How To Ask Why You Didn’t Get the Job (and actually get a reply)

"Thank you for your interest in our open role. We've reviewed your application and unfortunately we will not be moving forward with you at this time." 

Perhaps the single hardest part of a job search is the generic rejection.

You spend hours perfecting your resume, researching the company, and going on interviews. Then you receive a generic rejection email or worse – no response at all, just complete ghosting. 

👉 So, how are you supposed to improve?

I remember when I was job searching, I submitted over 200 applications per month.

I would get a few interviews, but ultimately they would fizzle out or I would get ghosted.

800 applications later, I decided to do something different.

I started asking for feedback. 

Most recruiters said no. But some said yes.

And what they told me was shocking.

You can watch my free course where I share everything about what they said.

In this post, however, I'll summarize how I managed to get feedback (finally!). I’ll show you how I got recruiters to respond to me. I'll also give you the email templates I used that can work for you too.

Once you can actually get feedback from employers, you’ll be amazed at how fast you can improve your job search results. 

Let’s dive right in!

Can I Ask Why I Wasn’t Hired?

You 100% can ask for feedback if you've been rejected from a job, however, to be real most recruiters won't answer.

There are 2 main reasons for this: fear of discrimination lawsuits and lack of time. 

Many recruiters are hesitant to give specific feedback because they’re afraid of being accused of discriminatory practices (yes, this actually happens). That’s why many times they choose not to respond simply to avoid any potential legal issues.

Apart from that, recruiters are also very busy people. 

The average job posting receives 250+ job applications. Most recruiters are responsible for at least 3-4 roles. So that’s 1,000+ applications!

And most job seekers don’t make it easy on them either.

If you want feedback, you need to be considerate of the recruiter, and I’ll show you how below.

But first, you may be asking yourself…

Why Didn’t I Get the Job? 7 Reasons

Before we dive into how to ask for feedback, first we should discuss why you may have been overlooked for a role--even if you’re highly qualified. 

According to career coach Lauren Leuillier for GHYC, there are 7 main reasons why your application may have been rejected. It’s important to note that some reasons are beyond your control and some are not. Here's a brief overview of why you may not have gotten the job:

Reasons Beyond Your Control

1. They hired internally: The sad truth is that sometimes roles are advertised online only because they're required to by law, but the hiring manager already has someone in mind for the role. In this case, your application is just a formality, so don't take it personally.

2. The position was canceled/changed due to budget issues: Sometimes the economy takes a downturn. Sometimes a company takes a downturn. In either of these situations that open role you applied for can get canceled last minute. It's not your fault, it's just bad timing.

3. Someone else was a better networker: "Your network is your net worth" - this phrase couldn't be more true when it comes to job search. As we’ve talked about before, recruiters rank candidates based on how they come into the hiring process. Most give special consideration to candidates who are referred by someone within the company.

Reasons Within Your Control

4. Not using interview stories: When an employer interviews you, they want to see how you've handled specific situations in the past that are relevant to the role you're applying for. Many people don't prepare interview stories, and as a result their answers are generic and forgettable.

5. Not practicing your interview answers: Candidates make the mistake of thinking they can "wing it" when it comes to interviews and end up stumbling over their words or giving unimpressive answers. If you’re not practicing answers to at least the most common interview questions, you’re not preparing for your interviews as well as you should be.

6. Being nervous: It's normal to feel nervous during a job interview, but it's important to tame those nerves so they don't negatively affect your performance. Usually, nervousness takes the form of using filler words, lack of eye contact, or rambling answers. Again, practice makes perfect.

7. Not showing that you want the role enough: Even if you're genuinely interested in the job, if you don't convey that to the hiring manager, they may think you're not serious about the opportunity. Many people try to hold their enthusiasm back in order to seem “professional.” Don't hold your enthusiasm back – it can be the key to standing out among other qualified candidates.

How To Ask Why You Didn’t Get the Job

So you've received a generic rejection email or, worse, the recruiter never called or emailed you back at all. Now what?

It's time to make the most of a bad situation by re-engaging the recruiting team and getting feedback.

Where Most People Fail

Most people fail to get feedback on their job search for one very obvious reason. Let’s look at an example of the kind of messages most people write. 

