Reasons for rejection

No one likes rejection. Who would? But coping with and learning from rejection could help secure you your next role.

Why have I been rejected? You may have been rejected for a number of reasons.

Sometimes it is genuinely out of your hands - financial constraints, cash flow issues, recruitment freezes are reasons that occur from time to time - and no matter how good a candidate you are, and how well you have done in your interviews, these reasons can result in rejection. Whilst this type of rejection can still be disheartening, it is important to recognise the external factors that have resulted in the withdrawal of the role, and you should make every effort to fight back and begin another search for your next opportunity.

On other occasions, you may have been beaten by a stronger candidate. This person may have more experience than you, a more extensive list of qualifications, or have a better cultural fit with the potential employer. Remember employers have a choice and whilst you did well and could have been nearly right, someone else could have ticked all the boxes.

You underperformed on the day. This is the critical reason as it is something you can affect yourself. Perhaps you needed to be better prepared, or have been more concise in your answers or conversely needed to provide more and better examples of achievements. So you need to know the true reason for being unsuccessful so that you can perform better next time.