We all know that familiar feeling of disappointment when you receive an email informing you that you didn’t get the job.
But if you’ve ever ignored the rejection email in your inbox, you may want to reconsider.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Why you should never ignore rejection emails.
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Careers expert Erin McGoff, from New York, said one of the biggest mistakes people make during their job search is not replying to rejection emails.
“’Ignore rejection emails’ is the worst piece of job search advice ever,” she said in an Instagram post.
When it comes to a job search, receiving rejection emails are inevitable part of it, but Erin explained a simple way to turn things around.
“One time I was rejected from a job. I emailed them back thanking them for their consideration and asked them why they didn’t pick me,” Erin said.
“Long story short, they decided to give me the job.”
Erin explained that rejections are not a “moral failure”.
“You have no clue why you didn’t get the job. It could have had nothing to do with you,” she said.
The careers expert revealed some reasons as to why you may have received a rejection email.
“They could have been forced to give it to the CEO’s nephew, they could have filled it internally or they could have eliminated the role altogether,” she explained.
Erin said that job interviews should be viewed as networking opportunities.
“A rejection is an opened door, not a closed one. You now have an in,” she said.
She also said people would be surprised how often things happen when you respond to rejection emails.
“The person they picked for the position doesn’t work out and the company comes back to you or the company may have a similar position open up a few weeks later and you’re top of their mind,” she said.
Another occurrence is that the “hiring manager could move on to another company and recruit you for a role there”.
Her post has been viewed more than 700,000 times — with many praising her for sharing a helpful tip.
“I am so excited for this, love this advice,” said one.
“Thanks for this advice, Erin,” added a second.
“Thank you, this is helpful,” said a third.
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