Why not getting the job offer isn't all that bad (it's fixable)

What? You didn't get that job offer you were hoping for, even though you followed all the right strategies and tactics (hopefully the ones I've previously recommended in this column)? Well, you have no control over some of the variables in the hiring process, such as the economy, the fraud examination profession and regulatory compliance that stymies job growth, among others.

Or maybe your associative model wasn't very strong in the mind of the hiring manager. (An associative model is a type of neural brain activity that links your specific expertise and unique brand with the hiring manager's awareness of it. Advertisers frequently use associative modeling to increase consumer awareness of specific product brands.)

But, it's not all bad, and here's why. Let's use a different approach to look at the situation. Rather than bemoan that you didn't get the job offer, look at it in a more positive light: You didn't get the job offer today. You can continue fortifying that associative model with hiring managers who didn't hire you today but might in the future.

So many people give up pursuing a dream job when someone else gets the job offer. But you don't have to stop promoting your expertise and interest to that hiring manager. Because you don't know if the person who was hired will work out or quit in the meantime, there's no reason to write off that opportunity — yet.