So you didn't get the job - now what?

In many areas of life finishing second often equates to being the first loser.  I am here to tell you that simply isn't the case when you're in a job interview and you find out the company is going with another candidate.  Whether it is just another interview or an actual offer, getting that call or email is not just the perfunctory "Dear John" letter that it used to be.

While it is never easy to get the news of a company going with another candidate, you should always take that message with a lot of grace.  The first thing you should always do in response is to thank the employer for even having an opportunity to interview.  They would not have started the discussion if they didn't see something appealing in your background.  The second thing you should always do is ask the employer to continue to keep you in mind for future opportunities.  You may think that doesn't happen, but I am here to tell you that is does.  There are many reasons why it could happen.  Here are a few:

1)  The other candidate(s) that the company is considering for the position don't pan out.  They either succumb to a counter offer from their current company or perhaps the final phases of the interview process don't go as planned.  There are a million reasons why that can become a reality.  Whatever the reason may be, don't be offended when the company calls back and says that instead of second place you are vaulted back into first place.  You may have been the better choice the entire time, but it took a turn in the process for the employer to realize that fact.  Embrace that!

2)  The company may need to make two hires in a short period of time.  In this instance, the company may have gone after their top candidate, hired them, but always held onto your contact information.  Now another similar position has come up, and the company wants to talk with you about it.  Again, embrace that call or email should it come because it means they meant what they said about holding onto your resume.  And they liked something about you!

3)  The hiring manager goes to another company and needs to make a hire with the new employer.  In this example the hiring manager may have liked you as the top candidate, but there was a team that had input and they wanted to hire someone's friend instead.  This hiring manager holds onto your contact information, joins another company, has a position open up, and they contact you to see if you would like to consider the role.  The world is too small for something like this to never happen.  It may not happen a lot, but when it does you should definitely take it as a huge compliment that this person thought highly enough of you to re-connect.

4)  It may have just been a financial decision.  Sometimes companies say that they are pursuing other candidates, when in fact they are simply putting a position on hold.  They thought they were going to experience growth, and it simply didn't happen.  Yet.  But ultimately it does, the company re-opens the requisition, and there your name is at the top of the pile.  You may have gotten the impression that you were #2 when you were #1 the whole time.  Additionally I have seen scenarios where Candidate A is the top choice, but Candidate B costs 30% less.  The company pursues that option, realizes you get what you pay for, and they decide to hire you even though you cost more.

Have you ever finished second in an interview process, only to get called back?  More importantly, did you take that call?