Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Rejected for a Job?—Get Over It

Rejection is part of the process of applying for jobs. There are only two possible outcomes for each application—you get hired or you don’t. How qualified you are for a job is no longer an issue, once you have been rejected. For each position, only one applicant can win out. But does rejection make you a loser? No, not at all.

The main thing to remember is that being rejected for a job is not about you. Companies have a wide range of reasons for the decisions they make that have nothing to do with you personally. They may hire internally after an open search, find another candidate whose experience is a dead-on match for the job description, or decide to delay filling the position for economic reasons. The scenarios are innumerable, but they are not about you.

It is important to not internalize rejections. If you do, they will eat you up—and suck the life out of your job hunt. And, the longer you are on the market, the more rejections you will have. Sure, they are disappointments, but it’s unproductive to let them hang you up. The best advice is to get over them quickly, brush off and move ahead.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Cindy, it's hard indeed not to take it personally. I personally am drained when I'm rejected, I'm really not used to it!! But I learned from Tony Robbins to focus on the times you've been successful and on top of the world and remember how you felt, your body language, your posture and then switch to that. It works all the time. Best!! M.

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  2. As a veteran rejection recipient, I know what you mean, Monica, but I've learned not to let it get to me as much as it used to. I like your focus on better times to get yourself back on a positive track.

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  3. It is important to focus not on the times that you have been rejected, but the times the you have been offered a position.

    It is easy to get sidetracked down the road of negativity, but remember, you did get an interview!

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