How To Bounce Back From A Job Search Rejection?

You have probably heard the job search saying “Looking for a job is a full-time job”.

Whether the saying resonates with you or whether you find the saying as a cliché, the reality is that even the most confident person can find the job search challenging and overwhelming.  

If you are actively in a job hunt, you’ve probably had moments when you felt having too much on your plate. From writing and re-writing different versions of your CV, cover and thank you letters, changing your LinkedIn profile, completing lengthy and annoying online job applications every day without hearing back, reaching out to headhunters, preparing for job interviews, making research on who’s hiring, reaching out to your network, chasing recruiters for feedback…. The list can go on and on.

On the top of that you may have experienced different emotions and feelings, from high to low, and you may have found the job hunting stressful and nerve-racking.

The truth is, the job search requires discipline, good strategy, structure, dedication, focus, commitment, perseverance, resilience and the ability to bounce back.

While no one enjoys being rejected, rejection is part of the job search journey. Some people are more sensitive to rejection than others. Rejection can also become hard to cope with when it happens over and over again.   

Dealing with rejection is inevitable during the job hunting process. Feeling rejected can hurt on many levels and it makes us question ourselves.

So, how to handle and get over a rejection during your job search?

Here are my quick and easy tips on how to recover, rebound and move on. 

Rejection Is Not Against You Personally. It’s Not An Attack On You. Try To Understand Why. Ask For Feedback. Reflect, Assess And Improve. 

There are many reasons why a potential employer or recruiter may reject your application. Your salary requirements might be too high for the role, they may have changed the hiring plans or the position purpose, they may have decided to promote an internal candidate. There might be so many reasons.

The important thing is not taking the rejection personally. Rejection is not an attack on you. Ask for feedback. Some hiring managers will tell you with the rejection email why you didn’t get the role, others won’t. If you didn’t receive a feedback at the first instance, it doesn’t hurt to chase for it.

Take time to reflect on the feedback. What are the takeaways? Reflect objectively on which areas you felt you can improve. 

Re-evaluate Your Approach And Make Changes.

If you keep receiving rejections after the first interview stages and you find it difficult or even impossible to get invited into the second round of the interview process, it’s probably worth to re-evaluate your interview skills and techniques. You might have the right experience and relevant skillset for the job you’ve applied for but you might just not feel confident with selling yourself in a job interview and showcasing your strengths. Nothing to be shamed about. Practice makes perfect. Ask a friend or a family member to do a mock interview with you and ask for their feedback. If you have a mentor or a coach, ask for their help.

It’s Not Happening Only To You.  Accept The Fact That You Will Be Rejected. See The Rejection As The Opportunity For Improvements.

Clearly, everyone deals with job rejection in a different way. It is important to remember that rejection happens to all of us. It’s not happing only to you. Every job applicant is going through the same. Remind yourself that other job applicants are also experiencing the same feelings and emotions.

Accept the rejection as part of the game. Consider rejection as the opportunity to improve your approach and tactics, opportunity to change your job search strategy, practice and improve your interview skills. Take the positive side of the rejection and see it as a learning and experience journey that makes you more resilient.

In case you missed it….

If you want to excel in a demanding and competitive employment market and stand out among other contenders, join me on the 16th March 2021 at 6pm GMT for my Job Interview Mastery Bootcamp Online Live Course. For bookings and enquiries contact us at info@runwayexcellence.com.

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