Reapplying to a company that rejected you

Waiting periods and what changes them

Many employers set no formal waiting period. A few do, especially where selection includes testing: NZ Police, for example, asks applicants who do not pass its online ability test to wait at least six months before resitting it. Check the careers page or ask, because a rule like that overrides any general advice.

Where there is no rule, the right gap depends on what has changed. You can apply straight away for a different role that suits you better, because the employer is judging a different fit. For the same role, or one very like it, wait until you have something new to offer: a qualification, a stronger example, a year of relevant experience. Reapplying a month later with the same CV usually brings the same answer.

Sometimes the rejection had little to do with you. A stronger internal candidate, a frozen budget or a changed brief can all end an application. If the role is advertised again soon afterwards, it can be worth applying again with a short note.

Reading your own notes from last time

Before reapplying, look back at the first attempt. Which CV did you send, and what did the cover letter say? How far did you get: no reply, a phone screen, an interview, a final round? What did they ask, and where did you struggle? If you were told why, write that down plainly.

The further you got, the more useful this is. A rejection after a final interview often means you were close, and the notes tell you exactly what to strengthen. A rejection with no interview suggests the application itself needs work, perhaps by matching the ad more closely. Our guide to rejection, ghosting and wellbeing covers looking after yourself through the disappointing part.

What to say about last time

Some organisations keep past applications on file, often with your consent, and interviewers may remember you, so it is better to say so yourself, briefly and positively, than to hope they will not notice. A sentence in your cover letter is enough:

Focus on what has changed, not on the rejection. Never suggest they made a mistake last time.

If a recruitment agency handled your first application, talk to them before applying again, even directly. They may know why it did not progress, and they may still regard themselves as having introduced you, so be clear which channel you are using this time.

Asking for feedback before reapplying

If you did not get feedback last time, ask for it now, politely and briefly. Many employers will give a sentence or two, especially after an interview. Ask what would have made your application stronger, rather than why you were turned down.

You also have a legal route to the record itself. Under the Privacy Act, you can ask an employer for the information it holds about you, including an interviewer's notes on your interview or application. The Privacy Commissioner's guidance is that the interviewer has to provide those notes unless there are reasons to withhold them, while referee comments can be withheld if they were given in confidence. The employer must respond as soon as reasonably practicable, and within 20 working days unless it tells you it needs longer. Use this sparingly and courteously: a simple request for feedback usually gets further.

Tracking the second attempt against the first

Keep both attempts side by side: the dates, the roles, the CVs, how far each got and what you learned. It shows you what worked, and it stops you repeating the same application by accident.

In jobtracker.co.nz, a closed application keeps its reason, its dates and your notes, and each employer's page under Companies lists every role you have gone for there, closed ones included, with its outcome. The warning about an existing application covers ones still open, so check that page before you apply again. Choosing a close reason needs Everything mode. You can see it in the demo, which needs no account.

Remember every application, including the ones that closed