Rejected from dream job

Khow89 · Sep 12, 2017

It's unfortunate that you were not able to get your dream job but this could be an opportunity that might lead you to something better. So don't be too down and continue to enjoy what you do. :)

Ruby Vee, BSN · Sep 12, 2017

Well...
I really dislike when people are lying into my face. I understand that's what HR and management are living and breathing with and that nowadays lying became a socially acceptable and even expected behavior but it doesn't make it right.
Thank you note? Maybe. Goodies? H*** no. And I would really, really evaluate if I want ever work in place where people are lying to each other.

What? Who is lying? The OP didn't get the job. She's got only a year and a half of experience and they may have had more qualified applicants. This seems to be a little harsh.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Sep 12, 2017

Two interviews is not that many. I had 5 interviews to get my dream job.
Certainly you would send a thank you note after each interview, no more contact would be required after you were turned down. I would never suck up with a food gift.
Keep searching, you'll get there.

I went through 13 interviews for a job that ended up going to someone else. So did the three other candidates who didn't get the job.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 12, 2017

Multiple opinions for the original poster to consider. Personally, I go with the positive viewpoint: I made it this far, I'll send a hand-written thank you for their time and let them know I'm interested in being considered for further openings.

~Shrek~ · Sep 12, 2017

I would not go so far as to send a box of cookies, but I would follow up with a thank you card, and email your interviewers once every 1-2 months with a quick "I am still interested, here are some professional things I am doing right now".

shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 12, 2017

I have been a hiring manager. Sometimes we end up with 2 or 3 great candidates for a job. Then a hard choice has to be made. It is not a reflection on you. Rather, it shows you are a strong candidate to have made it that far.

A friend of mine made it all the way to the final round of interviews for a position and was rejected. A week later, he was hired, as the the person who got the offer rejected it.

I have also had this same experience when job hunting. IBeing in the top 2 candidates and not being selected.) Definitely follow up with thank you notes. And if you feel you had a strong rapport, then ask for honest feedback. Let them know you are still interested in future opportunities and touch base occasionally and continue to check for new openings there.

In the meantime, keep looking. When one door closes, another opens. Good luck!

~Shrek~ · Sep 12, 2017

I went through 13 interviews for a job that ended up going to someone else. So did the three other candidates who didn't get the job.

whoa! Unless it was paying a 6-figure salary, I wouldn't want to work there. I only can take so much time off for interviews and whatnot before people start to ask questions.

NurseKait_11, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2017

I'm sorry to hear you went through some ups and downs regarding the hiring process. I would definitely send an email at the least or hand written note to the hiring manager to thank her and ask to be considered for further opportunities or if a position on that unit becomes available again. I am sure that would make you stand out and follow up in another month or two.

I actually accepted a position yesterday after 4 months of job hunting for my very first job. I graduated in May. Initially when I interviewed, I didn't end up getting the job. But a few weeks later, I was contacted by the recruiter saying they had a resignation and were checking with the clinical director to see if they could hire me on. 4 weeks later (after I had given up on the recruiter ever contacting me back), I was offered the job and I am elated! So, it's definitely possible that someone could offer you a job if another candidate reject the offer. Dont give up!

dream'n, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2017

Send a nice Thank You for your time and consideration note. And add that you really enjoyed getting to know the unit and other employers, and if any other opportunities exist, you would appreciate that they consider you.

It's worked well for me in the past.

Ddestiny, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2017

I went through 13 interviews for a job that ended up going to someone else. So did the three other candidates who didn't get the job.

Okay....inquiring minds "must" know....what kind of job requires 13 interviews? Could they really have that many different things to go over that it required so many? The most I've ever had was 3 interviews per position so I just can't imagine how I'd respond as they were asking me to schedule interview #10, 11, 12.....

