Should I Re-Apply at a Company?

Some people wonder if a company turns them down after an interview, whether they should ever apply there again. Or are you Persona Non Grata forever?

Even in the extreme case most companies will have forgotten about you after a while. Turnover in the tech department and HR, along with recordkeeping difficulties, means that resumes have a half life of about a year. Much longer than that and they most likely won’t even remember that you had applied previously.

If you do decide to reapply within a year or less, you may be challenged to show that your skills have substantially improved since the last time. In most cases just another year of the same work experience won’t cut it, but some organizations may be more accommodating and let you interview again anyway.

My point? It’s perfectly okay to re-apply at a company where you’ve been turned down in the past. However, you should wait at least a year before doing so, and make sure you can demonstrate some growth in the meantime.