Rejection from a job can be difficult, especially if you want to enter a competitive job market. It’s important not to let a job rejection discourage you from seeking other opportunities. It can make you angry and sap your motivation and desire to continue interviewing for other job opportunities. In this blog, we’ve compiled some advice on handling job rejection and using the learnings from it to improve yourself and prepare for future career opportunities.
Overcoming Job Rejection: Tips and Strategies
- Try to Stay Positive
Maintaining a positive perspective is important while dealing with job rejection. You need to have a positive mindset and keep rewarding yourself with good actions. It can be quite helpful to continue your daily routines, meet with friends, keep up a hobby that fills your life outside work, and exercise regularly. Keep in mind that you are not alone. Concentrate on the upcoming opportunity because it can bring you closer to your dream job.
- Do not take it Personally
Examine the bigger picture. The truth is that not every job you apply for will be offered to you. When you hear “No,” give yourself time to process your thoughts. Talk it out with a friend (someone who is not a co-worker) before you lose it or lash out at the nearest potted plant. Give yourself time to relax. Try to meditate or listen to music, to release some stress and prevent it from piling up. Understand that getting rejected from a job doesn’t mean you are not capable.
- Ask for Feedback
Asking for feedback might be intimidating since we don’t always appreciate hearing what we need to improve on. The most important thing to do after a rejection is to reflect on what happened and what you can learn from it. You can email the recruiter/hiring manager and request detailed feedback and use the feedback to revise your resume or enroll in a short course to fill any gaps in your skill set.
- Refine your Search
Sometimes you might feel that the job you are applying for isn’t the right fit for you. Apply for the job that motivates and interests you and analyze if you see yourself in that role every day. Use your experience to help refine the job search. Ask yourself the right questions while applying for jobs. Are you perhaps looking at keywords that don’t quite match your goals and objectives? Did the role that went with the job title not match your expectations? Did the interview make you realize this is not the right job for you? And if not, then what is?
- Focus on your Strengths
It’s very simple for your mind to drift to a hostile, self-critical place when you’re rejected. You may certainly benefit by concentrating on your strengths. Explore methods to emphasize your strengths on your resume and in job interviews. There will always be room for improvement for each of us, but remember you bring your special talent and passion to the table. By concentrating on your strengths, you can regain the motivation and enthusiasm you need to obtain your dream job.
- Build a Personal Development Plan
When faced with job rejection, reflecting on the experience and identifying areas where you can improve is important. To handle a job rejection, you can build a personal development plan by setting specific goals with a timeline, seeking resources, taking action, and staying motivated. For example, if you need to improve your public speaking skills, you could set a goal of attending a public speaking workshop or joining a local Toastmasters Club. By focusing on personal development, you can turn a job rejection into an opportunity for growth and self-improvement, boosting your confidence and increasing your chances of landing a job.
- Review & Reflect
If you keep striking out, it may be time to self-reflect.
Thinking about the feedback you received, go through everything, from the way you prepared and researched through to your interactions in the interview including any follow-ups. If the process took place in stages, rank your performance for each part and determine where there is room for improvement. You could connect with someone to ask for their honest suggestions and feedback. Ask yourself; What could I have done differently? There is always room for improvement, so use any setbacks to shine a light on these areas.
- Keep your Options Open
Having your heart set on a certain job can be tempting but keeping your options open increases the chances of actually getting a job. While waiting to hear back from the interviewer, keep sending out other applications as well. If rejected from a job that you wanted, analyze what it was about the role that caught your attention and look for similar specifics in other job listings.
- Come Back Stronger
Learning from your past failure is important to achieve success in the future. Job rejection can be difficult sometimes, but the most important factor is overcoming the grief and coming out of it stronger. You can work on the feedback received from the previous company, hone your skills, and try to learn some new skills which will help you in your new role. Work on your resume and learn some interview tricks. Staying positive and being patient is very efficient in the process of handling rejection.
- Understand that you are not Alone
In today’s dynamic world, where new technologies are emerging continuously and competition is at its peak, it is important to understand that many people might have met with rejection. Therefore, it is important to understand that you are not alone. The best way to handle job rejection and prepare for the next interview is through learning from mistakes and experiences. Connecting with others who have faced similar situations will help you overcome the rejection emotionally. They can also share their personal experience of handling and processing their emotions.
Moving Forward After Job Rejection
It can be challenging to apply for jobs and even more difficult to be rejected. Nevertheless, what happens after receiving the rejection is important because it can affect how other opportunities may pan out in the future. If you don’t take the time to re-evaluate yourself, your emotions, and your skillset to ensure that you go into the following interview as a stronger candidate than you did before, you will be doing yourself a disservice. In addition, if you don’t put in the work and the time to regroup and come back better prepared and more motivated, it can lead to more job rejections. By honing your skills, you will be better prepared to blow away your competition and land the role you always wanted.
iQuasar provides internships, mentoring, and coaching sessions to candidates to help them fill the skill gap and we also provide timely feedback to candidates so they can work on their areas of improvement.