Job Rejection: How to learn from the process and know when the right role comes your way in financial services recruitment.
“It’s not me, it’s you”, is never easy to hear, and in an ideal world you would find that you get a great outcome from interviews. It’s pretty safe to say that no one likes rejection, but as with every bit of bad news, it’s how you handle it that can make all the difference to how you feel.
We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t feel disappointed, obviously you will be disheartened, especially if you really wanted the job, but we are saying that you should not let it discourage you. Learning from the experience by asking the right questions and using the process for personal growth, can turn something pretty depressing into a true positive.
Whether it’s via a phone call, email or in person, receiving the bad news will be upsetting and disappointing, perhaps even frustrating, but make sure you act professionally and thank them for their time and consideration. Then take a moment before you do anything else, to simply process your emotions. It’s possible that on reflection you may realise that it wasn’t actually the job for you, you may even feel a little relieved – go with it!
Think back to the interview and be honest with yourself about how you think it went. Were there areas you felt you gave weak answers and on reflection, you know could do with improvement, or specific questions you struggled with? Was it a video interview that you were poorly prepared for? If so, check out our article called: Video Call Interview Tips. Creating the Best Impression. Or did your nerves get the better of you? Was it simply that you didn’t “click” with the interviewer or panel? If so, think about why this was and what things you should be looking for next time, to find a more aligned company ethos.
Never be afraid to ask for feedback from the interviewer as this can provide valuable insights into your performance and identify areas where you can improve. Whatever you are told, remember not to take it personally, or be defensive, listen and be objective. Use this feedback to develop and improve your chances next time. Remember, job rejections are often based on a variety of factors, and it’s not always a reflection of your skills or abilities.
You may be feeling disheartened, but hopefully you’ll be feeling positive about using your feedback and reflective information to your advantage, and already be focussing on your next opportunity. Continue practicing your interview skills, such as your ability to articulate your experiences and answer questions effectively, to minimise nerves on the day.
Run through potential role play scenarios so you feel confident and natural – it’s all about bouncing back from job rejection and using what you have learnt to strive forwards. If it’s a competency-based interview, learn about STAR and Practice, Practice, Practice!
Also check out our article called Wealth Management Jobs: Dealing with Interview Nerves for tips on overcoming your nerves and STAR information.
Building and maintaining relationships with people in your industry can help massively in overcoming job rejection. It might be as simple as talking over a coffee about your interview, or you might find with hindsight and with gleaned knowledge from your peers, that it definitely wasn’t the job for you. Alternatively, you may learn a new technique for answering interview questions, gain other valuable job interview advice, or hear of more suitable companies for you that have vacancies. Networking can lead to new and exciting wealth management job opportunities.
One important thing to remember, which can get forgotten in all your excitement if you are offered the job…it is ok to say no!
Job rejection may not be them rejecting you, it might be you rejecting them, and this also needs handling carefully and with professionalism. You never know when you will cross paths with people or companies in the future. Remember Financial Services is a village! What isn’t right now, might be perfect at a point in the future and it never hurts to bear this in mind. So, learning how to decline a job offer in style is a must!
You may be lucky enough to know instantly whether it’s right or not for you, but what’s more likely is you will think it’s a good offer, but you might be wondering if there is something better waiting just around the corner. This probably indicates in itself that this role is not the one for you, but the best way to be sure is to contact one of the team here at Truestar Talent. We know our clients inside out and once we get to know you, we are in a perfect position to help match you to a company that fits you perfectly.
The likelihood is that you will feel the love for the roles that we match you for, taking out the legwork and angst for you!
Every company, every ethos, every management style is so very different and unique – as are you! We will always be honest and only recommend the roles that will make you smile!
You may just know! The stars may align and everything and everyone is perfect and you have absolutely no doubts whatsoever. Fantastic and congratulations!
It is still worth taking a few moments just to sanity check your rationale and check it really does tick all the boxes. There may be things you haven’t thought of.
By identifying the values that are important to you, the remuneration you require, the work/life balance, the company ethos that suits you, the management style etc, you can be sure you are making the right choice. Having an advocate on your side, who knows the inside track, really helps with this.
Running through your options with a specialist wealth management recruitment company such as Truestar Talent who have in depth knowledge of their clients, their offerings and their company ethos, can be invaluable in ensuring you make the right “yes” choice and obtain your perfect job in wealth management.
You want to accept and are over the moon. You can’t wait to start, but you want to negotiate the very best remuneration package – we help you here too. Salary is not the only thing to think about and we will be able to help you ask the right questions, to get exactly what you didn’t even know you needed! Check out our article called Salary: Not Always the Most Important Incentive.
Remember, every interview is a learning experience regardless of whether you are successful or not, or whether you decide to accept or not.
Never be afraid to ask for help from recruitment professionals, after all, this is our full time vocation and we make the whole process less stressful and more successful for you, from day one.
Once you know us, you will always know us.
We are here to help.
Why not give us a call so that we can support you in finding the right wealth management role for you!
Just like a great Financial Planner, we start with soft facts and a full fact find, before going to recommendations that we have researched well. Great recruiters in Wealth Management enable informed choices, by providing comprehensive supporting information and introducing you to people we like, know and trust.
We are national multi award winning Wealth Management Recruiters, with on average, 35+ years’ experience both in financial services and in recruitment, our reach is long and we have wide ranging connections across the industry. We care about people as individuals, both clients, candidates and retiring IFAs who need IFA acquisition introductions.
We hand pick our candidates for you. With 35+ years in Financial Services and Wealth Management recruitment, Truestar Talent know what good looks like and only recommend you see the people who are making an informed choice to see you and may not be actively looking – they wait for our recommendation for a career move. Our aim is that every candidate we send to you makes you smile.
A great Wealth Management recruiter makes recruitment feel easy as we will cut out the white noise of mismatched applications. We curate candidate introductions that match to your needs, requirements and culture. This ensures informed introductions that will result in a high conversion rate of hires from a hand selected number of applications. We are proud of our long lasting placements where people thrive in happy homes!
