Should you ever reapply for a position? As with so much in tech (and tech jobs), that depends on a number of factors, including:
- Did you initial application go well?
- Did you maintain contact with the hiring manager and recruiters?
- Are there skills or experience you lack for the position?
- How long as it been since you applied the first time?
If your initial application went well (i.e., they called you in for a second or third interview), and your skills and experience still match the current job posting (sometimes companies tweak the position a bit), there’s a good chance that you could be called into the office for a second look if you reapply (clearly, their initial tranche of candidates didn’t work out). That’s a lot of variables (and parentheticals). Your chances are boosted if you’ve maintained friendly contact within the firm, particularly the recruiters and hiring managers with whom you might have dealt with originally. If you see the job re-posted, it’s worth sending a quick email to them to see if it’s worth re-applying, before you send in a formal application. There’s also the question of timing. If you applied for a job and received a rejection without an interview or callback, don’t
retool your résumé and immediately resubmit. Unless a company is very large, chances are good that it’s the same HR team reading every application that comes in; chances are
very good that they’ll recognize you just applied, and reject accordingly. If some time has passed (i.e., six months or more), and the company keeps re-posting an open call for the position, you can take a risk at re-submitting some revised application materials. It helps to know why you were rejected in the first place; if the company indicated that you lacked a certain skill or a crucial bit of experience, you’ve hopefully earned it in the interim. But if you have no idea why you were rejected, you’re firing in the dark when you reapply. On the other hand, if your first application go-round did not go well—you bombed the interview, for instance, or received a hard “no” via email—don’t expect to hear back from the company if you apply again. With
tech-industry unemployment low at the moment, you can afford to look for other jobs elsewhere.
