The Job Search Market is competitive and not for the faint heart, so it’s important you know how to handle rejection during your search. And yes, you will face rejection, whether it’s just from no response or an actual rejection email, you will face it.
Getting rejected is not the end of the line, and it surely does not mean that you are not good enough. But it can be painful anyway.
Here and today, we discuss how best to handle rejection and move on from it.
Before we get into that, though, there is something else we should touch on.
Rejection doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough it means the other person failed to notice what you have to offer
– Mark Amend
Understand it’s nothing personal
Although it will feel personal, understand that people are just trying to live their lives the best way they know-how. Sometimes that knowledge is limited.
Hiring managers, recruiters, and companies have to go through many applications to make what they believe is the best choice. They are under a lot of pressure to come up with the best candidate, and they can sometimes miss some things.
Thus, know that they did not reject you. They just chose someone else over you – for reasons best known to them.
Ask the ‘Why’
When you receive your rejection email, that is an opportunity for growth also.
Reach out to the hiring manager/ department to appreciate them for their time in reviewing your candidacy. Follow up on that with a request on why they might have dropped you.
This way, you can find out what skills they feel you might be lacking, what your resume is missing, and more. Such actionable feedback allows you to grow faster and become a better candidate in the future.
Positivity is Key
You are obviously in the market for a new role if you are applying for a job. Don’t let one rejection put you out of the market.
Remember that a lot of other candidates would have been rejected when you do get a job.
Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, be happy someone else was able to get out of the terrible job search market. Keep applying to the roles that appeal to you and are within your skillset, and you’ll get that position soon enough.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
One of the reasons why rejections hurt a lot is all the hopes you have invested in that position.
When candidates are being considered for a role, it is not uncommon that they stop applying to other positions. By the time the application process is well underway and they get dropped, the different roles they didn’t apply to will not be available anymore. Such a situation can aggravate the feeling of rejection.
Maintain your application momentum even when one role seems to be clicking through. Until you have something concrete in writing, the application and hiring process can still go anyway.
It is much better to have two roles that you can pick from than rest all of your hopes on one position that doesn’t come through.
Why no start here? Jump Recruits has a variety of employers looking to hire qualified candidates for their company.