<p>One other thing I did when I was job hunting that was well received was to politely ask why I wasn’t selected for the position, and if the interviewer/hiring manager could give me any advice on how to improve my candidacy for future jobs. People LOVE to give advice, and usually this resulted in the hiring manager telling me that I was great but lacked ABC that they were were looking for/found in someone else. But it also resulted in some referrals to other hiring managers and open positions. It keeps the conversation open, instead of just skulking off to lick your wounds after being rejected. Look at every interview you get as a chance to network within those companies, if that makes any sense. If you’re doing well enough to get to the final round, they should be able to critique you fairly well.</p>
<p>You can say this very politely when you get the call that you didn’t get the job.</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m really interested in your company/field. Can you give me any advice as far as my interview skills or anything I should work on improving on my resume? I’m open to honest feedback!”</p>