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Welcome to Issue #209 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Happy Wednesday!

Most jobseekers spend their time looking for the next opportunity. But sometimes it's worth looking at the companies you've already spoken with, even when those conversations didn't end with an offer.

That's what I want to talk about this week.

Quick FYI! I've been invited by Nexford University to join their Head of Career Success, Nicole Darling, for a live Zoom session on November 4 at 12 PM ET.

We'll be discussing "The New Rules of Getting Hired in 2026," including how hiring is changing and what jobseekers can do to compete in today's market.

If you'd like to join us, you can register here!

Also, I wanted to mention…if you're not particularly thrilled about spending time on LinkedIn every day (believe me, I get it), I'm also posting daily job search tips on X, Threads, and Substack. Follow along wherever you prefer!

This week we’re talking about:

• Why you should reconnect with companies that rejected you

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

• The meme of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking LinkedIn advice about how much time you should spend commenting on posts

• Answering a Premium subscriber’s question about showing career growth when your job titles haven’t changed. I’ll explain how to make that progression clear on your resume.

Let’s get to it!

REJECTIONS ARE WARM LEADS

One of the more frustrating parts of a job search is going through an interview process, getting your hopes up, and then finding out the company decided to hire someone else. You spent time preparing, had what you thought were good conversations…maybe you even started picturing yourself working there. Then you get the rejection email, and that's usually the end of it. You move on and start applying to other companies.

But why?

Think about how many people apply for a single job. Some openings attract 100s or even 1,000s of applicants, and only 1 person can ultimately get hired. If a company interviewed you, someone reviewed your background and decided you were worth talking to. Maybe you only had an initial conversation with the recruiter. Maybe you met the hiring manager. Maybe you made it through several rounds and were their 2nd choice.

Regardless of how far you got, there's a relationship there worth maintaining. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being someone's 2nd choice when 100s of other people didn't even make it into the conversation.

I think jobseekers sometimes put too much weight on the final decision. They assume that because the company chose someone else, the opportunity is gone and there's no point maintaining the relationship. OR they’re mad they weren’t offered the job. But hiring decisions aren't always a definitive judgment about who's qualified. Sometimes two candidates are equally strong and the decision comes down to personality, timing, compensation, or something that has very little to do with whether you could successfully do the job.

And sometimes companies simply make the wrong decision.

I've been recruiting for more than 20 years. Trust me, hiring managers don't always pick the best person. They make decisions using the information available at the time, and sometimes that information turns out to be wrong. A candidate interviews exceptionally well but struggles once they're in the job. Someone's resume (cough AI cough) makes them look like a perfect fit, but the actual experience doesn't match what everyone thought they were getting.

Or maybe the company made a perfectly good hire, but now they're growing. They need another person with similar experience. A new project gets approved. Someone gets promoted. Another employee leaves. (And no, that doesn't automatically mean there's something wrong with the company. People leave perfectly good jobs all the time.) Something changes, and suddenly there's another opportunity.

There are plenty of reasons a company might need to hire again. And when that happens, wouldn't you rather be someone they already know?

Think about it from the recruiter's POV. Starting a search from scratch means posting the job, sorting through applications, screening candidates, coordinating interviews, and hoping the people who look qualified on paper turn out to be qualified when you speak with them. It takes time, and there's no guarantee the next applicant pool will be any better than the last one.

Now imagine there's someone who already interviewed and made a good impression. The recruiter already knows something about their background, what they're looking for, and why they might fit into the organization. If the candidate met the hiring manager, even better. Assuming the previous conversations went well, that's an easier place to start than with someone the company knows absolutely nothing about.

One of the things I do when coaching jobseekers is look beyond their current applications to understand what they've already tried, where they've been getting interviews, and what happened during those conversations. Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't another resume revision or another 50 applications. It's recognizing that you've already made progress with certain employers and figuring out how to build on it. That's the kind of strategy we can work through together in a 1-on-1 coaching session.

If you've been looking for a while, go back through your previous interviews. Look at the companies where you had good conversations. If they showed genuine interest in your background, there's already a relationship you can revisit.

Start by looking at their current openings. Maybe they've posted another position that's similar to the one you originally interviewed for. Maybe they're hiring additional people for the same department. If you see something relevant, apply and reach back out to the recruiter or hiring manager you previously spoke with. Remind them that you interviewed for the earlier position, mention the new opportunity, and explain why you're interested. You already know something about the company and what they were looking for, so use that information to make the conversation specific.

You can also reconnect even when there isn't an obvious opening. If you had a good relationship with the recruiter, there's nothing wrong with checking in occasionally, letting them know you're still interested in the company, and asking them to keep you in mind if something appropriate comes up. You don't need to send messages every two weeks. Just stay on their radar. (For the record, this is one of the main pillars of the “Hidden Job Market.”)

And yes, there are situations where I wouldn't bother. If the interviews went poorly, the company identified a significant gap in your experience, or you discovered things about the organization that made you uncomfortable, move on. Reconnecting only makes sense when there's a legitimate reason to believe the company might still be a good fit.

But don't automatically cross a company off your list just because you didn't get the offer. Before you start another search from scratch, take a look at the companies that already considered you. You might already have a warmer lead than you realize.

Have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming issue? Reply or email [email protected] and tell me what you want to know!

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

these are the people gatekeeping you

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

MEME OF THE WEEK

This meme got more reactions on my Threads than anything else I posted this week.

PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

“I've had 3 jobs in the last 5 years, all with the same job title. But I've grown a lot professionally during that time. How do I make sure employers can see that on my resume?”

Scroll down to the Premium Section below for my answer!

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Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

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