Rejection is never an easy feeling to deal with. Knowing that, for one reason or another, you did not make the cut is a very obvious blow to your ego, and if you keep hearing that you aren’t a good match for the companies that you applied for, it can quickly become an easy path to desperation, depression, and despair. It is no secret that times are tough, and for those who have been unemployed for the long term, they are even tougher.
Many news stories have gone into detail about people who have given up trying to find a job simply due to all the rejection that they faced. This is an understandable reaction, but it is not a reaction that you should allow yourself to have. If you want to get a job, you will have to keep positive and roll with the punches.
Things to Remember
Some of the most successful, famous people on this planet have faced extreme loads of rejection. Many of them have even been rejected for jobs, contracts, and offers thousands of times. For example, KFC’s owner Colonel Sanders had over 1,000 restaurants reject his recipe for fried chicken before one restaurant decided to take him up on his offer. Winston Churchill was defeated in all of the political office races that he ran until he became the UK’s Prime Minister. Even when comedian Jerry Seinfeld first took the stage, comedy club goers booed and jeered him off the stage. Did those heavy-handed rejections cause any of them to stop trying? Of course not, and that’s why they are where they are. You shouldn’t give up because of the rejections you faced either.
It’s also important to remember that nothing stays permanent in life unless you make it impossible to change. As much as you may feel like you are permanently unemployed, the fact is that you will only stay permanently unemployed if you stop looking for work. If you keep searching, eventually the trend will change and you will end up finding a job. When you quit trying to find work, work will stop trying to find you, too.
Change is the name of the game in the job hunting world. The economy will not stay the way it is forever, and it’s important to remember that as well. It may change for the better, or it may change for the worse, but the only way that you can change your life for the better will be to seize the day and try to make your situation change for the better.
When you are really feeling the blow of all the knock backs of the job hunting world, you need to remember that all those blows are just temporary. If you keep applying to jobs, and if you keep a positive mindset, you will eventually find a way out of the hole that you are in. Change is a natural part of life, so if you are worried about the changes that you are seeing, take a deep breath, and figure out a plan that will make change become a positive thing for you.
When receiving the news that you were unsuccessful for a job, have the courage to ask for some feedback, what was it particular that let you down, was it a lack of skills, experience or qualifications or was it you didn’t interview so well. If you ask for feedback every time you get a knock back you might see a theme appear from each application or interview that you can then work towards attending to. The more interviews you do, you will get better at them, however the only way to improve your skills, experience and qualifications is to gain them. Sometimes we need to make ourselves more employable.
For further practical advice and information on getting your dream job, read our articles on transferrable skills, resume placement and what employment agencies don’t tell you. Also be sure to check out our eBook for a step by step guide to help you apply for your dream job without losing your mind.
