What to Say When You Don't Get the Job - Interview Tips Inspired by The Bachelor

Hey, everyone. I'm Madeline. And today's episode of Self Made Millennial is the most dramatic ever because we're talking about the Bachelor. This season of the Bachelor just wrapped, and watching it, it made me realize how similar the process is to the hiring process. I mean, The Bachelor has 25 people they have to whittle down to find a spouse. And the interview process is the same in that, you know, they spend a limited amount of time with each person and ultimately have to choose someone and hire them. Now, this season is a bit different. And they introduced us to Ari Lyendyk at the top of the year. And we had January, we had February, and now that it's March, we're like, are we there yet? And what seemed to be a sleeper season stunned audiences when Ari proposed to one woman and then, after filming was over, broke up with her and got back together with the runner up.

Oh, my God.

I'm not excusing what Ari did, but companies actually do this occasionally where they realize that they picked the wrong person for the role, and then they go back to the candidates that they interviewed and end up giving them a rose. I mean, an offer. On a personal note, I got some serious, like, traumatic flashbacks watching this finale because a company actually pulled an Ari on me when I was interviewing with them. So I'm going to tell you that wild tale and then jump into practical advice and scripts of what to say when a company rejects you after the interview. That will increase your chances of them looping back to you later with an opportunity. All right, so the time I got re edited is I was interviewing for this company that I was really excited about. The team, the company, the role. It just seemed to all fit. And the entire time, the recruiter was very open with me. He would call me after each interview and kept telling me how great I was doing. And so I get to the big, long interview, and he calls me and he says, look, there's only one interview left. It's to meet with the top boss. And I'm letting you know right now, you're the only candidate that's going to do that. They chose you. There's no one else in the running, and this is just the last hoop you just need to go through. And when he said that, I was like.

I probably felt like Lauren when Ari told her that he loved her.

Wow. So I meet the big boss. It seems to go fine. So I'm waiting for the offer to come through, and a few days goes by, and I'm wondering, what's the Holdup. The recruiter says that they are still evaluating and then they just email me and say, hey, we ended up going with the other candidate. She accepted. Thank you for your time. I felt heartbroken. I felt so let on. I kept playing back that last interview in my head and I just kept thinking, like, what did I screw up there? Did I not take it seriously enough? Like, was I too casual with it? Was I just too sure that I was getting the role? That I just, I completely messed it up and it tortured me. What did I do wrong? That was a really low moment for me. And then less than a year later, I got a call from that same recruiter and he said, that candidate didn't work out. We should have chosen you. Would you consider this role Again, I was really surprised by that call because in my head I was just convinced that I screwed something up so, so terribly that they went with the other person. But it turns out that they really revered us both. And as a side note, I didn't take that job because I was already happily employed. So true in the Bachelor. True. In the interview process, being rejected does not mean it's the end. Before I jump into the script you should use when a company rejects you, I want to emphasize why your rejection response is so important. It's one thing to be gracious throughout the interview process when things are going well, but. But it's the tough times that really show your character. For example, take a look at how this person handles rejection.

Try to bring it out of you today. I'm sad about you. I'm sad about leaving my new friends. I know, I know you made friends, but at the end of the day, it's more than that. Here, you know. Okay, give me a hug.

Probably made Ari think, wow, I'm glad I rejected her. I probably dodged a bullet there. Now compare it to this exit.

I'm definitely surprised.

Because it felt like our relationship was developing, but you feel differently and you know, I wish you the best.

Well done. CN you are a self made millennial. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want this to be the end of CN alright, so here's the actual advice. When a company rejects you after an interview. Here are the key ingredients to include in your conversation or email. Hi. Well, this was not the news I was hoping for. I'm grateful that I got to meet the team and and learn more about Company. The team is very impressive and you all made this process seamless for me, which speaks to your great culture. I'm excited by the direction company is moving in and should there be future opportunities for me to help you all, please do not hesitate to reach out. Now, a few things to say about this Example, this is only three sentences, so make sure you keep it down to three or four sentences. Additionally, this is generic. Make sure to punch yours up where instead of, you know, when I say the team is very impressive, say something from the heart. Right after that, say something you notice throughout the process that you admire and put that in instead of maybe what I wrote generically. Please customize this, but it'll give you a good start. That's all I have for you today. Thank you so much. Yes, I did dress as if I was attending a rose ceremony today because I do kind of love the show a lot. A lot, a lot. I am here to make friends, so please make sure you subscribe to this channel to be my friend and as well as smash that like button so that I know that you dug this content. Thanks so much. See you next time.