Re-Applying for a Job You Didn't Get

[mom2rtk]

What's the worst that could happen?

 

[sam_gordon]

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?

99% of our applicants (at least the ones I get, other departments may be different) come from online sites (indeed, monster, etc). I don't know if those sites block you or not.

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).

QFT

 

[sam_gordon]

What's the worst that could happen?

You can piss off whoever sees the resume for the second time and get "black listed" from that company.

OK, doubtful, but you asked.

 

[kmb584]

I say, go for it.

My position right now came out of thin air. I applied at this office almost nine years ago, was interviewed and passed on. Two years ago I reapplied as I was a much stronger nurse and thought I'd do well. Again, I was interviewed and passed on but told that it was a tough decision, that they decided to promote a nurse that currently worked in that office. My phone rang this July, it was the HR manager at the same company, asking if I'd like to come in for an interview. I strongly disliked (those aren't the words I'd pick if there weren't filters) where I was working and figured I had nothing to lose by interviewing again. Two weeks later I was offered the position and I've been there since. It's still new to me, but I admire all of the physicians that I work with and there's a solid crew of nursing staff that I work well with.

You've nothing to lose by reapplying.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

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.

Who knows? It could have been anything. Had I applied for the "partner" position to the job I applied for, I might have gotten it. As it was, I was applying for the job that was one step up - from the sound of it they worked in tandem, with one person being the project lead, one person being the support. I wanted to be the lead. The hiring manager didn't think my "presenting to clients" qualifications came through in the phone interview, which is funny since that's a major part of my current job. I think I was so focused on making sure she knew that I could do the parts of the job that would be "new" to me that I wasn't picking up on her leading questions about whether I was comfortable enough to speak to executive leadership teams. In hindsight, I see what she was trying to get at and I didn't answer her questions the way I should have! Oh well. And it doesn't matter anyway....I have moved on to bigger and better now and am happy with my path.

And I totally agree with you that a lot of it is out of your hands - like I said, I am on the hiring panel for my department and there are so many reasons why someone doesn't get the job over someone else. As a matter of fact, ironically, the employee in my story above is literally sitting in a small conference room AT THIS MINUTE with my boss who is telling her we chose someone else. How's that for timing! And I am pretty sure my boss told her it was a close race and not be discouraged. I'm positive she didn't say "stop calling your kid's teacher a bimbo in from of the people who are thinking about hiring you!' lol So, yes, there's definitely an argument for understanding that you can be told one reason when it's really another.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

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.

No, you read it right...I think this was for the same position. But, he didn't get past the filters - no interview, not even a HR screening, so I don't think there's anything wrong with rewriting his resume to match more of the KPI's and keywords so he gets a better filter hit.

After the interview, of course, would be another conversation, like I said. It would depend on the interview and the reasons he was passed over.

 

[bcla]

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.

Depends on the company’s application method. Quite a few kind of have a DIY system where it’s centered around sending email to a single recruiter and including the job title/req in the subject. I've heard that some systems that look like it's a more complex system really just send a message with the entire application to an email address as an email message. That has no barrier to trying to apply for the same job, but at a certain point it’s counterproductive if a recruiter ignores multiple applications.

Most large companies pay to use ATS software from one of the big companies like Workday or Taleo. Those will lock someone out of reapplying for the same job, although it might be possible to use a different account and email address. Still - trying to get around it might result in being absolutely ignored. There are some simpler ones out there like Lever or Jobvite that don't require an account, but where it will lock out someone based on using the same email address for the same job.

 

[bcla]

99% of our applicants (at least the ones I get, other departments may be different) come from online sites (indeed, monster, etc). I don't know if those sites block you or not.

Applying through Indeed usually gets sent through email. I think Ziprecruiter will lock out after one application to a particular job. The more detailed ATS will definitely keep someone from reapplying to the same job. Some allow the person to modify an application though, while others don't.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm reapplying now for a job I interviewed for but didn't get last year. The interviewer expressed very specific concerns about my schedule - I was still a student last year and was up front about the need to schedule around classes for my last semester - so I'm hoping I have a good shot now as a fairly new grad, since my resume then was good enough to at least get to the interview stage.

I think that 60 or 90 days is a good rule of thumb for online applications. I would think, particularly in this era of online applications when people might not keep close tabs on what they have and haven't applied for or might inadvertently apply to the same job via multiple sites, that larger employers would employ software to filter out duplicates.

 

[Skywalker]

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.

I agree, if it is a different / later posting for the same job, I would say go for it. Or a different, similar job, go for it. But if it's the same current posting and you weren't selected...applying again just seems kind of pushy, like you can't take no for an answer and think you know better than they do what they are looking for. If someone ignored my answer and applied again I would think there was something wrong with them.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

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.

See below for response.

