takenoforanswer

In this world, there is nothing softer or thinner than water. But to compel the hard and unyielding, it has no equal. That the weak overcomes the strong, that the hard gives way to the gentle -- this everyone knows. Yet no one asks accordingly.

Imagine this scenario: You send your resume to an organization, and two weeks later you receive a boilerplate rejection letter from the human resources department. (Or, even worse, they never respond to your inquiry at all.)

In this situation, too many job seekers assume that this is the last word—as if the president of the company herself had personally rejected their applications. The reality is far different. Resumes are often screen by low-level staff professionals in the human resources department. Do you want to give up on a job that is really important to you just because this one person--in a moment of haste--turned you down?

As a first step, contact the designated window party in human resources. Don’t be confrontational. Instead, act as if you are genuinely puzzled. Say something along the lines of “I received a form rejection letter from your company the other day in response to my application for the buyer position that you had advertised in The Santa Cruz Observer. I am a little confused, because, as my resume indicates, I have all the skills and experience that you require for the position. I was thinking that it might be helpful if we could arrange some time when it’s convenient for you so that we could discuss the matter in more detail.”

You will surprised at how often this approach works. It is easy for the human resources window person to send you a form letter. It is much more difficult for him to brush you off if you are on the other end the telephone line, gently pointing out his mistake. This approach succeeds with most reasonable people—when the rejection letter really was a mistake.

A salesperson’s perspective on the word "no"….

I worked as a salesperson for a number of years. During one particular training session, my company’s sales manager told us that, “The salesperson’s job begins when he or she hears the word “no.”

The message here is simple: most customers require some persuading before they will be convinced that the purchase of a product or service is in their best interest. As a job seeker selling yourself, you should remember this kernel of sales wisdom when you hear the word “no.”