How to Handle Job Rejection
If you want to know how to handle job rejection, you’re in the right place. According to Zety, the average corporate job listing attracts about 250 resumes. Out of those, only between 4 to 6 will actually get called in for an interview. Only one of all of those applicants will land the job.
New here? Welcome! I’m Toni and I’m here to help you get your dream job – with the salary, title, fulfillment, appreciation and balance you deserve.
I also have the following blogs to help you crush your job search:
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- Interview Questions – Master Answers to These Top 5 to Nail Your Next Interview
- Interview Question: Tell Me About Yourself
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So basically, getting rejected from some of the jobs you go after is all a part of the corporate career game. It happens frequently and to every single person regardless of their qualifications, skills, or rapport.
However, as much of a reality as this might be, there is no denying that coping with job rejection is not an easy thing to deal with for anyone. Especially when it repeatedly happens in such a competitive market.
All in all, getting rejected from jobs over and over again can certainly take a massive toll on your mental health and wellbeing.
It can lead to depression, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness. It can often provoke someone to give up on their job hunt altogether and remain stuck where they are. But the critical thing to recognize here is that your mind is a very powerful thing.
By adopting the right rejection coping approaches, you can learn how to effectively handle job search rejection. That way you can keep pushing forward towards success, all while keeping your self-esteem intact along the way.
Don’t Suppress Your Emotions About Being Rejected
First and foremost, you are 100% entitled to feel frustrated, sad, or angry about being rejected from jobs. It is only natural. You should take the proper time to wade through before jumping back into the job searching sphere again.
The reason why is because if you are feeling upset about being rejected and try to suppress those emotions, it is only going to lead you to burst due to the built-up tensions and stresses over time, thus provoking you to quit and/or look at yourself negatively.
More so, Healthline states that suppressing emotions can result in physical symptoms such as digestive issues, muscle pains, and tension. In short, allow yourself to work through your emotions/feelings on rejection. Also allow yourself to overcome/revitalize as you go instead of piling it on and combusting later.
Learn From Your Rejection
Next, transform your rejections into learning opportunities. You can do this by asking the employer for feedback on your interview presentation. It’s valuable to get insight on how you can improve yourself for next time.
Not only does this make you feel more productive with your rejections, but it will significantly help you land a job offer the next time around as you tighten up your approaches.
Furthermore, being proactive on this front will help you keep your momentum going, keep your self-esteem high as you continue to develop, and transform your views on rejection into seeing them as stepping-stones on your path rather than brick walls.
How to Handle Job Rejection – Don’t Take it Personally
Whatever you do, never take getting rejected from jobs personally. A large part of handling job search rejection is understanding that this is a very subjective process for employers. Sometimes they may feel that another candidate is a better fit (even ever so slightly) than you are for a variety of reasons.
It should never be seen as a personal offense to you or what you could potentially bring to a company because the bottom line is that it boils down to business.
Overall, it is highly unlikely that a hiring manager made a conscious vote against you and based their decision on the comparison of another candidate’s experience/qualifications and perhaps closer resonance with the company culture.
Don’t Forget About Your Strengths and Successes
When it comes to coping with job rejection, make sure that you keep your strengths and successes at the forefront of your mind. It is human nature to absorb more of the negative aspects of life than the positive ones. This can easily make those good qualities and accomplishments you’ve already done less important or valuable.
But being mindful of that risk and not allowing rejection to diminish your perspective on your strengths and career successes can keep you feeling good about yourself, your situation and confident that your future will be fine, as long as you don’t give up.
As a final tip here, some people like to do this mental exercise internally. Others find it helpful to write down their strengths and successes on paper to reflect on them tangibly.
How to Handle Job Rejection – Never Forget That You Are Not Alone
Never forget that you are not alone when it comes to rejection. You are also not alone when it comes to seeking ways to handle job search rejection.
That is an exceptionally common thing that happens within this ultra-competitive market. There are likely others who are feeling exactly how you are right now. With the average United States job search taking around 5 months (sourced by TopResume), job hunting is an incredibly fierce environment and filled with rejection across every corporate level and industry.
So, even if you feel like you are the only one taking a rejection hit, have some peace of mind knowing that is far from being the case.
Summary – Rejection Is Not The End
Let’s face it; rejection downright sucks. There is no sugar-coating that it is never fun to be rejected. It can have harmful impacts if you are not coping with job rejection healthily. If this sounds like you, the very first thing to remember is that you are not alone in this.
EVERYONE gets rejected from jobs in the corporate world on occasion. Even the big c-level professionals with decades of experience under their belts. But the important thing to remember is that no matter how many rejections you have faced thus far, it has no bearing on who you are as a person or your value. It just simply means you were not chosen for a specific position – nothing more, nothing less.
In summary, allowing rejection to hinder your progress will not help you mentally. Nor will it position you to land your dream job in the future.
Yes, rejection may be an unpleasant reality on the surface, but learning how to handle job search rejection and reprogramming your mind to see this as a learning opportunity is the very self-development approach that will keep you on track.
So, what do you do? You try to learn from rejection. Then you keep your head up. Finally, you keep pushing on. And you never lose your self-worth during the journey. In the end, your ideal job is out there and never allow rejection to inhibit you from seeing that.
Because in the wise words of Alexander Graham Bell, ‘when one door closes, another door opens.’
Career Mentor & Strategist
