Career Advice

How To Handle Rejection In Your Job Search

Job seekers will experience rejection at some point. Despite this, we usually don’t keep going when we experience rejection. When we find ourselves in victim mode, we feel defeated and hopeless. Here are six tips to help you stay out of victim mode and find the courage to continue the job search.

1. Expect Rejection

Rejection is one of the challenging parts of job hunting. It is something that you can automatically expect to happen. No matter how qualified you are or how fantastic the interview was, rejection is always possible. Do not allow the possibility of rejection to stop you from acing an interview or applying for your dream job. It is a possibility, not a promise. Go into your job hunt with optimistic but realistic views. This will make it easier to handle rejection if it happens.

2. It’s not personal

Do not take it personally when a potential employer does not extend an invitation to you—often, hiring committees interview dozens of potential candidates, many with the same qualifications. If you are not chosen, it simply means that someone else worked out better. Not that there was anything wrong with you.

3. Stay positive

During a job search, it is essential to stay positive. Your mindset matters and can reflect in a job interview. When times seem rough, it is easy to get wrapped up in the idea that you might not ever get a job. This is a rabbit hole you want to be careful not to fall into.

4. Don’t give up

Do not let rejection prevent you from applying to new job opportunities. Keep applying to new job openings, and the one that is right for you will work out! Along with your positive attitude, do not give up.

5. Ask for constructive feedback

If you find yourself being rejected repeatedly, it might be beneficial to ask your interviewer for feedback. If you do not know what you are doing wrong, you will never be able to fix the issue. Try asking a trusted peer to review your resume and have a practice interview to prevent rejection.

6. Change the way you think about rejection

Rejection is not this horrible thing that it is brought up to be. Rejection is an opportunity for you to learn and grow. With rejection comes resilience. Another perspective to view rejection is that it was not meant to be. You would not be rejected if a job opportunity was meant for you. Everything happens for a reason, and if you are denied one job, it probably means that a better one is in your future.

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