Don’t Get Dejected After Being Rejected

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

So you’ve submitted your resume, gotten the interview, and weeks have passed with no offer. Assuming the hiring manager did not intend to contact candidate who were not moving on in the hiring process, it’s probably safe to assume that you are out of the running. (If you’ve been told that all candidates will be contacted, you should likely follow-up to check in on the progress of the decision.) It’s not a great feeling, that’s for sure, but you’re still in the middle of your career transition; you can’t afford to get down on yourself!
Unless you’re lucky enough to find the right job opening straight away, you’re likely to experience rejection at least once or twice during your job search, and you know what they say. When you fall off the horse, you should get right back up, again.

• Don’t take it personally. You should try not to base your professional worth on the results of one job application. An organization’s decision not to hire you is based on its specific needs, and just because the hiring manager decides that you do not fit those needs at the time of your application, that doesn’t invalidate your skills and talents in the least.
• Recognize your emotions. It’s perfectly normal to feel angry or frustrated in response to rejection, likely because you are hurt or your self-esteem is threatened. Allow yourself to express those feelings in a healthy way before moving on.
• Conduct a self-assessment. Take this opportunity to learn more about yourself and the process by asking questions like: Looking back, what would you have done differently? What have you learned about the position or industry from the interview process? What have you learned about the job search?
• Consult an expert. If you have major qualms about your resume, cover letter, interviewing skills, etc., and you think that improvement in those capacities will help your future efforts, get some professional advice from people like us, here at Careerminds.
• Keep moving. Make what changes you think need to be made to you application materials, consult your network for potential opportunities, and get out there. One rejection is just an opportunity to find something that’s more suitable for your qualifications and another company’s needs.

Rejection during a job search is just an inevitable reality. Most of us are not fortunate enough to be given an offer on our first try, so it’s important to remember that rejection happens to the best of us, but so does eventual success as long as you stay the course.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

Careerminds