Re-Applying for a Job You Didn't Get

[CapeCodTenor]

Hey everyone,

Has anyone ever re-applied for a job they didn't get? If so, how long did you wait before re-applying for a job, if applying for the same job? Is it ok to re-apply for a job you didn't get, especially if you think the company you applied to uses a computer program? I never received a rejection letter, email or phone call, just a short notice next to the job title I applied for on the login site. There are other reasons I think this, the company has over 5000 employees and receives a lot of applications, so it would be easier to use a computer program. I could be wrong, of course, but I think it's a good guess. If this is the case, I'd love to re-work my application to better present myself and re-submit it. I just found out I wasn't selected to move forward, so it is still too soon, but, if the job was still up a month later would it be ok for me to re-apply?

Thanks,

 

[Lilacs4Me]

If you have never interviewed, then absolutely apply again! Tweak your resume first.

If you have already applied and interviewed, it would depend on how you felt about the interview. If it clearly didn't go well (and don't lie to yourself) or if you got a rejection letter back saying you don't have the right qualifications, then I would start looking elsewhere.

However if it was a good fit and it was just that the other person was internal or other such "all things being equal" reasons, go for it!

FYI - we just hired someone for our department. We do panel interviews, so my boss interviewed first, then 3 of us on the panel interviewed next. After the interviews, the 4 of us meet to discuss the applicant. This last time, we interviewed 4 people and it was a close race between two of them. One is a current contract employee in the department next to us. One was a former employee who was let go about 4-5 years ago when we sent operations out of state.

We debated for literally 3 days about which one to pick. Both were great...we know both professionally and knew they had the qualifications to do the job. It basically came down to character with theses two - one was slow and steady and could be trusted to get the job done professionally and carefully. The other would probably be more innovative and edgy, but I stood behind her in a line for a catered lunch about 4 days after we interviewed her and heard her tell a story about her child's teacher:

Her: "We are taking Jr. out of school for 10 days so we can go on a cruise"
Teacher: "I'm concerned about that because Jr. will be missing an entire math unit"
Her: "Listen, Bimbo - it's my kid and if I want to take him on a trip, I wil take him"

Okayyyyy.....and you are looking to get a permanent job here???!!! And you have no problem talking like this about your child's teacher??!! Is this how you would talk about your boss if we hired you??!!

We hired the other applicant. All other things were pretty equal. We were "this" close to hiring Bimbo girl, until I heard her talk like that, and it pushed me over the edge.

My point is....sometimes there is such a fine line between why you were hired and why you were passed over, that it wouldn't hurt to try again! Maybe YOU were the very-close second!

 

[CapeCodTenor]

If you have never interviewed, then absolutely apply again! Tweak your resume first.

If you have already applied and interviewed, it would depend on how you felt about the interview. If it clearly didn't go well (and don't lie to yourself) or if you got a rejection letter back saying you don't have the right qualifications, then I would start looking elsewhere.

However if it was a good fit and it was just that the other person was internal or other such "all things being equal" reasons, go for it!

FYI - we just hired someone for our department. We do panel interviews, so my boss interviewed first, then 3 of us on the panel interviewed next. After the interviews, the 4 of us meet to discuss the applicant. This last time, we interviewed 4 people and it was a close race between two of them. One is a current contract employee in the department next to us. One was a former employee who was let go about 4-5 years ago when we sent operations out of state.

We debated for literally 3 days about which one to pick. Both were great...we know both professionally and knew they had the qualifications to do the job. It basically came down to character with theses two - one was slow and steady and could be trusted to get the job done professionally and carefully. The other would probably be more innovative and edgy, but I stood behind her in a line for a catered lunch about 4 days after we interviewed her and heard her tell a story about her child's teacher:

Her: "We are taking Jr. out of school for 10 days so we can go on a cruise"
Teacher: "I'm concerned about that because Jr. will be missing an entire math unit"
Her: "Listen, Bimbo - it's my kid and if I want to take him on a trip, I wil take him"

Okayyyyy.....and you are looking to get a permanent job here???!!! And you have no problem talking like this about your child's teacher??!! Is this how you would talk about your boss if we hired you??!!

