What I learned from responding to rejection emails
Rejection emails can have a bright side that we are not utilizing.
Have you ever experienced that heartbreak when you are waiting to hear back from your recent interview, only to be hit by a no-reply rejection email? Or even worst ‘Unfortunately, we are moving forward with other candidates’ Or simply just getting ghosted.
I have always taken rejection emails personally. I dive into a company, understanding the values, team structure, and culture. I get invested and feel hopeful about the outcomes, only to get hit by a no-reply rejection email without any feedback or closure. It feels like someone broke up with you without giving you any closure. You are only left with your assumptions and Imposter syndrome trying to fill in the gaps on what went wrong, a product designer’s worst nightmare. Think about the time when you were applying to universities. You did your research on the university from curriculum to culture to know if it’s the right fit for you. The same energy goes for companies as well. So why do we get blamed for taking rejections personally?
As a Product Designer, I need feedback to iterate and make the product better. It’s an essential part of the design process. The journey of becoming a successful Product Designer/ UX Designer starts by giving and receiving feedback. Ironically feedback isn’t part of the Product Design hiring process. That’s the reason I started responding back to rejection emails by accepting the rejection and asking for feedback.
I started by reaching out to recruiters who have initially emailed me for the role. Surprisingly, I found a lot of the recruiters were willing to give me feedback on the interview or application. In fact, some of these recruiters were amazed by having that growth mindset and going the extra mile to get that feedback that we kept in touch through LinkedIn for any future roles. However, I did run into a lot of recruiters who wanted to withhold from giving me feedback for compliance and legal purposes. On the bright side, there was a handful of recruiters who were willing to offer me feedback. Their feedback has helped contribute and shape my growth as a designer, and I am forever thankful for them. Feedback from recruiters comes from the hiring managers, and it tends to highlight your strengths and weakness. Often times, I found that my hard skills were not the problem, but my soft skills were. You get this opportunity to know where to focus your efforts on to grow. That could never be possible without that specific feedback on my phone interview, portfolio presentation, and whiteboard challenge, where I showcase both soft and hard skills. You are also getting that feedback from an experienced designer’s point of view, kind of like an informal mentorship.
I want to share with you the format I use when responding to rejection emails.
- Start by thanking the recruiter’s time and involvement in the application/ interview process to show your appreciation.
- Start by acknowledging that the news is unfortunate, but show the recruiter that you are turning this bad news into an opportunity. This showcases your positive attitude and growth mindset.
- Ask for feedback and showcase why you want to receive that feedback, that might look different for each designer. It can be so you can apply to the company again or grow as a designer moving forward. You are showcasing that you fail forward and take those negative outcomes and turn them into something positive.
- This sentence is the golden sentence within your reply to the rejection email is “The beauty of product design is that feedback is embedded within this role and is part of the process.” The reason for that is that you are showing you are a product designer beyond the digital realm. You are UX-ing your career. You are reminding them of the importance of feedback within this role.
5- Sign your name as a hyperlink that redirects to your LinkedIn. This is an opportunity to grow your network and form relationships with those recruiters.
I find responding to rejection emails is a way to offer myself closure for the handwork that I have put in. It helps me come up with a positive outcome that will help me grow as a designer. It’s also a great way to expand your LinkedIn network and form organic connections. Although sometimes rejection comes to you in many forms like a ‘no-reply’. I still advise you to do your part in trying to contribute to your self-growth by searching for the recruiter on LinkedIn and chase after that feedback. I know how exhausting it is, the rejection, time spent, preparation, and anxiousness, but be kind to yourself. You are still learning.
Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below
