How to Handle Job Rejection
No one enjoys getting rejected for any job, and if you’ve done tons of preparation for a role that you really wanted, it can be hard getting turned down for it.
Whether you had your heart set on getting the job or weren’t even sure you wanted to get hired; it still hurts to hear that you’ve been turned down.
It can be extremely hard to cope with job rejection when it happens repeatedly but that’s not an unusual experience for job seekers. Remember that in most cases, there are perhaps many applicants for one job opening. Even if you’re extremely qualified, you will be rejected more often than you’ll get the job.
To achieve your goal of finding that dream job and getting hired, you would have to find out how to deal with being turned down. Otherwise, it’s easy to let a momentary setback become a serious career roadblock.
There is a better way to handle rejection and that is operating with a resilient mindset. Resiliency involves meeting challenges or setbacks with a constructive approach and taking the opportunities that were created when things don’t go as planned. Resilient people keep a positive, adaptable attitude when faced with challenges. To become resilient, you must understand that success and rejection go hand-in-hand and that you cannot advance or make headway if you always play it safe.
Its really hard not to take rejection personally but at some stage in the job search process, there is a likelihood that you’ll be turned down for a position.
It’s never a fun experience but the right thing to do is to turn a negative event into a positive one and understand the way to go about job rejection in order to remain at top of your game.
But with the right mindset, you can turn this horrible experience into a career development opportunity.
Job rejection can bring on negativity
Being rejected after an interview can dent your confidence. Rejection, though unpleasant, can be blown out of proportion and viewed as a sign of failure.
As humans, we will be more impacted by negative events instead of positive or neutral events. This being the case, it’s often easy to blow a job rejection out of proportion.
However, by thinking objectively, candidates can use it to build on their core strengths, address development points and ultimately find a job that suits them best.
Therefore, after an initial outpouring of frustration, it’s important to let the negativity go. Pent-up frustration won’t help your continuing search for a new job. Remember, if you got as far as the interview stage, you’ve done extremely well. Many candidates wouldn’t have progressed that far.
Most importantly, don’t dismiss the organization altogether. It is possible you’ll want to reapply for another position there so don’t burn any bridges.
Get over the rejection
The first step in getting over rejection by a prospective employer involves sharing the frustration, disappointment, and anger that follows any loss of any kind. Talk to a friend or family member and vent your feelings in a confidential setting.
Venting is a really useful process of letting go of negativity and moving on.
Just make sure that you pick your supporters well. The right person to share your feelings with is someone who won’t become a future employer or colleague. Even though your feelings are understandable, you don’t want them to form a nasty impression on someone who might evaluate your candidacy for a job in the future. Loved ones or family members are a good choice, as well as longtime friends who’ve been with you through good times and bad.
And whatever you do, resist the urge to say anything demeaning to the interviewer. You never know whether you might probably want to apply to the organization in the future. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly why an applicant was rejected, and it could be that you were over-qualified. If that’s the case, the hiring manager may come up with a better job offer at a later day.
Taking the time to reply to a rejection with a follow-up email can help your chances for other roles within the organization.
Again, it’s important to acknowledge that the job market is quite competitive, and lots of talented applicants are rejected often thanks to that fact. It is likely that the hiring manager is not actually rejecting you, but rather saw another applicant as a better fit. Because hiring decisions are typically subjective, it is possible that another person in the recruitment committee might have chosen you.
Also, keep in mind that maybe the hiring manager was right, and this job wasn’t the best fit for you, and you wouldn’t have been happy in the role or performed your best. In that case, the company did you a favor by not giving you the job.
Stay positive
Maintaining a positive attitude is a crucial part of handling job rejection. Sustain a solid outlook by treating yourself, meeting with friends, maintaining personal interests that make your life fill fulfilled outside work and exercise and it can be a great way to clear your head.
Remember too, you’re not the only one. The reality is that the number of individuals turned down for jobs often outweighs those that receive them. Focus on a subsequent opportunity because it could take you a step closer to your dream job.
At the very least you ought to feel you’ve learned something through the interview process. We all learn from our experiences, and job interviews are not any different.
However, if you did the best of your ability, demonstrated all your relevant expertise, displayed your competencies, and communicated in your most engaging manner in a job interview but were still denied the offer, then you can take comfort from knowing that it was the wrong organization for you.
You may still be restless until you have gotten a logical explanation for the rejection. Thorough feedback might not be provided, as applicants are often rejected due to a hiring manager’s gut feeling despite meeting most of the requirements. Instead of focusing on your disappointment, keep your mind fixed on other opportunities. If you discover you’re facing rejection continually then use it as a way to become resilient. But make sure that you take action to change any personal shortcomings you get from feedback.
Remember that it’s part of the process
It’s a known fact you’re not going to get every job you apply for, no one does but coming to terms with this knowledge and learning to take rejection as a part of the life process will help build your mental and emotional skills.
Think about the feedback you got from past rejections, appraisals, and the like. Are there any recurring issues? What should your career development goals be?
Make a note of any issues that you have to do something about, and use them as a guide to how you approach your preparation next time.
Depending on the issue you discover, there could be some training you can participate in to help you develop or you can work harder on some of your answers to interview questions and find someone to practice them with.
Practice self-awareness
Consider how you present yourself to others and take the time to reflect on your approach to the interview process to ascertain if there’s anything you’ll have to improve upon. Use this opportunity to review your resume, cover letter, what happened during the interview, and your follow-up after the interview for areas that could be improved.