We hired the other applicant. All other things were pretty equal. We were "this" close to hiring Bimbo girl, until I heard her talk like that, and it pushed me over the edge.

My point is....sometimes there is such a fine line between why you were hired and why you were passed over, that it wouldn't hurt to try again! Maybe YOU were the very-close second!

Thank you for your reply, it means a lot. The best part about my situation is: I never got to the actual interview. The note that was left on my login page said that "your application wasn't chosen to move forward." How long do you think I should wait before re-applying? I mentioned a month in my original post, but that was just a time frame I tossed out. I would think a week or two after I got rejected would be too soon, but what do I know?

 

[bcla]

When I was looking a for a job I'd definitely applied for positions at the same company, even if the position was similar. However, these were often at large companies where I was probably one of hundreds applying for the same job. I'd been called in for a phone interview and/or an in person interview even though previous attempts didn't land me the job.

I remember one time I'd come in for an in person interview that was extremely similar to a position that I'd interviewed for a few years earlier. I mentioned something about applying for a similar position, and when I mentioned the name of the manager who interviewed me, I was told that it was essentially the same position (in the same group) and that manager had moved on. I suppose one of the odder things I've done was interview in back to back weeks for essentially the same job at the same company. It was two groups in the same division assigned to make stuff for the same product line. And it was really odd because I was dealing with the same in-company recruiter. It's a small world out there. I remember interviewing with a company, then a couple of years later I'm laid off and looking for a job again and I come in contact with that interviewer at a different company.

 

[sam_gordon]

Hey everyone,

Has anyone ever re-applied for a job they didn't get? If so, how long did you wait before re-applying for a job, if applying for the same job? Is it ok to re-apply for a job you didn't get, especially if you think the company you applied to uses a computer program? I never received a rejection letter, email or phone call, just a short notice next to the job title I applied for on the login site. There are other reasons I think this, the company has over 5000 employees and receives a lot of applications, so it would be easier to use a computer program. I could be wrong, of course, but I think it's a good guess. If this is the case, I'd love to re-work my application to better present myself and re-submit it. I just found out I wasn't selected to move forward, so it is still too soon, but, if the job was still up a month later would it be ok for me to re-apply?

Thanks,

I recently hired a number of positions. We don't use a computer program to go through applicants. I would not want to receive a second application from you. There is a reason I did not select you for an interview. It could be others presented themselves better, it could be others are closer, have more experience in the field, or a number of other reasons. I also feel you need to put your best presentation on your resume. If you can't do that on the resume, why would I think you're going to do your best in the workplace?

And yes, I understand people make mistakes. It happens every day in my building. But an application/resume you want to make sure is perfect before handing it in.

Just my opinion.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I JUST did(and got another interview).

I applied to Target like two years ago, didn’t get hired. I applied again for holiday help and got another interview so... We’ll see!

 

[bcla]

I recently hired a number of positions. We don't use a computer program to go through applicants. I would not want to receive a second application from you. There is a reason I did not select you for an interview. It could be others presented themselves better, it could be others are closer, have more experience in the field, or a number of other reasons. I also feel you need to put your best presentation on your resume. If you can't do that on the resume, why would I think you're going to do your best in the workplace?

And yes, I understand people make mistakes. It happens every day in my building. But an application/resume you want to make sure is perfect before handing it in.

Just my opinion.

Depends on the position and the way the position is recruited. Over the years I've applied for jobs at large companies where it goes through a recruiter first, and often they try their best to understand the requirements, but they aren't really the hiring manager. Even then they're required to filter through all the resumes as a first pass. I've had many recruiters and hiring managers tell me to not be discouraged because I wasn't selected the first time around because they may be looking at dozens of resumes a day and perhaps a few hundred for each position. Often they're dealing with applicants where there's one position and dozens of applicants who could be successful in the role.