Ddestiny, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2017

OP, I'm sorry you didn't get the job you wanted. I did have a similar situation a few years ago. After 3 years as a Primary Care nurse, my husband and I were moving to a larger city that included a Psych hospital. I interviewed there 3 times (once with HR, once with the directors of the Gero Psych and Adult units and once with the director of the Child unit). My HR interview went great but I was completely out of my groove (tired, not well caffeinated, feeling a lot of internal pressure) for the interview with the two managers. I still felt like I connected with the Gero psych manager but the manager of the adult unit (where I most wanted to work) seemed disinterested and cold. Long story short, I wasn't offered a position. I was upset because the whole reason I went to nursing school was to get into Psych and I knew I'd be spending several years in this new city where other psych units are over an hour away.

I took a job on an acute post surgical/oncology floor. I knew fairly early in that this areas was not my passion but I liked learning, and having never worked in a hospital there was a TON to learn. After a few months in I met 2 nurses that had come from the hospital where I had interviewed, and they told me about how the place had awful management and that people were really jumping ship. I learned that the cold/distant adult unit manager was not a fluke but a consistent personality trait, and after hearing things from multiple people I ended up feeling glad that I didn't get the job.

I'm still in the same city and I won't be moving until next summer (due to hubby's grad school). After 2 years at the post surgical/oncology unit I felt ready for another change. I still feel like Psych (namely PMHNP) is a firm part of my future but in the meantime I'm soaking up as much knowledge as I can. No specialty works in a vacuum because patients can have so many comorbidities. So in July I transitioned to my hospital's ICU and so far I'm really loving it. I never, never, NEVER thought in nursing school that I would enjoy critical care. It scared the crap out of me. But the knowledge base I've developed over 5 years has made me feel more confident in a broader range of areas. And, as an added bonus, I get plenty of usage out of my psych interest/background no matter where I work. lol

So long, winding story later.... Don't internalize this as a defeat. It sucks that you didn't get this job but your feedback was positive. I definitely encourage that you write a card thanking the interviewers for their time. If you feel comfortable, you might even ask for specific feedback regarding how you can make yourself a more attractive candidate in the future (CEUs, certifications, experience on a different unit?). This shows them your continued interest while also giving you a potential clue about how to do better next time. With a previous (non-healthcare) position for which I interviewed, I was told that I was a great candidate but the person they chose just had more specific experience...some of which you can help if it's specialty-specific, but you can't go back in time and make yourself a nurse earlier. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong or that you aren't a terrific nurse. =)

mrsboots87 · Sep 13, 2017

I pretty much know that management (as well as more experienced nurses) can tell if an applicant has good prospects for hiring in that particular unit or not within 5 to 10 min max. Everything else is BS and more of it. So, when an applicant is interviewed TWICE and told all good words about how great he/she is and then rejected, it means that the applicant was lied into face all the time. Been there, had that.Then was on the other side once, and flat refused any further participation in anything like it, out of moral background reasons.
Please do not make yourself into illusions that "it was a difficult decision" and "they do not spend that much time on nothing". They interview people with no intent to hire whatsoever all the time - to avoid internal hiring to be seen as discriminative as it is, to use good old "carrot technique" to keep applicant pool fresh and running, to occupy themselves (yeah, in some unionized facilities they have a kind of plan to interview, say X% and number of "minority" candidates each year, and since many times such candidates cannot be identified by names, people are just called for interview till numbers stay right), to cover the fact that BFF of the daughter of the double removed cousin of the NM got to have job after school.
In fact, double interview is one red flag about "false interview". They use this technique pretty often to show off to the world how much they "care" about their staff.
Read some professional HR message boards. After I did that, I got a strong impression that I will never shake a hand with any of these people. And I do not feel that much for management, either.

Well you've apparently been burned. But what you say is not all true all the time. There is a major Hospital in my state that is a dream job for many nurses. For their rounds of hiring, there is a phone interview, at least one if not 2 in person interviews, and a background and reference check done before hiring anyone. My friend got a job there where about 300-400 applicants applied for roughly 30 positions. Many made it through the multiple rounds of interviewing and such before being hired. They weren't being lied to. They were being slowly eliminated.