How To Handle a Job Rejection by Hardeep Kaur
You’ve left University, everything is running smoothly and you think you’re finally getting somewhere with your career. Then out of nowhere you get slapped with a job rejection, leaving you feeling like all of your hard work was for nothing. It could have been an exciting new job (finally getting some REAL responsibility) or a summer internship – but the failure feels just as crappy. We all have to go through it, so here are some tips on how to handle a job rejection…
(1) Get your emotions out – Inevitably after a job rejection you’re going to be angry or upset – let it all out but just make sure you don’t waste too much time being negative. Get back on the grind as soon as possible and turn that negative energy into something a bit more positive.
(2) Try to get feedback – A lot of companies say they can’t provide you with individual feedback from your job interview, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try! Just give them a quick call or drop an email – what do you have to lose anyway?
(3) Self-evaluate – If you can’t get feedback, do it yourself or ask someone to take a look at your approach. Keeping a log of all your applications can help you to see some of the cringe-worthy things that you have written in the past (e.g. lines like: “I am good at communicating” or referring to yourself in the third person). This might help you to see where you have been going wrong. Take the time to perfect your approach in order to build the best version of yourself for next time round.
(4) Learn – After seeing where you have been going wrong, don’t beat yourself up – just accept that this experience has been a learning curve. If you applied for a job well out of your league, make sure that next time you apply you have the skills you need.
(5) Be ruthless – One job rejection doesn’t mean game over, especially when it comes to work experience! just because the first person you email tells you that they’re not interested doesn’t mean that their colleagues won’t be either. Get your way into that law firm by contacting a range of employees and not just one.
(6) Stay positive – It’s hard to stay positive when your hopes and dreams have been dashed on the floor, but try to! Just think of it as a recipe – every step you take is another ingredient to add towards your winning formula.
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