 

[sam_gordon]

Depends on the position and the way the position is recruited. Over the years I've applied for jobs at large companies where it goes through a recruiter first, and often they try their best to understand the requirements, but they aren't really the hiring manager. Even then they're required to filter through all the resumes as a first pass. I've had many recruiters and hiring managers tell me to not be discouraged because I wasn't selected the first time around because they may be looking at dozens of resumes a day and perhaps a few hundred for each position. Often they're dealing with applicants where there's one position and dozens of applicants who could be successful in the role.

Are you saying if you applied for a job, was told "your application wasn't chosen to move forward", you would redo your application and submit for the same job?

I would think if someone is going through a few hundred resume's for a single position, there will be at least a dozen that get passed along to the hiring manager. So you redo your resume and resubmit. Meanwhile, these dozen applicants have already moved on to the next stage. I would think all 12 would have to "fail" for them to go back to new resumes.

Anyway, just my opinion.

 

[Albort]

I did that. Except the place i applied dont really ask for anything specific. You just do profile on the computer, they ask you 3 questions, and you get a yes or not.

First time i applied, they gave me feedback on why they didnt accept me. I went to work for another company, then 6 month later(company policy for reapplying), i applied at the same company, Aced the interview.

 

[mousehockey37]

Don't you just love technology? Gone are the days (for the most part) of walking into a business, filling out the application by hand, walking up to the desk and saying... "I have finished my application, is there anyone available to speak with regarding it?" and possibly have an on-site interview at that moment and walk out with a job.

Don't be bummed out about not having your application moved on. Depending on the job, they can set parameters to ANYTHING. They'll say EOE (Equal Opportunity) but they know what kind of candidate they're looking for. There are a million and one reasons why your app might not have moved on, so don't beat yourself up. Sure, there's more than likely some changes you could make to sell yourself a little better, but in the end, it's the boxes on the forms that you CAN'T change that will be what companies are actually after.

We had a scenario a few years ago in my area that a hospital put a lot of jobs up in the paper. Well, it looked great for hiring people with the correct skills. However, it was later found that all the hospital did was call back all the people that got laid off from the stock market collapse cuts. It was a legal step they had to take that when they went to offer the jobs back that they had to post them for all to apply to. So you could imagine that there were a ton of filters put on there.

As for re-applying to the same job? Go ahead if you want, as a PP just stated, they've chosen who they want to move on at this time. I'd expect the same result and quite possibly you could get a reminder stating that you already applied for that position and your info will stay on file for 60-90 days. Best to not dwell on it and move on.

 

[soccerdad72]

I suppose it couldn't hurt, since you never heard from anyone in the company. Worst they can do is realize it's someone that's already applied for the job and automatically dismiss it.

 

[RangerPooh]

I think it depends on whether or not you are qualified for the position. If you are not qualified then no, don;t apply. If you believe that yo are fully qualified for the position and were not considered, then yes, reapply. Before reapplying have someone else look over your resume to see if there are things that need to be changed. Skills that need to be highlighted or moved to stand out more.

 

[bcla]

Are you saying if you applied for a job, was told "your application wasn't chosen to move forward", you would redo your application and submit for the same job?

I would think if someone is going through a few hundred resume's for a single position, there will be at least a dozen that get passed along to the hiring manager. So you redo your resume and resubmit. Meanwhile, these dozen applicants have already moved on to the next stage. I would think all 12 would have to "fail" for them to go back to new resumes.

Anyway, just my opinion.

Well - for these positions I'm thinking of there's a single requisition number for each one so reapplying for the exact same job wouldn't be possible. However, often I've seen the same job description reused (with a different requisition number) and from what I've heard applied a requisition in the same group (or different groups in the same division). I mean - I've been interviewed where I saw that a previous application status for a similar position was "no longer considered". That just tells me that the process of selecting applicants from a pile of resumes is imprecise when they're dealing with hundreds of applicants.

