How To Reapply To A Company After A Failed Interview?

You dreamed of this position but your application was not accepted? Don’t panic, it is not impossible to reapply to a company after a failed interview, or if your profile has been rejected. Just be patient and take the time to prepare a new application, better than the previous one.

Show the recruiter that you are still very motivated and have evolved to better meet their expectations. How do you reapply to a company after a failed interview?
Discover our advice to avoid making the same mistakes.

Don’t rush to apply to the company

If you want to apply to a company, even if you are very motivated, do not rush. Waiting a few months will allow you to:

to avoid your new application being rejected because it is considered insistent and/or already considered;
to take a step back from the refusal of your initial application;
to consolidate your skills and improve your profile;
that things are changing within the target company (new recruitment policy, job opening, change of the person responsible for recruitment, etc.).

How long is it best to wait?

It is in your best interest to respect a deadline of at least 6 months, and a deadline of 8 to 10 months seems reasonable so that your second application has a chance of finding a new response.

Are there any cases where this period can be shortened?

Try to stick to it, unless there are particularly favorable circumstances that justify reapplying quickly: urgent recruitment, opening of a position that perfectly matches your profile, etc.

Our advice: prepare your second application in advance, and keep yourself informed of the company’s news. For example, you can create an alert to be notified of all job offers issued. This way, in case an opportunity arises, you can apply without delay.

Identify weaknesses in your application before reapplying

Before preparing a new application to reapply, it is essential to analyze the application that was not successful. Only if you understand why the employer did not follow up can you improve your profile and better meet the company’s expectations.

Look back carefully at the details of your first application and point out what held you back from being hired:

If you haven’t received any news, or if you were rejected without being invited to an interview, it’s because your profile didn’t match the company’s needs and/or the quality of your application wasn’t sufficient. Identify the reasons: reread the advert, take stock of your skills: did you meet expectations? Even if you think your profile was suitable, try to understand why it was rejected in favor of those of other candidates.

Examples: lack of experience, insufficient skills, profile not suited to the position, poorly organized CV, cover letter not personalized enough, etc.

If you were interviewed, it is on the contrary because you had some chance of seeing your first application succeed. It is possible that you missed the interview, and that you did not make a good impression. Or, if the interview went well, the candidate chosen in your place probably had better professional assets… Even if you have not had any feedback, put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter or the company, and find the objective reasons why your application was rejected.

Examples: missing soft skills or skills that are far removed from the company culture, poor relationship with the person in charge of recruitment, mixed interview (you talked too much or not enough, you didn’t feel good), etc.

Good to know: if you don’t understand at all why your application was not accepted, know that it is possible to follow up with a recruiter after a refusal to try to obtain some information.

Improve your CV

Think about how to fill in, consolidate, or improve your CV (find out in our article How to make a modern and effective CV ).

If you lack certain skills, you should acquire them before submitting a second application. See if you can progress within your current position, and find out about available training.

Improve your skills

If you lack an important technical skill and do not have the opportunity to train for your position, learn some basics on your own, for example by taking a free online training course. If you are at the beginning of your career, you can do a transition internship. Set yourself the goal of completing your CV, even if only partially.

Improve your interpersonal skills

When it comes to soft skills, it is more difficult to train, but perhaps you can better highlight your qualities at work than you did in your first application.

Good to know: to help you, you can take an online personality test and choose from your qualities those that seem to you to best match the needs or personality of the company.

Our advice: if you were interviewed, take into account the comments that the recruiter sent you to improve your CV. If your skills are not in question, take advantage of this second application to give it a little lick of paint. An elegant and well-designed CV is always a welcome addition.

Write a new cover letter

To write a cover letter for a job application, aim for a simple, quick, and effective message. This is the second time you are applying, so there is no need to go on and on and introduce yourself at length.

Here are some tips:

Go straight to the most significant points and emphasize the essential points, namely your interest in the company and the development of your profile.
Show that you understood what the company needed when you initially applied, and explain how you can meet it today.
Above all, check the flow of your words, your spelling, and the presentation of your letter very carefully. For a second application, the cover letter must be as perfect as possible.

Our advice: if you have the opportunity to personalize your letter, take advantage of it. This could involve addressing the recipient directly, if they interviewed you, or mentioning the feedback from the recruiter at the time that you received after your first application.

Present your application differently before you reapply

Any application must be carefully prepared, whether in terms of content or form, but this is even more true for reapplying. You must also manage to improve the presentation of your new application because if your first application has been kept, and if the recruiter is curious enough to go and consult it, the comparison should be striking.

Examples: you can opt for a more dynamic presentation, for example by creating a trendy CV if this was not the case with the first CV submitted.

Alternatively, you can also try to attract attention and get noticed in the way you submit or present your second application.

Examples: writing a handwritten cover letter, sending an application by post and email, creating a CV accessible online, adding a letter of recommendation, etc.