Applying for a job I was previously rejected for

June 28, 2019 2:56 PM

Last year I was interviewed for a job that I really wanted and know I'm well-qualified for (trust me on this). It's come up again - how do I apply?

The interview was quite a disaster: I mis-read the work sample test and completed it very badly; I turned up at the wrong building; and I had poor answers to some of the situational interview questions (not that they seemed particularly relevant to the job, but anyway).

Another job in the same team came up a couple of months later, I applied again and didn't get interviewed.

Now a third job has come up - very similar but in a different team in the same organisation. The people interviewing me would be the same though.

Question: do I apply, and if so do I address my previous application, and tell them I could do better?

posted by Pink Frost to Work & Money (16 answers total)

I hate to be a total fatalist about these things, but the phrase "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression" keeps coming up in my mind as I read and re-read your question. I mean, there's certainly no harm in applying again, but if the interview panel/team/group is the same, I probably wouldn't expect to get an interview. There are no doubt notes from your last go-round, and people tend not to forget exceptional situations, on either side of the ledger.

If you have any connection to anyone involved in the interview process outside of the process itself (if they're a coworker, or if you've worked with them before), it might be worth reaching out to them, but otherwise, I'm afraid a cover letter or an email saying "This time I'll do better" won't really make a difference. I don't mean to sound so negative, but it sounds like you might need to move on past this particular job unless the cast of characters has changed.

I would love to be wrong about this, though, and if you feel like applying, you should. If you do, I absolutely wouldn't mention the previous experience in the application process, though - if you do get an in-person interview this time, maybe make one self-deprecating reference to it at the end or something (assuming you do better this time around), but don't focus on it, because you'll come off as being desperate.
posted by pdb at 3:32 PM on June 28, 2019 [13 favorites]

If it's the same group, I would apply and then reach out to one of them or to the recruiter/HR person and mention that you felt like your interview and work sample didn't go well last time (I would not go into detail here and do not put it in your application), but that you would very much appreciate a second opportunity to show them your skills. It can't hurt, particularly since you know you've already been passed over during a second application.

As a hiring manager, a direct appeal might - or might not - work for me.
posted by vunder at 3:32 PM on June 28, 2019

There is no downside to reapplying. There's no Super Duper Extra Rejection they can foist on you for daring to give it another try.

I got my job the fourth time I applied at the company. The first two times, I didn't get interviewed. The third time, I was interviewed and rejected. The fourth time, I got the job.

I didn't do badly on an interview, and it's possible they'll reject you again. But I'd say if you can keep your expectations low, you should apply.

(I will leave specifics of reaching out versus not reaching out to others.)
posted by FencingGal at 3:47 PM on June 28, 2019 [5 favorites]

Apply again. Rework your resume so it reads differently. Prepare a new cover letter. I mean, I assume you've done things in the last year? Add them, focus on them. Be a newer version of yourself.

Don't mention previous applications. If you get an interview, focus on fixing things you goofed up last time.

Don't sweat it. The worst penalty if you apply is you don't get the job, which is also the penalty if you don't apply.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:55 PM on June 28, 2019 [10 favorites]

You should definitely apply.

I disagree with the suggestion that you draw attention to the fact that they've previously assessed you. Rather, I would suggest putting a bit of extra energy into the cover letter and resume, making sure you put forth the strongest possible application. Just be a confident, competent candidate.

The worst possible outcome is that you have an updated resume.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 3:58 PM on June 28, 2019 [4 favorites]

I'm not saying you should do this, but you could change your name on your resume and show up with a fake mustache on.

Seriously, though - I also disagree with drawing attention to the previous interview. Best you can hope for is a second consideration and doing better this time around. I do however think your chances are slim if it would be the same people interviewing you again. Perhaps they'll take note of your tenacity, however.

If you don't hear back though, well you've given it 3 solid shots and it's probably time to write this one off. There are lots of good companies with other jobs out there.
posted by allkindsoftime at 4:20 PM on June 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

I am not at all suggesting that this is your particular situation... but I used to work in a role where I did a fair amount of recruiting. I phone screened an applicant, immediately knew it was not a fit, noted it in the very primitive HR system we were using at the time, and went on with my life. I moved away, was eventually rehired at the same company, and, lo and behold, who is now working there but that candidate (who turned out to be a complete disaster but was really, really hard to fire— as far as I know they are still employed despite significant job performance and social issues which involved HR).

Two lessons from this: hiring teams change, and sometimes jobs are just not a good fit.
posted by charmcityblues at 4:31 PM on June 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

Depends on the company. At mine, I know many people who got hired on their second or third try (usually means they failed interviews, then tried again a year or two later). Especially for skills-based interviews, many companies realize your skillset is not static.
posted by thefoxgod at 4:39 PM on June 28, 2019

Apply again, with a freshly-reworked resume. You may not have gotten the job the first time because they flipped a coin between two candidates, and the other candidate won. You may not have gotten an interview the second time because somebody's nephew was offered the job and they didn't interview anyone. There's no way to know.

seanmpuckett has it: "The worst penalty if you apply is you don't get the job, which is also the penalty if you don't apply."
posted by SuperSquirrel at 6:08 PM on June 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

I applied for one job at my last employer, was rejected, applied to another job with a different title, showed up to the interview, and was appalled to realize it was actually with the same team. But...they hired me.

There's no particular risk to applying. I also agree that you shouldn't reach out, unless you now have a very good connection. If they remember you for sucking (I'm not saying they do, but if they do), telling them that you don't suck now, you promise, is not going to help.
posted by praemunire at 6:09 PM on June 28, 2019

Apply again, don’t make any special fuss about it, but do work hard on a kickass cover letter. If there is something new and relevant that you’ve added to your qualifications meanwhile - a new skill? a new responsibility? - lean on that a bit, to emphasize that you’re bringing something different to the table this time around.
posted by Stacey at 6:17 PM on June 28, 2019

If there are lots of applicants for a job, then qualified people will likely be rejected. They may not have had an problem with you the first time, but just thought someone was a better fit for whatever reason. I don't think you should make the assumption at all that they didn't like you the first time, or didn't want to hire you because of some kind of dealbreaker. You might have made a good first impression; you don't know the exact reason they didn't hire you.

Just go ahead and apply.
posted by bearette at 6:32 PM on June 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

Also, I think applying again would show that you are a)confident, and b) very interested in the job.
posted by bearette at 6:33 PM on June 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

I limit myself to applying for the same job three times, but you haven't hit that yet. Also this: "The worst possible outcome is that you have an updated resume."
posted by salvia at 7:29 PM on June 28, 2019

Apply again, don't try to explain first interview. I'm a hiring manager and have been doing it a long time... you don't remember the people you didn't hire and it isn't uncommon to end up interviewing the same person twice. You are giving us your lens of how first interview went, but hiring team - even if they remember you - might just view it as you weren't best fit but were an otherwise unremarkable candidate. And, as another poster mentioned, hiring panel composition changes.

I participated in a panel for a group where an internal candidate applied for the same position (in a group) four times over maybe a two year period. What we couldn't tell him is that he was our consensus number two pick the first three times with members of the panel who thought he was the best pick. Fourth interview, he got the job. Years later he has been promoted twice and is now my peer.
posted by kovacs at 8:24 PM on June 28, 2019 [4 favorites]

Reapply for the job and don't be the first person to mention your first interview. There's a good chance that what was a disastrous interview for you was just another Tuesday for the people doing the interview and that the sum total about you in the HR file is "rejected for position."

I interviewed a large number of people as part of my job and I doubt I could have picked any of them out of a lineup one month later, much less a year.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:33 AM on June 30, 2019