Job searching can be a challenging period in anyone’s life. To create an effective application, you often have to compare your experience with what the job requires to show you’re an ideal fit.
Getting a rejection letter from a potential employer can be challenging on an emotional level. In this article, we look at how you can deal with being rejected from a job, which may reduce your stress levels and set you up for success in your job search.
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What is Job Rejection?
A job rejection is when you are unsuccessful in applying for a job. It can happen at different stages of the job search process, including before or after an interview.
Nine Ways to Handle Job Rejection
The way you deal with job rejections can help you move towards an even better opportunity. If you’ve experienced a job rejection recently, take these steps to help yourself recover gracefully and move towards the kind of employment that can give you long-term satisfaction:
1. Don’t Take it to Heart
Try not to allow rejection to get to you or take it personally; everyone gets rejected several times over their career. There could be hundreds of rejections for each position you apply for.
It’s crucial to attempt to view rejection as a step toward landing your ideal job, even though it can be discouraging. Take this as a compliment, and know that you and your abilities are obviously valued and sought after.
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If you made it to the interview stage, you already performed well and created a positive first impression. There are likely many other companies that would see you as a great candidate and would love to give you a chance to interview with them!
2. You’re Not Alone in Your Job Rejection
Applying for work is often a numbers game. Recruiters and interviewers often spend just a few minutes scanning candidates’ CVs for a job fit. If your application was unsuccessful, remember that you’re sharing this experience with thousands of others every day.
Candidate selection can be a complicated process, so employers approach the recruitment process with caution as they believe that hiring the wrong person is worse than not hiring anyone. You can take comfort in the idea that you’re not alone in your experience.
Knowing that you’re going through a shared experience can be a strong psychological comfort, as can knowing that thousands of people have successfully navigated job searches and career changes.
3. Build a Growth Attitude
A growth mindset is the idea that one perceives oneself as continuously growing and changing. Embracing this idea helps one move past disappointments and see them as opportunities.
A rejection means that your response to the job description and presentation of your qualifications did not fit the employer’s expectations, at least in comparison to other applicants.
Therefore, your next step can help you move past these setbacks and refine your interview technique, CV, and cover letter. Your approach to applying for jobs can be improved.
By choosing an area for improvement and trying again with your next application, you can grow closer to not only landing a job but also realizing how your personality and work history make you stand out to an employer.
4. Always Ask for Feedback
You should always ask a prospective employer for input as part of your ongoing development. Also, you can learn the main rationale for the choice if you follow up with the employer after being rejected.
You can use this insightful feedback to help you craft future applications and direct your job search toward companies and openings that are more suitable for you. The insights you get from asking for feedback can help you make key changes to ensure you get the next job.
You may also find that many rejections are due to an issue with your application. The feedback you get shows that the position could have been a better fit with your skills and background or that a better-qualified candidate applied.
This feedback can help you refine your process of selecting the next vacancy to maximize your chances of success.
5. Systematize Your Experience
Luck can play a significant role in the job application process. While you can’t expect to control every aspect of your application, with enough attempts and requests for feedback, you may start noticing a pattern.
When you systematize your experience by keeping track of which positions you applied for and what areas of your experience you’ve highlighted, you can start seeing repeated feedback from potential employers.
This helps you understand if you need to gain more experience or take a course to learn a specific skill. It’s possible that you’re conducting your job search at a difficult time of the year or that bigger economic and industry trends are affecting your chances of getting an interview.
By keeping a record of your application process and feedback, you can figure out what factors may be holding you back in your search. A key change in your approach helps you secure a job or even find a position that pays better than you expected.
6. See it as a Blessing in Disguise
Many recruiters and hiring managers talk about a candidate-job fit. This is a healthy way to view your relationship with your potential employer. Rather than trying to measure up or prove your worth, you’re exploring whether you’re a good fit for the job and whether the job and the employer are a good fit for you.
Getting a job and finding out too late that you won’t enjoy the work environment or the work can significantly inhibit your career development. Sometimes, not getting the job can be the best thing for you as you’ll have avoided working in an environment that wasn’t right for you.
By seeing this positive aspect of your rejection, you can feel more confident and secure in yourself when applying for the next opportunity. If you spend too long in a job that doesn’t fit you well, the experience you do get may hinder your career growth.
7. You’re More Valuable Than a Job
Success looks different to everyone. The impact of being rejected for a job usually comes down to your emotional response. By learning to dissociate your sense of self-worth from your employment status, you allow yourself to be free to build a more successful career long-term.
Concentrate on the aspects of your application that you can control and let go of the emotional impact of the job on your sense of self-worth. By doing so, you’re also practicing resilience, an important soft skill in any career.
Learning to endure and gain experience from difficult situations gracefully can help you achieve a greater degree of life satisfaction, both in your personal life and your career. Resilient employees make for inspiring leaders and can help a team navigate through hardships.
When you train yourself to feel less personal disappointment in the face of rejection, you’re creating valuable skills that may help you move forward with your career faster.
8. Develop Your Strengths
It’s normal to feel depressed after being rejected but keep in mind that you still have positive traits and strengths that you may highlight in your next application. You weren’t insufficient just because someone else was hired, and you weren’t.
Right now, you might not be the best fit. Be explicit about your contributions; if it helps, put them in writing so you can remember them before the next interview. Play to your strengths by highlighting your skills to the interviewer and providing instances of your success in previous roles.
Interviewers appreciate it when you can speak well of yourself and have faith in your skills. Use your rejection and build resilience from it. Pairing this with the strengths you already possess will help you stand out in your next interview, so be tenacious, dust yourself off, and pick yourself up stronger than before.
9. Remember to Give Back
While this may sound counter-intuitive, dealing with adversity through empathy and charity can often help put your disappointments into perspective. If you’re having a tough time finding a job, consider volunteering for a cause that’s important to you. This is one great way to deal with job rejection.
By providing value to others and maintaining connections with a community, you may have an easier time overcoming the negative feelings of rejection. Being connected to the local community through volunteering can also directly contribute to you finding your next job.
Networking is an important aspect of finding opportunities and getting hired. By volunteering in your local community, you’re actively expanding your network while showing desirable personality traits to potential employers.
It’s not uncommon for people to get a tip about an upcoming job opening through friends or acquaintances before the job is officially advertised. Get to know your fellow volunteers, network, and find ways to practice valuable skills in your volunteer position.
By doing something productive without expecting a salary, you might find a skill that you’ll genuinely enjoy applying in your next job.
Conclusion
There are many ways to handle job rejections and perfect your application techniques to ensure you have the best possible chance of landing the job.