise it’s not for them or the employer could let them go because they prove to be unsatisfactory. Wrong decisions get made regularly and when they happen the recruiter has to act quickly. Your thank you email could save the recruiter from having a meltdown.
Opportunity
Your thank you email could open the door to another opportunity for you, it might not be the job you initially went for, but it could be a stepping stone. A good tactic would be to mention in your thank you email how you’d like to be considered for other opportunities, it might not happen immediately, but you could be first in line when one arises.
Stand out
Not many candidates send a thank you email after a rejection so by doing so you’ll stand out. Standing out is good, people remember you, and they’ll remember how well you handled a rejection. They may decide to take on two people instead of one; you’ll be glad that you sent a thank you email if that happens.
Things change
We live in a fast-moving world and job roles as well as departments evolve a lot quicker than they ever used to, and it’s all driven by technology. The digital revolution is creating agile organisations, and that means companies can change their minds quickly; yesterday they may have needed one person for the job, but today they might need three. Be ready to move quickly if needed and don’t be surprised if the job title has completely changed.
So, there you have it, don’t let pride get in the way, send that thank you email!
Glassdoor Team
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Tags:Job Search
