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I have applied for a job in a big company and was rejected in 5 days with a typical template answer of "we regret other candidates had better profiles fitting the job". So, I can guess they have tons of resumes coming from everywhere and have to find a quick way to scale it down to a few resumes for further processing. However, based on a few reasons I want to apply again for the exact same position:

  1. The job advertisement is still on the website, so technically it's possible to apply.
  2. I found an internal connection to the company (an old colleague) which I can use as the internal reference in my new application. In fact, they dedicated a specific reference field in their online application form. So, it is important to them.
  3. Just 1-2 days ago, I have obtained more precise information about what exactly they need for this job, and I can say that my CV and its skill-set was tailored not in a really relevant way considering what they specifically need for the job. But I can organize it much better now and make it really to the point to show what I have to offer them professionally.

But, in the end, I wonder if they have already blacklisted me in their rejection list and as soon as they see my application they will hit the reject button? Or they obtained a bias now from my profile, or maybe they won't even notice that in their tons of applications.

So, is it worth trying or is it a definite waste of time?

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  • Go for it ! Kaz's answer says it all ...
    – Fattie
    Feb 26, 2021 at 19:42

4 Answers 4

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What could you lose? Time. What could you win? A job you dream of.

It could look very appealing for the employer, that you are so motivated and passionate about the position, and throw in your application again. Finding passionate (intrinsically motivated) people is rare.

Personally, I would call you and ask why. Because there must be a good reason.

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  • Good answer but the "call" part is iffy. Unless you have a specific name & number you are unlikely to get by the switchboard or first line of defense in the first place. If you do have name, I would try e-mail first.
    – Hilmar
    Feb 26, 2021 at 18:09
  • @JoeStrazzere Interesting, could you expand on that?
    – Cameron Sima
    Feb 26, 2021 at 21:34
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    @CameronSima Or less charitably, "OK, this one has found out what we want to see and submitted a pack of lies to try to get a second chance." Before you dismiss that out of hand, I've seen plenty of job applications which were not written by the applicant at all, and sometimes the applicant mysteriously didn't even know what the application said!
    – alephzero
    Feb 26, 2021 at 23:09
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    Some recruiting systems won’t allow candidates to re-apply to the same position. So unless the OP is able to contact the recruiter who dispositioned them off the requisition, they won’t be able to re-apply. Depends on the system, of course.
    – ARich
    Feb 27, 2021 at 1:24
  • I once (decades ago) applied for an apprentice position and got rejected. Called them and asked what i had done wrong, so i can improve on that. They put me in a queue and i later received an offer. If you think about HR or what they are doing with your application, just never assume malice, be open and be yourself.
    – Sascha
    Feb 27, 2021 at 19:57
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Internal references usually carry a lot of weight. At least for getting through the screening stage.

I’d say it’s well worth giving it another shot. What have you got to lose?

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    Depends on the position of the ex-colleague. If they used to work in the same team & saw your work regularly, yes that's great and they should be asked to hand-walk the resume in. If they worked in Admin while OP was in Development and the same will be true here then it may not count for much at all, but may just get OP a closer look by filling in that field.
    – Dragonel
    Feb 26, 2021 at 22:46
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As @sascha's answer points out, what do you have to lose?

My only issue is that we have no way of knowing if they will spot that you have applied before. Possibly they won't but possibly they will and rather than think you have a good reason for applying again, they may assume you are blindly spamming out applications or they may just assume they had a good reason to reject you once already and reject you again.

If you have a contact in the company as you say, I would ask them to contact HR and explain that in your haste you sent a CV which you don't think fully explains why you're suitable and can you resubmit please with the correct CV. Hopefully your contact's good-standing and explanation will help your application get a better reception.

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  • 3
    What does he have to lose? Face.
    – Jack
    Feb 26, 2021 at 13:42
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    What does it matter if he loses face? But I think using his contact maximises his chance of progressing with the application
    – matt freake
    Feb 26, 2021 at 14:10
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I found an internal connection to the company (an old colleague) which I can use as an internal reference in my new application. In fact, they dedicated a specific reference field in their online application form. So, it is important to them.

Tell your contact what happened. Tell them that you're still interested. Ask them for their advice.

If your old colleague contacts the hiring manager or HR about your application, I'm pretty sure that your application has a very good chance of getting resurrected (assuming they haven't found anyone else yet).

In the future, install one of those free browser plugins that cross-references your LinkedIn network with the websites you browse.

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  • Do you know one for chrome or firefox by any chance? ;-)
    – Bob
    Feb 27, 2021 at 19:11
  • The one I'm talking about was an extension on Firefox more than 5 years ago, but I just did a search on the Chrome web store and there are 30+ extensions that work with LinkedIn. If I were you, I would try some of the sales lead generation extensions. I'm sorry I can't be more specific. I realize that the choice of extensions is kind of overwhelming, but I don't remember which one I used to use.
    – Stephan Branczyk
    Feb 28, 2021 at 0:46

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