I remember one time (didn't get the job) where I was contacted by a 3rd party headhunter regarding a certain company and that went nowhere so I applied myself. Later on I was contacted by an employee (not HR or recruiting) at the company for a phone interview, and that didn't seem to proceed. Later on I was contacted by HR at the company, I had a phone interview with the new hiring manager, and I was called in for an onsite interview where I met the previous interviewer. I've in fact interviewed for essentially the same position in the same division several times so I've seen it happen.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Are you saying if you applied for a job, was told "your application wasn't chosen to move forward", you would redo your application and submit for the same job?

I would think if someone is going through a few hundred resume's for a single position, there will be at least a dozen that get passed along to the hiring manager. So you redo your resume and resubmit. Meanwhile, these dozen applicants have already moved on to the next stage. I would think all 12 would have to "fail" for them to go back to new resumes.

Anyway, just my opinion.

Of course I would! (although I am not the PP you are asking)

I applied for a position once that I KNEW I would be awesome at. I matched so many of the KPI's and it was a natural extension of what I was already doing, and I was ready for the next step. I passed the phone screen and the HR interview, and got to the phone interview portion with the hiring manager. A week or two after the interview, I hadn't heard anything so I emailed the hiring manager, who told me that one aspect of my qualifications didn't quite come through the way she was looking for it to, so she decided to move forward with other applicants.

It sucked a little, because the part that she was looking for was DEFINITELY something I not only could do, but could do well, and looking back, I just didn't pick up on the cues she was searching for in the interview. In this case, I would have absolutely written back and asked for another interview or future consideration for the position if it opened up again because of A, B, and C, but in this particular case, I already had another offer on the table from another company and decided to move forward with the sure bet.

Had I not had the other offer, I 100% would have pursued it further. There is NO HARM in going for a second shot. Even if it's for a boss who wouldn't give someone one. At least one can say they tried!

 

[powellrj]

My DH does the hiring and I asked him and said sure apply again. You may not have been what they were looking for at the time, but you may be that person this time around.

 

[mousehockey37]

Of course I would! (although I am not the PP you are asking)

I applied for a position once that I KNEW I would be awesome at. I matched so many of the KPI's and it was a natural extension of what I was already doing, and I was ready for the next step. I passed the phone screen and the HR interview, and got to the phone interview portion with the hiring manager. A week or two after the interview, I hadn't heard anything so I emailed the hiring manager, who told me that one aspect of my qualifications didn't quite come through the way she was looking for it to, so she decided to move forward with other applicants.

It sucked a little, because the part that she was looking for was DEFINITELY something I not only could do, but could do well, and looking back, I just didn't pick up on the cues she was searching for in the interview. In this case, I would have absolutely written back and asked for another interview or future consideration for the position if it opened up again because of A, B, and C, but in this particular case, I already had another offer on the table from another company and decided to move forward with the sure bet.

Had I not had the other offer, I 100% would have pursued it further. There is NO HARM in going for a second shot. Even if it's for a boss who wouldn't give someone one. At least one can say they tried!

This is one of the problems today. You have no idea who else interviewed. It could've been a relative of someone in a corporate office. I've witnessed many a job go to someone because of WHO they are, not WHAT they can do for the company. I've also heard the stories of someone who meets a bunch of "check boxes" and they'll get the job, again, as opposed to the person who actually SHOULD be offered the job.

Is it possible in your instance @Lilacs4Me that you were almost over-qualified? Sure, you missed some cues in the interview, but there's no one that hits everything 100% either. That maybe they didn't see you as someone they could see growth with? Sometimes if you're set in your ways from doing the job before, you could be seen as someone who might not easily adapt to their model. This is just some food for thought. An HR person can tell you anything and everything for a reason as to why you didn't get a position, just to get you out of their hair.

