- A hiring email that you’ve been waiting for never comes.
- Follow-up call that you’re told to receive never rings.
- Rejection email that lands in your inbox hits you like a brick on your head.
Dealing with job rejection is never fun. Consistent refusals are nerve-racking and can tank your confidence. It’s especially tough to deal with constant rejections when you’re struggling financially and have been carrying the hopes of your parents and loved ones. Bills are sitting on the table, rents and mortgage are piling up, and you’ve been vulnerable; it’s almost impossible to stay positive. The downfall can quickly spiral into a full-blown pity party. Here’re six ways to bounce back and cope with a rebuff.
1. You’re writing your success story
Dealing with job rejection is the process of finding a job. It’s fair; many CEOs and successful businesspeople went through similar situations in their lives. That’s why they have got their inspirational stories to tell.
Billionaire and founder of Alibaba group Jack Maa applied for 30 jobs after college. What could be happened, any guess?
Yes, he got rejected in all. Recalling his past, Maa said that 24 candidates applied at KFC. Out of 24, 23 were hired, and he was the only one who went back unemployed. “You have to get used to failure,” he says, speaking at the University of Nairobi.
The best and worst thing about the time is that it’ll pass, regardless of whether this is good or bad for you as of now. So being in your worst, keep yourself telling that one day, you’ll be remembering this time that made you strong and provided you a platform to take off.
2. Get easy on yourself
It’s normal that after rejection, you can feel like crap. When you have been beaten down in several interviews, these failures can attract negative emotions of bitterness, resentment, and hopelessness. It’s critical that you take a couple of days off, recover from destructive emotions, regain your objectivity and confidence, and bounce back harder and stronger.
During recovery, give margin to yourself. There could have been an internal candidate who got a promotion, and the job may have been placed on hold. Or even worse, The senior vice director’s niece got hired. After all, this is the corporate world, and the connections can come into play.
On the other side, take a holistic approach. Rejection doesn’t mean that the hiring manager may not like you. It could be your technical qualifications, skillset, attributions, or interview experience that didn’t correspond to the required role. There is nothing much on your part. You can’t do anything about this. It’s an intensive competition, and hundreds of applicants applied for the same vacancy. Understandably, only one of them can be hired, so who knows that you were pretty close and just a foot behind from the winning line. That’s okay. It was a learning experience that will increase your chances in the future hunt.
If nothing works, just believe in the divine power. God must have planned something better for you, and your time hasn’t come yet. At the moment, you’re the right person at the wrong place. Let it pass, and you’ll thrive when luck goes in your favor.
3. Reconsider your approach
Once you repair your emotions and regain your objectivity, it’s time to ponder what’s going wrong. Why are you receiving constant job rejections? Is that something you can improve?
Refer back to the conversations that you had during the interviews. What are the similar things that you did in all the interviews? For instance, you might have responded in the same when answering “tell us about yourself?”. Perhaps your answers aren’t that good. Figure out areas where you need to improve. Ask hiring managers for their feedback. Based on their responses, identify fault lines and work on those to be better prepared for future opportunities.
Another way to get better is to share your presentation style with trusted friends and instructors. Give them mock interviews. Make your elevator pitch a killer. Enact the essential changes in your responses based on the constructive criticism and feedback provided by friends, instructors, and hiring managers.
4. Readjust your résumé and social media profiles
Consider various factors as well. For instance, what’s your résumé conversion rate? If you applied for 30 jobs, did you receive interview calls for at least 3 jobs? This makes your résumé conversion rate 10% (3 out of 30). Evaluate the good conversion ratio based on your industry competitiveness, friends’ experiences, and job competition. Figure out ways to improve the résumé conversion ratio. More interviews mean more chances and a higher probability of pulling your dream job.
Readjusting your résumé is a single element; watch out for your social media profiles, in particular LinkedIn. Is that up-to-date? Do the skills you’ve highlighted in your LinkedIn profile match the jobs you’re applying for? What are you posting on your social media profiles, specifically on LinkedIn? Your social media posts must be positive, insightful, and valuable. Hiring managers understand a lot about you through your social media profiles, and their decision is also significantly influenced by this aspect.
5. Networking strategy
Let’s face it. In today’s corporate world, if you have strong networking, your chances of getting hired or promoted are immensely increased. Even after getting hired, you must have a strategy for this specific area. Give a boost to your LinkedIn profile by adding relevant persons in your industry as connections, be sure to post valuable comments on their articles and posts, and engage with them through inbox chat when appropriate.
For example, when you receive a rejection email, reach out to the interviewer, thank them for their time, and appreciate them for giving insight into the company. Professionally communicate that you’re disappointed to have not been offered the role. However, you’re excited to see how the organization develops, and also, you would like to be interested in future opportunities within the organization that may become soon.
Don’t hesitate to request their feedback on what you did well, which are the areas that you need to work on, and highlight that you take constructive criticism as an opportunity to grow. You’ll leave the interviewer with a solid impression of yourself (many candidates fail to do so). Thus with a little extra effort, you open the possibility of being considered for another role in the future.
Actively participate in the job expo, seminars, and corporate events. Listen to HR experts and focus on rapport building. Expand your network, and this will open you to those opportunities that are normally not published.
6. Job search depression
The feeling that you have been turned down in job interviews is notoriously overwhelming. The struggle of a job search can leave you rejected, stressed, anxious, and dejected. You spend hours upon hours polishing your résumé, writing cover letters, and filling out applications, only to find that you get rejection after rejection. After some time, the constant influx of rejection can lead to severe depression.
Consequently, you might have to deal with job search depression and anxiety. Yes, it’s for real. And you’re not alone.
A survey by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of job seekers felt like they lost a piece of their identity during the job hunt process. 56% said they experienced more emotional or mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. Another 41% told they’ve had more conflicts or arguments than usual with family and friends.
The next big question is how to handle job search depression?
Career coaches can help you deal with this challenge. A few career experts offer free counseling and will listen to your concerns and goals. They’ll also equip you with the skills to cope with the stress of the job search.
In addition, concentrate on your daily tasks instead of dwelling on your depression. For example, if you’re focusing on making phone calls to health insurance providers, fixing your car, and straightening up your room, you’re far more likely to achieve these goals. And the more you focus on daily activities, the better you’ll feel about yourself and your situation.
If you have a passion for a certain activity, it might be a good idea to get involved in it. For instance, make your fitness goals, go to the gym, play with your pet and read books, visit friends, and so on so forth. Volunteering can also be a great way to develop your skills, make new contacts, and deal with the depression of job search.
Takeaways
Build resilience. Today’s job market is extremely competitive. Technologies are evolving rapidly, and companies are transforming themselves with great agility. You need to lift up your skill set, elevate your qualifications to meet the dynamic standards, and, most critically, stay positive while facing every challenge, including job rejections, promotion delays, and salary deductions.
Getting tired of job rejection is the part of finding your dream job. See each setback as an opportunity to get mentally tough. Invest your time in learning, preparing, and getting better. Take part in various online courses and talk to professional people. That’s how you
Fight back to job search depression and create opportunities for yourself to find the right role.
