Should job seekers respond to rejection letters?

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 - career change, career transition, job application rejection, tutorial

Job Application Rejection

photo credit: Amydeanne

Daniel asks: Should job seekers respond to rejection letters? After receiving a rejection letter or email from a potential employer, should a job seeker answer it by thanking the employer for their time and for keeping their resume on file? Or, should job seekers NOT answer it & continue with their job search? By answering a rejection letter, a job seeker could try to turn a negative into a positive; it could result result in other job leads and expand a job seeker’s network. What is your opinion?

In answer:
Personally I think yes, job seekers should respond to rejection letters. But, the primary reason is for feedback, and it depends on where the job seeker is/got to in the application process. Never write back to an employer to express your disappointment.

If the job seeker is early in their job search, then even rejection at CV/resume shifting stage can be valuable. But primary response would always be to a rejection post-interview stage. After every interview, to avoid post-interview death valley, you should always send a thank you letter, and cover the main points addressed in the interview.

Courteous rejection letters from employers are so rare these days, with most not even bothering to inform the candidates that they are no longer being considered. If you do receive an old-fashioned professionally phrased rejection letter, write or eMail the person who has written to thank them for their time, and for telling you about their decision.

Even if you get nothing out of this – accepting that 1 in 5 successful job seekers will leave within 6months – you will help preserve courtesy in professional relationships. It costs you nothing to mention your contact information again, and to ask whoever interviewed you and seemed to like you to let you know in the future if they become aware of another suitable position at their firm or elsewhere.

Courtesy and manners, even if rejected, will keep you remembered – and that’s one key issue in successful job seeking.

Good Luck!

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One Response to “Should job seekers respond to rejection letters?”

1. Successful Job Interview | Job Interview Preparation Guide Says:
   May 7th, 2009 at 7:09 pm

   [...] Job Application Rejection When you present yourself with courtesy and right manners, even if your application was rejected, it will keep you remembered – and that’s another one key issue in successful job seeking. If you would like to learn an interview winning techniques and solutions, sign-up for our Professional CV service. [...]

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