Top Exec Blog (Web Log)

Invariably, when a career seeker gets a rejection slip or some other form of "Thanks, but no thanks" from that industry-leading firm with topnotch talent and world class benefits he or she has been pursuing it adds to the frustration of being on the Career Path Express™ and riding the thermals (updrafts) and downdrafts of the job search.

What should you do? Yes, the process was going well. Didn't you speak with a) the screener, b) the recruiter, c) "Manager A" and d) "Manager B"? Weren't you following and succeeding at the game plan as their HR representatives spelled it out to you? Didn't it appear that your answers were solid and your questions were well founded? Wasn't it seemingly ontrack for you to have a face-to-face interview, job offer and career nirvana in the near term with "Bull's Eye, Inc.", your fantasy employer?!

Yes, but then the "thanks, but we can't go forward" memo came or "thanks, but we've decided to go a different direction" or worse, nothing at all! What should you do in the face of this egregious error, oversight, slap-in-the-face?

Hot heads and the impolitic will want to send a flaming response telling the (fill in the blank) company and its (most colorful adjective) minions that they should all be summarily fired, and they should be sent to Siberia without long johns for the next 60 years, while you are telling your trust advisor to liquidate all of your holdings in Bull's Eye, Inc., and won't touch their stock, products or logo'd clothing ever again. So, there!

Calmer thoughts, however, should prevail. We must learn the joys of poise, especially because by answering and responding to them with grace, yes, and good manners, the chances are we will connect with a real human being. They do exist in HR departments and hiring companies, believe it or not. By withdrawing from the battle field with grace, sending "regrets" and not blistering words in retreat, we keep the door open to future interaction and opportunity at Bull's Eye, Inc. So, even if the impulse is to send a flaming arrow into the haystacks of HR, and burn them with your best shot, think twice. It's far better to express your disappointment and tell them you're keeping the door open should their situation change. You want the opportunity, and you're still interested! Chances are good that a real human being, HR or hiring manager-type, will remember that grace and the poise you show in accepting their decision. Other opportunities will arise, and people of grace, poise and humility will be called again.

So, while the challenges of career hunting are many, and the frustrations legion, it's always best to keep your wits about you, show your best face at all times, and be graceful about those opportunities that don't open up to you immediately. Your turn will come, and those with poise throughout this process will know the joys of the "offer" sooner, rather than later.

Thanks for reading. Good luck in your career activities or wherever you travel on the Career Path Express™.

© Daniel A. Cabrera, All rights reserved, 2007