Can You Reapply to Jobs - Sometimes
Perhaps your application for a job was ghosted, or you were rejected and now you want to reapply to the job when you see it reposted. Or perhaps you interviewed with a company, didn’t get the job, but you want to reapply later when you see they reposted a slightly different version of the job.
There are many reasons you may be considering reapplying for a job, but should you? And if you should, how should you go about it so you don’t just end up in a black hole of nothing?
If those are some of the questions you have, you’re in the right place. Keep reading.
When to Reapply to Jobs
There are a lot of factors at play that could influence my advice on whether you should or shouldn’t reapply for a job. I’ll try to cover as many as I can think of.
Most of the time, I would advise someone to reapply when there is a significant change in their skills, experience, or resume, or there is a significant change in the job requirements listed. In other words, if something changes, you can consider reapplying.
Reapplying When Your Application is Under Consideration
Some companies allow you to log in to an applicant portal where you can see the status of your application. You can also do this with some larger job boards such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Usually, there is a status that will tell you if someone has reviewed your resume or if you’ve been rejected.
If you’re still under consideration for the job, but you’ve updated your resume or something has changed in your experience, skills, or knowledge, I would consider reapplying. Also if you have a referral or new connection within the company that you can leverage, you could consider reapplying. Just make sure it’s a real referral - someone who knows you and can vouch for you, not someone you cold emailed and asked if they would refer you.
Reapplying When Your Application Was Rejected
If your application was rejected but you never interviewed with the company but you feel you are truly qualified for the job, you could consider reapplying. At this point, your profile is probably flagged as not selected for the job, so you’ll have to go about it differently. But you could still do it.
I would only reapply in this situation if after reflection I realized that I could have written my resume better and I’ve made changes that I want to submit, the answers to my application questions have changed, or the job was reposted with slightly different criteria that better align with my background.
Here’s an example from someone I bumped into last week. She had applied for a job and was immediately rejected within seconds of her application. Now an amateur would have chalked this up to ATS bots and AI, but she was a recruiter and knew better.
She realized that it was probably one of the questions that she answered in the application, known as a knock-out question, that led to her auto-rejection. So she went back and thought about which one it could have been and realized it was probably her salary expectations. She changed the salary expectations on her application and resubmitted it. She was then back in consideration for the job.
Reapplying When The Job is Reposted
Recruiting and hiring is a buying process. If you’ve ever bought a big ticket item such as a house or a car, you know that as you go through the process you may change your mind about what you really want and need based on what you see and the price tags associated with them.
Recruiting is no different. I would say that a fair number of openings I’ve recruited for change and morph to some degree as the process unfolds. This sometimes requires the job to be reposted with those changes.
Sometimes jobs are reposted because the company couldn’t find a qualified candidate. They may have changed the requirements because of this or simply because they discovered their initial assessment of needs wasn’t accurate after meeting some candidates.
If this happens and your background still aligns with the job, or even better, it is more aligned with the job requirements, I would consider reapplying.
Some people say not to reapply if the job says that previous applicants will be considered, but I would still do so. From experience, I can tell you that not all previous applicants get reviewed. But if you reapply correctly, you have a better chance. I’ll cover how to do this in a later section.
Reapplying For Internal Jobs
Many companies will post job openings for internal employees to see first. If you’re an internal employee who has been passed up for a promotion or job change in the past and the job becomes open again, you should absolutely reapply for the job if you want it.
Reapplying for Your Job During Layoff or Downsizing
I’ve worked with a lot of private equity-backed companies over the years and it’s not uncommon for one of them to take over a company and then ask everyone to reapply for their jobs. It’s like the modern-day Hunger Games.
Instead of laying everyone off, they allow the people who don’t want to reapply to leave and the others to compete for their jobs. Not saying it’s a great situation, but it happens.
If this is the case you can consider reapplying for your job, just be aware that it most likely won’t be the same job. It’s usually a new version of the same job with different expectations. Even if they tell you it’s the same job, it’s most likely not.
If this is your situation, meet with as many people as possible including your boss and coworkers to understand how people perceive you. This will also help you during the application process so you can show your value.
When Not to Reapply to Jobs
I’m going to address when not to reapply for jobs as well because I’ve seen some wild advice on the internet as of late.
Resume Not ATS Compatible
Usually resume services give the advice to reapply for a job if you’ve had your resume redone to be “ATS Compatible”. Look, there is no such thing as an ATS-compliant resume. It’s a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to sell you (usually poorly done) resume writing services. This is not a valid reason to reapply and you’re not doing yourself any favors in doing so.
After You Interviewed and Were Rejected
If you interviewed for the job and received a rejection letter from the company, there is no need to reapply for the job. They’ve already met you and decided that you’re not the right fit for them right now. Reapplying is going to be a waste of time.
With that said, that doesn’t mean you can’t reapply 6 months or a year from now after you’ve gained more experience and may be more qualified for the job. But don’t reapply right afterward. Even 6 months may be too soon.