Given what you learned about the work requirements and candidates involved, ask yourself if you would have done something differently in order to present yourself in a good light and one that made you seem like a better match for the job.
Think about how you answered key interview questions, and whether you highlighted your experience well. Then put the experience to good use and try to do your best in your next interview.
Address the issues
The most common reason for being rejected is a lack of technical know-how. To change this you need to revise answers to technical questions in detail or you may need to pursue further qualifications. You should always make sure that you obtain feedback post-interview from your interviewer.
Another reason for rejection is the interview style. Interviews make most job applicants nervous. After all, you are being interrogated and the slightest miscommunication or, even worse, the mood of the hiring manager, can mess up your chances.
Job applicants know there are so many external factors influencing the hiring process but excellent preparation, coupled with the capacity to think on their feet, can help them ace the interview.
Whatever is the reason for rejection from one organization there’s how it can be improved upon and transformed into a reason for acceptance at another.
Narrow your search
The job market is getting more competitive by the day but be highly selective with where you apply. Don’t be afraid to turn down opportunities pitched to you as perfect if you feel they are not right. If you feel you are suitable, research the job, the organization, its culture, and the team members you’ll be working with to measure how appropriate you are before accepting an interview. It is also advisable to read the profiles of those interviewing you on LinkedIn.
Focus on your strengths and build stronger job esteem
There will be areas where people can improve, but remember that you are bringing your own unique value proposition and passions to the role. Focusing on these can provide the renewed energy and momentum you would need to seek out the opportunity that’s right for you.
Create an inventory of your strengths, accomplishments, and key contributions you’ve made to your previous workplaces, and develop key stories about times when you overcome an obstacle where you worked. Not only will this reaffirm your value as an employee, but it can also come in handy for your next job interview.
Remember, while rejection might be hard to bear, it’s really a chance to find out more about yourself and improve on your job search process for the future.
Build resilience
In today’s rapidly changing workplace, as technologies accelerate and organizations transform themselves with great agility, developing a mindset of grit and resilience is essential for long-term success.
See each rejection as a challenge to grow both your self-understanding and your ability to recover and face disappointment. Overcoming obstacles on your career path will increase your opportunity of getting the right job. So make some effort at being constructive, and do all you can to prepare for subsequent opportunities.
After all, getting turned down happens to everyone, the most important thing is what you learn from the experience.
Gain feedback
Asking for and taking note of feedback is the most important thing you can do when faced with rejection. Self-analysis alone won’t paint the entire picture of why you weren’t the proper person for the role.
So start by gathering all the feedback you can from the interviewer and if the feedback feels generic or superficial, don’t be afraid to ask for a more detailed assessment.
This can be difficult, but it’s essential for your development. Make the interviewer aware of how important getting feedback is to you, as this may show them how committed you’re to self-development and should convince them that attitude can be just as important as ability.
A follow-up email immediately after an interview is the best way, it shows professionalism and interest in the position. Most applicants won’t do that, so you’ll be separating yourself from the competition. You should also state within the email that you welcome any positive or negative feedback because you take each interview as a learning experience. This will encourage a more detailed response. Once received, take any feedback with an open mind and make the relevant improvements.
Review and reflect
Once you’ve had an opportunity to come to terms with the hiring manager’s decision, it may be tempting to brush the experience aside and never consider it again. But that might be to pass up on an important learning opportunity.
There is always room to enhance your skills, so use any setbacks to make changes in these areas.
Feedback also can help you know that rejection is out of your hands and may even be in your interest.
Maintain your momentum
Job applicants often lose momentum with their search while waiting to hear if they landed a job as it is tempting to place their job search on hold while they wait, especially if they think they nailed the job interview. Don’t fall into that trap. It’s important to put your job search in motion until you have accepted a role as it’s never a good idea to stop looking until you’ve been offered and accepted a job offer.
Until you’ve got something in writing, carry on with your job search. Continue to stay in-tuned together with your network of professional contacts and maintain contact with your recruitment professionals. This sort of proactive approach builds your confidence, and also helps to stop you from banking on a role that doesn’t land in your lap.
Finding other options, and receiving positive responses from interviewers, will soften the blow if you’re rejected but handling rejection is never easy but it does offer valuable opportunities to discover more about yourself and enhance your job search techniques. Good things are always worth expecting, and with persistence and a positive outlook, your dream job might be just around the corner.
You might also find a far better offer, no matter whether you land this particular job.
So, keep applying, networking, and dealing with your long-term career plan. Best-case scenario, you’ll be a good more attractive candidate for the work you’re considering. Worst-case scenario, you won’t need to start from scratch with a brand-new search.
Refine your search
Sometimes the interview and/or feedback process can make you realize that, although it’s disappointing to be rejected, the role didn’t, on reflection, feel like quite the right fit for you either.
Look back over the job description and ask yourself if you could truly see yourself in that role on a day-to-day basis. If there were aspects of the role that didn’t excite you, the hiring manager may have been able to see this too.
Use your experience to refine your future job searches.
In summary, job search rejection happens to everyone. It’s what you do next that counts. So use this opportunity to perfect your interviewing skills and analyze your approach.
Feel free to vent but choose the right support system and don’t say anything negative to the interviewer or anyone who might report back to the hiring manager.
Don’t lose your momentum in the process and even when things look promising with one employer; don’t stop your job search until you’ve got an offer in hand.
Keep in mind also that the hiring manager may be doing you a favor and the job might truly be a bad fit for you … or you could get a call later on for a far better position at an equivalent organization.
