So You Didn't Get The Job... Now What?!
Getting rejected from a job you wanted is kinda like never hearing back from a date you thought was ‘amazing’!
After the interview, you can’t stop thinking about how awesome you were—answering every question with ease and even making the interviewer laugh. And about how they asked you tons of questions and seemed really interested in learning more about you and what you could offer them! When decision day arrives, you clear your schedule to expect a congratulatory phone call, but instead receive a rejection email….or perhaps worse; no email at all.
Job rejection hurts (especially if you have really high hopes), as a consequence, lots of people slip into a rut of laziness and depression, doubting their existence (maybe that is a little hyperbolic). Once you go down that slippery slope, sometimes you don’t even make it past the application process! You could be so set at working at a specific company, that nothing seems to measure up and you just feel lost.
In fact, it’s how you handle rejection that defines who you are in your job search. While looking for a job is a lot like dating, it’s critical you learn to take rejection with a grain of salt (instead of 10 medium to large grenades).
Here are four ways you can diminish those emotionally charged, Negative Nancy feelings into positive life lessons that you can use to jump start your job search success!
1. Let it motivate you.
Don’t let rejection make you all depressed and angry. Instead, take a step back and try to let it motivate you to fix or change whatever is holding you back. Just because a few interviews didn’t work out for you, doesn’t mean you’re a total loser. One thing that is sure, is that there are always second, third and fourteenth chances to turn your luck around.
2. Seek out feedback.
If you get turned down for a job, you could start questioning where exactly you went wrong. However, in doing so, you might trick yourself into believing there was a problem with X, when the true reason you didn’t get hired was Y. Asking yourself ‘what-ifs’ will just kill your confidence and make you doubt yourself.
Contrary to what many job seekers think, It’s quite alright to ask an employer why you got rejected. More often than not, you’ll get an honest answer, which you can then use to improve your job search. What’s the worst thing they could say? If you don’t feel comfortable, ask the recruiter if you’re working with one.
3. Get support
Finding support after getting rejected not only gives you a shoulder to cry on during a tough time, but also can provide you with some insight and advice you never thought about before. It’s completely OK to get help from your family, friends, or even a professional after a painful rejection, and they can show you the brighter side of a dark situation.
4. Figure out what your passion is
It may seem like a scary thought, but if you don’t like what you’re doing, change it. It may take a series of rejections to figure out that you’re not cut out for the career that you’re going after or that you want to be in. Unfortunately, some people work their entire lives in jobs they hate. Don’t live with like that. Use rejection to do a little soul-searching, and decide whether or not you’re going down the right career path.
If all else fails, take Chelsea Handler’s advice 🙂