 

[tvguy]

I recently hired a number of positions. We don't use a computer program to go through applicants. I would not want to receive a second application from you. There is a reason I did not select you for an interview. It could be others presented themselves better, it could be others are closer, have more experience in the field, or a number of other reasons. I also feel you need to put your best presentation on your resume. If you can't do that on the resume, why would I think you're going to do your best in the workplace?

And yes, I understand people make mistakes. It happens every day in my building. But an application/resume you want to make sure is perfect before handing it in.

Just my opinion.

Pretty much "Don't call us, we'll call you" anymore when it comes to applying for a job at my place.
Far different than the 1970's when I got out of college, everyone sent you a letter saying they got your application, and then you got one when they filled the position (and you didn't get it). Even McDonalds.

 

[bcla]

Pretty much "Don't call us, we'll call you" anymore when it comes to applying for a job at my place.
Far different than the 1970's when I got out of college, everyone sent you a letter saying they got your application, and then you got one when they filled the position (and you didn't get it). Even McDonalds.

A lot of companies use electronic "applicant tracking systems" these days. Even so, I remember when I was applying for jobs at one large company, I'd interviewed several times within a few months. Most hiring managers said they'd personally get back to me within a couple of week, but maybe two out of five actually did. I almost always got a message from the ATS that I was not selected, but that was difficult to match up with the individual job req. Nobody ever really used that when making interview arrangements.

 

[sam_gordon]

Of course I would! (although I am not the PP you are asking)

I applied for a position once that I KNEW I would be awesome at. I matched so many of the KPI's and it was a natural extension of what I was already doing, and I was ready for the next step. I passed the phone screen and the HR interview, and got to the phone interview portion with the hiring manager. A week or two after the interview, I hadn't heard anything so I emailed the hiring manager, who told me that one aspect of my qualifications didn't quite come through the way she was looking for it to, so she decided to move forward with other applicants.

It sucked a little, because the part that she was looking for was DEFINITELY something I not only could do, but could do well, and looking back, I just didn't pick up on the cues she was searching for in the interview. In this case, I would have absolutely written back and asked for another interview or future consideration for the position if it opened up again because of A, B, and C, but in this particular case, I already had another offer on the table from another company and decided to move forward with the sure bet.

Had I not had the other offer, I 100% would have pursued it further. There is NO HARM in going for a second shot. Even if it's for a boss who wouldn't give someone one. At least one can say they tried!

I have no problem if the position opens up again. Or if they are looking for worker 'x', you apply and don't get it and two weeks later, they post for worker 'y', go ahead and apply again. What I don't think you do is apply for position 'x', get turned down, then apply for position 'x' again (before it's filled the first time). If I misundertand the OP, I apologize.

 

[mousehockey37]

I recently hired a number of positions. We don't use a computer program to go through applicants. I would not want to receive a second application from you. There is a reason I did not select you for an interview. It could be others presented themselves better, it could be others are closer, have more experience in the field, or a number of other reasons. I also feel you need to put your best presentation on your resume. If you can't do that on the resume, why would I think you're going to do your best in the workplace?

And yes, I understand people make mistakes. It happens every day in my building. But an application/resume you want to make sure is perfect before handing it in.

Just my opinion.

Pretty much "Don't call us, we'll call you" anymore when it comes to applying for a job at my place.
Far different than the 1970's when I got out of college, everyone sent you a letter saying they got your application, and then you got one when they filled the position (and you didn't get it). Even McDonalds.

So to @sam_gordon, does your company do something like @tvguy said? Is there an effort to at least send something out after a primary denial that things will be kept for 60 days, or that there's a block to keep people from re-applying to the same job within a certain time frame?

I agree that your resume is your selling point. It needs to be ready and tailored for whatever you're after, but there also just has to be a realistic expectation that even if you believe that you are 100% the person for the job, that there are factors that will keep you from getting it (and for the most part, it's out of your - the applicant's - hands).