If Nothing Has Changed
If you’ve made no changes to your resume or your skills and experience are exactly the same, don’t reapply. Also if the job hasn’t changed the requirements (and I don’t mean just the list of qualifications on the job listing, but also the duties), I wouldn’t reapply either.
How to Reapply to Jobs
Make Sure the Job Is Real
If you are reapplying because you see the job reposted, go to the company’s career page and make sure it is listed there. Sometimes third-party websites like Indeed don’t take jobs down when they are filled.
It may look like the job is reposted, but it’s not. Make sure the company has it listed on their own website.
Reflect on What Went Wrong
Was there something that you can control and change that would cause the employer to reconsider you? Reflect on your previous applications. What might have caused them to say no? Were you missing qualifications? Can you make those clearer in your resume?
Were you rejected within seconds of applying before someone even looked at your resume? In that case, was there an application question you answered that may have automatically disqualified you? Can you honestly change that answer?
Have a Legitimate Reason to Reapply
Make sure one of the above situations applies to you before you reapply. Review the job description again and make sure your resume clearly shows your qualifications and aligns with the job responsibilities. Also, don’t forget to check for typos.
If you need help aligning your resume, I suggest using an AI Resume Builder or consider Hiring a Resume Writer. If this is a job you’re really excited about, these investments can really pay off.
This is a good time to also consider if you should write a cover letter or put together a portfolio to attach to your new application.
It’s also a good time to take a second look at who you might know within the company that could give you valuable information to use in your resume or application. Even better, if you have a good relationship with someone, ask them to refer you for the job.
Whatever you decide, don’t reapply and do the same thing you did last time. Most likely you’ll get the same results.
Update Your Profile in the ATS
Some ATS systems will allow you to log in to your account and make changes to your application or update your resume. If you’re still under consideration for a job and the ATS allows you to do this, it’s quite simple to reapply with a new resume or update your information. You don’t need to do anything else.
Email the Recruiter or Hiring Manager
If you’ve applied and were rejected before an interview, do not simply reapply to the job via the job listing or by logging into your candidate portal.
I used to configure ATS systems for companies and even those who use the same ATS may have it set up differently so it’s hard to say with certainty what would happen if you reapplied via the job listing in every situation. But what could happen is that the ATS will flag your profile as a duplicate.
In some cases, it may not let you reapply so be prepared for that too. If this happens, don’t try to game the system and use a different email address. Most systems can spot similar information in your resume, your name, and other fields and will still flag it for review.
Many systems I’ve used also show a timeline of activity for each person in the system. I can see when you applied to what and with what documents in a timeline. So don’t think you can be creative and trick the system.
I’ve also seen ATS systems that will add your new resume to your profile, but not move your profile out of the rejected folder. In this case, no one will even know that you reapplied. In other words, once you’re rejected, your name stays rejected for that job. If you apply for a new job, that’s a different story.
Because there are so many variables in how these systems are configured, I would instead advise you to find the recruiter, or hiring manager if it’s a smaller company, and reach out to them directly.
Many times you can find this information by using tools like LinkedIn or Hunter.io which can find email addresses for you. Even if you’re not 100% sure you have the right person, I would reach out to them anyhow.
When you reach out, use a message like this:
“Can you help me? I want to reapply for the X job. My status is X, but I have (new information to add to my application/changed my resume/new experience I want to include). Can I send you my resume?”
I find that email typically gets better results, but you can also message them on LinkedIn. The majority of recruiters are on that platform and use it regularly, although sometimes their inboxes are messy.
The reason you want to do this instead of reapplying on a job board is because they will look at your resume and make sure your status is changed if they think it should be.
Another option is to call the company and ask to speak with someone in recruiting or human resources. This is more likely to work with smaller and mid-size companies. One job seeker I spoke to did this and the recruiter looked at his resume on the spot and scheduled an interview with him.
Thank Them
If someone does reconsider you for a job opportunity, tell them thank you. A thank you can go a long way.
Be Prepared For the Reapply Question in Interviews
If you reapply for a job and a company does interview you, be prepared for it to come up in conversation. They will know you reapplied for the job. Some managers may ask why you decided to reapply and you should have a good answer. I find this is somewhat rare, but I have heard managers ask about it.
Also if you interviewed for this role previously and reapply, don’t forget to revisit your interview notes from the last time to prepare for this time. You may be sitting on a gold mine. And if you’re not keeping interview notes, sign up for an app like Huntr or Teal and start recording them after every interview.
How Long Should I Wait to Reapply for Jobs
If you were rejected as an applicant you can reapply anytime if there is a major change in the job requirements or your resume.
If you were rejected after an interview, I wouldn’t reapply for at least 6 months and only after you’ve had significant changes in your experience (such as a contract job) that may make you more qualified for the job.
Does Reapplying to Jobs Work
Yes, it can if you follow my advice and guidelines. Persistence does pay off and companies will see that you have consistently been wanting to work with them.
I applied to a company multiple times over the course of two years before they finally hired me. Another person I found also mentioned that they applied for a job in March of last year, got rejected, and then reapplied in May. They now work for that company. If you truly believe you are qualified and you’ve changed your resume or gained more experience to show that, then always reapply.
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Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.
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