“One of the most consistent traits among high sales achievers is their ability to bounce back from rejection and be relentless in their pursuit of the sale. Knock me down eight times, and I’ll get up nine.”
~ Entrepreneur Magazine, 2006
The attitude embodied in the quote above is well applied to the job seeker as well. But how can you not take rejection to heart? Rejection during the job search can be very discouraging. The job seemed perfect, the people were nice, the interviews went well. But they hired someone else. For most job seekers, rejection happens far too often and it can frequently be difficult to understand why.
Here are some ways to deal with it.
- Don’t let any job rejection destroy your confidence.
- Don’t take it personally.
- Leave the door open.
- Never say NO. Do not anticipate rejection.
- Analyze every failure but never wallow in it.
- Remember your past achievements.
Keep in mind that sometimes “no” isn’t the end. The Internet abounds with stories of people who have succeeded spectacularly at employers which originally rejected them.
Think about it this way — a better job is waiting for you.
Now, do these 2 things:
- Send a thank you note.
For NOT hiring you? Yes, if you may still want to work for them some day. Thank them for the opportunity to learn more about them and the organization. Ask them to keep you in mind for the next time they have an opening and to stay in touch.
2. Ask for feedback.
Do they see anything you do to improve and become a more viable candidate? If they respond, you could learn a lot from the process. One thing to remember regarding feedback — you never know what really goes into a final hiring decision and while feedback may be useful, it can often also be less than truthful as companies are very careful not to ever give feedback that could be used against them.
Meanwhile, look back over the process yourself, and see what you might learn from it. What do you think you could improve?
The bottom line is that there are probably things you could have done better, since no one is perfect and we all improve with practice. But try to think of every rejection as bringing you one step closer to that better job that is waiting for you, just around the corner.