They said no.

And what's the problem precisely?

“After careful consideration, we’ve decided not to move forward with your application at this stage. This was a very competitive round with a high-calibre of candidates, so the decision was not easy. Please know that this does not reflect a lack of potential on your part; we were genuinely impressed by several aspects of your profile.”

That’s that.

Exit graciously. Every single time. Reply something like:

Thank you for the reply and for the opportunity. I’d love to stay connected and keep updated on the growth of the “company” (state company name), and hope we can speak again soon in the future. Here are my direct contacts: “email” and “phone here”.

If you want their feedback, maybe a modification:

Thank you for the reply and for the opportunity. I’d love to stay connected and keep updated on the growth of the “company” (state company name). If you have specific feedback, I’m open to it to continue improving my skills. I hope we can speak again soon. Here are my direct contacts: “email” and “phone here”.

Perhaps they say that to everyone. Or maybe they were genuinely happy with your submission. We can’t be sure. What we can be sure of is that your approach needs to be the best it can be. Even if they said just “No”, your reply would be essentially the same. Unless you have direct and specific feedback, then it’s an opportunity to learn and grow.

You still think you did poorly? Perhaps you can do better. But also see it from this angle: Imagine that you were evaluated by a hiring manager who will leave the company in a few weeks. Imagine that a new hiring manager arrives and starts reviewing all the candidates screened by the previous one. How will he read your message?

We don’t know anything and don’t control anything. We only control our posture and presence. And it’s already a lot to work on.