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How to Handle Job Rejections and Turn It to Your Advantage
Are you applying for jobs but not getting any call-backs? Have you given up even looking for work? Well, don't give up yet. Here are some tips that may help turn the tables around in your favour when you get an inevitable no.
1) Take a moment to analyze the situation.
Sometimes, it's easy to make assumptions about the reason behind why we didn't get called in for an interview or why our resume isn't catching anyone's eye.
The best way to deal with rejection is to ask yourself what went wrong and take action before applying again (if needed). Pinpointing mistakes you made, rather than taking every possible outcome personally, will allow you to improve on them moving forward instead of giving up altogether.
2) Get off your pity pot and get busy.
There's no time like the present to learn something new, meet someone who can help you in the future, or begin networking. The more involved you are with your professional life, the better you will find a proper job.
3) Don't Give Up.
Don't give up on finding work even if you've applied at 20 places and didn't even get an interview with any of them -- keep applying. It's not unheard of to apply to 100 jobs and still not find anything. If that's happened to you, it only means that just because one company doesn't see your worth, another one will. Job searches typically take months, so there is plenty of time for more of your applications to be reviewed.
4) Don't compare yourself with others.
Don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself with others on social media. We all know how our friends appear to live charmed lives on FB, IG, and Twitter -- but their reality is almost always very different than that shown online. Keep your head up and continue to apply for jobs even if you see others posting about having accepted an offer or getting a promotion. You never know what's happening behind the scenes in someone else's life, so don't let it bring you down.
5) Change something.
If it seems like no matter what you do, things are not working out the way you want them to -- change something. Job searching is a full-time job itself, so if it feels like you're spending hours and hours applying for jobs and companies aren't even looking at your resume -- take a breath and think: "What can I do differently?" Other options may include changing up your approach, targeting more companies or positions, or speaking with recruiters to find out if there is something they see as a red flag on your resume that could be preventing you from getting called in.
6) Don't go into denial.
Don't go into denial about why things didn't work out. If it's been a while since applying and you haven't heard anything back, don't think that the company must not have received your resume - instead, communicate with them. Send a polite follow-up email explaining who you are and how you got their contact information so you can find out where your application fell through the cracks.
7) Prepare for rejection
It's one thing to have had a bad experience being rejected once. Still, it has been shown over and over again that people who are repeatedly unsuccessful in their job searches begin to feel defeated -- and sometimes even depressed. Discouragement is even more common in young workers (who haven't built up much resilience yet). The key to success is when you get no response, or an outright no knows how to handle it before it happens, so you don't take it personally or let yourself get down about things not working out.
8) Don't give up on networking.
Asking for help from other professionals in our network may be the quickest path towards receiving referrals or finding a job lead. It can be challenging to put ourselves out there and ask for help, but it's often the most successful people who know how to reach out when they need it.
9) Get organized
Keep track of where you've applied, the status (did they receive it, interview, offer?), what you're doing to improve your job prospects, and any notes about each company you've contacted. This will help keep you sane during your job search and ensure that you're not duplicating efforts.
10) Be patient
Job searching is a long process that sometimes feels never-ending so try to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, and good things come to those who wait. The right job will come along when the time is right, so until then, keep your head up and keep applying.
We've all been there -- sending out resume after resume and not hearing a single response back. It can be frustrating and disheartening but don't give up just yet.
11) Don't take it personally.
It's easy to feel like we're not good enough when we're constantly being rejected, but remember that it's not about you as a person. Many factors go into whether or not someone is a good fit for a position, so don't let one rejection make you feel like you're not worth anything.
After any interview, you are often faced with the dreaded job rejection. Even if you thought the interview went well and it seemed like a match made in heaven, there is always that chance they will say no (and sometimes not even explain their decision). Much of how you handle this depends on your personality.
12) Look at the upside
Yes, it's frustrating, but what else could they have said? They didn't tell you you were unqualified or that you did a terrible job in the interview, and they didn't feel like you were the best fit for the position. So, try and focus on the positives- maybe you learned some great things from the interview process, and now you have more experience to put on your resume.
13) Take it as a learning opportunity.
Just because this company didn't want you don't mean you aren't a great candidate. Maybe there was something you could have done better in the interview, or perhaps you need to work on your networking skills. Use this as an opportunity to learn and grow so that next time, when another company comes knocking, you'll be ready.
14) Don't burn any bridges.
You never know when you might cross paths with your interviewer again. If you still have a positive relationship with them, keep in touch and stay professional. You never know when they may be able to help you down the road. Also, if other people were involved in the interview process, please do not bad-mouth them, and this will make it very hard for you to get a job in the future.
15) Don't feel discouraged.
I know this is easier said than done, but don't let yourself get hung up on what happened. Rather than losing sleep over it, go out there and celebrate that great news story that just came out or book a massage because it's been a while since your last one (this always makes me feel better.). You're only going to make yourself feel worse by dwelling on the job rejection, so try to take your mind off it.
Conclusion
Finally, if you want the job and think you could have rocked it, use this as motivation. Maybe you can send a follow-up email or even go back for another interview. Just don't give up.
I hope these tips will help you move on after a job rejection. It's never easy, but with a positive attitude, anything is possible. Good luck in your next job search.