No one likes to be rejected for a job. Rejection letters, emails or phone calls leave you depressed and shatter your confidence, no matter what stage you are at in the recruitment process.
And when you’re down and feeling disappointed you need to be extra careful not to pity yourself for too long. Truth is, feeling pity for yourself will only leave you miserable, moreover, it also holds you back from any future chance at success.
A helpful first step in dealing with a negative feedback is to actually reflect upon it. Talk to a friend, sister, brother, parent, spouse, coach, mentor or family member and share your feelings and emotions in a confidential setting. Then sleep over it and don’t jump immediately into action mode! Engage in activities that you excel at, so it provides a confidence boost. Take a walk in the park to clear your head, set a workout routine, watch an inspiring movie, listen to music or read books to put you in a better mood.
What next? How to cope and rebound from rejection once you calmed down and digested it?
Develop a resilient and mentally tough mindset. Mental toughness involves meeting setbacks with a constructive approach and focusing on the prospects created when things don’t go as planned. Resilient people keep a positive, adaptable attitude and mindset when faced with obstacles. To become resilient, you must understand that success and rejection go hand-in-hand, and that you simply cannot advance if you don’t take risks.
Rejection weighs so heavily precisely because our brains are hardwired to pay more attention to negative events than positive ones. You can respond to this natural tendency by reviewing your reality —or thinking about the other conditions that could have led to the rejection. For example, while you may think you were turned down because your CV wasn’t quite impressive enough, in reality the company could have made an internal hire or discontinued the job posting altogether.
If you receive one rejection after the other try to understand the reason (s) for it: Were you blindly applying for the job without reading the job description properly? Were your application documents complete? Are you over-qualified or not qualified for the role in question? What impression(s) do you think have you left during and after the interview? Were you prepared for the interview? Did you do your research about the company beforehand? Did the chemistry work out? Were you a cultural fit? Were you able to show why you are the right person for the job? If you can’t answer these questions then chances are you need to adjust your application approach. Any by all means do not hesitate to ask for a more detailed feedback if you think it could add value in refining your recruitment strategy.
Applicants and job seekers often lose motivation with their search while waiting to hear if they landed a job, especially if they think they outperformed during the job interview. Beware, it’s a trap! It's never a good idea to stop looking until you have been offered and accepted a position. Until you have something in writing, continue with your search. Keep on applying and networking…and don’t take it personal!
It’s a hard fact that you’re not going to land every job you apply for. No one does! Rejection is a constant part of our lives. Remember, while a job rejection might seem like the end of the world, it’s really an opportunity to learn more about yourself and improve for the future.
If you would like to tell me about your experiences then comment on it - I look forward to reading from you ...