No, you read it right...I think this was for the same position. But, he didn't get past the filters - no interview, not even a HR screening, so I don't think there's anything wrong with rewriting his resume to match more of the KPI's and keywords so he gets a better filter hit.

After the interview, of course, would be another conversation, like I said. It would depend on the interview and the reasons he was passed over.

sam_gordon, Thank you for your reply, I do appreciate it. I agree with you that resumes should put you in the best possible light right from the beginning. My resume was the reason I was hired by my current firm, a firm that's over 150 years old and notoriously difficult to get into. When I got contacted for my current position, I wasn't looking for a job. The in-house recruiter contacted me right after I updated my resume and LinkedIn page because she knew what she was looking for and saw that in my resume when she read it. A computer program isn't going to read a resume, it'll only scan for certain buzz words (if they do in fact use a program to sift through the applications). This is what I mean by tweaking my resume. I may not be what they are looking for, but if in a month that position is still up online, then I just might re-apply for it, after tweaking my resume. Thanks again for your reply.

 

[ronandannette]

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?

Lots of anecdotal advice here but much of it is conflicting. Companies and hiring managers all handle these things differently and you'll never know exactly how. I'm with the camp that thinks a concerted, persistent effort towards a job you really want is absolutely appropriate. My guess is that your first application didn't even "ping the radar".

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.

This. You already don't have the job - you've got nothing to lose.

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.

{{sigh}} my company has a policy of NOT notifying unsuccessful candidates unless they've interviewed. I'll never be comfortable with it and feel it's very discourteous, especially when it would only take a minute to shoot off an email, but it's not my call.

What's the worst that could happen?

I think the idea of "angering the resume gods" is kinda far-fetched. I'm with you about the OP giving it another shot. Good luck @CapeCodTenor

 

[soccerdad72]

{{sigh}} my company has a policy of NOT notifying unsuccessful candidates unless they've interviewed. I'll never be comfortable with it and feel it's very discourteous, especially when it would only take a minute to shoot off an email, but it's not my call.

Same here - sometimes, it's just not completely practical to do. The last job I posted, we get something like 53 applications for. We interviewed 3 people. Even with a stock e-mail (some applications didn't include an e-mail address) it would have taken a fair amount of time to reach all 50 candidates who we didn't go with.

 

[bcla]

Same here - sometimes, it's just not completely practical to do. The last job I posted, we get something like 53 applications for. We interviewed 3 people. Even with a stock e-mail (some applications didn't include an e-mail address) it would have taken a fair amount of time to reach all 50 candidates who we didn't go with.

That’s what applicant tracking software is good for. On top of having a detailed application form, there has to be an email address provided. HR/recruiting can simply mark which applicants haven’t moved on and they get notified.

The worst use was a few years back when I was applying for jobs at a huge company. Someone set up the ATS (Taleo) with the most applicant unfriendly setup. Keyword searches had to be one at a time (no way to open a job listing in a new tab/window) and once a job listing was brought up searches had to be done from scratch again. On top of that, their generic messages that one didn’t get a job didn’t mention the job title or requisition number. They had several steps where it could be rejected (summarily by a recruiter, recruiter prescreen, phone interview, on-site interview) but the message was the same. Even after an interview I had no idea if that generic rejection message was for that interview or for a job I’d just applied for. I mentioned this to several recruiters at the company, and they said they hated using it.

 

[Liberty Belle]

There was an opening in the state OVR agency. I applied, interviewed, didn't get the job, but during the interview they told me that there was another position opening (same position) and to be sure to apply for that, if I didn't get this one. I applied, interviewed, and got the thanks but no thanks letter. A week or so later I got a job offer as a Case Manager for DCBS for the state. I accepted and was going to start in two weeks. The very next day, I got a phone call from OVR saying the person they hired didn't show up (!) and offered me the job. I told him I just accepted the case manager job and would have to think about it - give me a few hours. So, I thought and talked to my husband and decided to take the OVR job, that I heard the case manager job had high turnover and was high stress. Best thing I ever did. I love working for OVR.

 

[Keli]

You can't lose a job you don't have so go for it. Update your resume to fit like a glove with this job (staying truthful, of course, but pulling out and highlighting skills, experience, or education you have that makes you perfect for the job). Nothing ventured nothing gained. Good luck!

 

[mousehockey37]

You can't lose a job you don't have so go for it. Update your resume to fit like a glove with this job (staying truthful, of course, but pulling out and highlighting skills, experience, or education you have that makes you perfect for the job). Nothing ventured nothing gained. Good luck!

You can't lose a job you don't have, but you can certainly kill your future chances by doing too much.

 

[mom2rtk]

You can't lose a job you don't have, but you can certainly kill your future chances by doing too much.

Unless it's a one of a kind company, I'd go with the odds that they turned me down once so I'm not losing much by applying again.