This is what NOT to write to a recruiter:

Dear [name],

Thank you for considering me for the junior graphic design position. I appreciate you taking the time to learn about my background and interest in the role. Although I was eager to have an opportunity for this position, I do appreciate you sharing your decision with me.

 

Since I can tell that you are quite experienced in the hiring process, I would like to inquire why I did not get the job. I would appreciate some feedback to learn what areas I could work on going forward. Graphic design is my passion, so I want to do what I can to improve my career opportunities in this field.

I am open to discussing this feedback on the phone, although I would also greatly appreciate an email response.

Thank you for your consideration,

Your Name

Does this look familiar? If you’ve been sending thank you emails to recruiters like this, then it’s very clear why you’re not getting a response…

This is WAY too long!

Remember, a recruiter is very busy and very overworked. 

If you want feedback, here’s how to get it:

Email Templates To Ask Why You Didn’t Get the Job

When writing an email asking why you didn’t get the job, you want to do the following:

• Your message should be super brief - no more than 100 words
• You should have at least 3 different messages - because the first one is usually ignored

With this in mind, here's my proven email sequence to ask why you didn't get the job:

Note: These emails are meant to be sent to the recruiter only. I'll cover what to send to the interviewing team below.

Email Template #1

Hi [name],

Thank you for taking a look at my resume, I really appreciate your time. I know you’re busy, but was there anything in particular you were looking for in this role that my resume (see attached) may have been missing?

Thanks for any feedback you can offer and I will keep an eye on the job board for future roles!

Thanks,

[your name]

IMPORTANT: Make sure you attach your resume to the email, so they have it on hand and don’t have to search for it!

Email Template #2

Hi [name],

I just wanted to follow up again on my previous message. I’m really trying to improve my job search and would appreciate any feedback you can offer.

Can you point to any of the following reasons the team decided not to move forward:

1. Other candidates were more qualified
2. I was missing a key skill (if so, which one)
3. Another candidate was already ahead of me in the process
4. My resume didn’t clearly explain my value or was too wordy

If you could even just reply with a number, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[your name]

Pro Tip: If you're met with silence, try to send the same messages to them via LinkedIn. Oftentimes, you can get a response on LinkedIn because recruiters use it all day.

Email Template #3: Keeping in Touch With the Team

Sometimes, no matter how many times you follow up, the recruiter won't get back to you. But that's okay – it happens. Even if only 1 in 10 recruiters get back to you, that's still incredibly valuable feedback.

However, it's also important to remember that a rejection doesn’t have to be the end of the road. 

Believe it or not, you still have a huge opportunity to continue building your relationships by staying in touch with the team.

Here's where Austin Belcak's "Post-Rejection Thank You Note" formula comes into play. 

The idea is that the people you interviewed with can be some of the best leads for new roles.

After all, you did already spend 30-60 minutes chatting with them. They know your value and what you have to bring to the table, so why not capitalize on that?

Here’s how to use the formula:

1. Thank your interviewer for their time and consideration, and wish them success with the hired candidate.
2. Share snippets about what you appreciated and learned during the interview. This could be anything from the company's culture to a tip they gave you. The goal is to demonstrate that you paid attention and were genuinely excited to join the team.
3. Transition to asking if it'd be ok to stay in touch with them. This leaves the door open for future conversations.

Once you get permission to stay in touch, it’s important to actually follow up. Very often people let these connections fizzle out.

Here's what Austin Belcak recommends:

• Add every person who says "yes" to a spreadsheet
• Set monthly reminders to check in with them
• Send simple notes asking them how they're doing or how a specific initiative is going. Alternatively, you could mention company news and have them know you're staying in the loop.
• Rinse and repeat!

You never know, the next job opportunity may just be a conversation away. So don't underestimate the power of staying in touch with your previous interviewers.

Takeaways & Next Steps

Alright, so those are a few ways to ask why you didn't get the job. Using these email templates is a good first step.

Now, once you make your ask, I do recommend moving on and focusing on getting your resume and cover letter optimized for the next application.

I recommend starting by checking your resume with one of these AI resume builders that can give you feedback on what you may be missing.

After that, I recommend signing up for our FREE resume course that will show you how to optmize your bullet points and improve your writing.

You can sign up by dropping in your email below and I'll send you the course (and a bunch of other helpful tools) straight to your inbox.