Rejection is frequently an old friend to the job seeker, but it doesn’t make the feeling any easier. Whether it’s the unfulfilled hope after submitting your resume to your dream job or the rejection after making it to the final stages of the interview process, not getting the job stings. Instead of wallowing in your rejection, here’s how to regroup and get your confidence back.
Remind yourself it happens to everyone
While yes, someone will ultimately get the job you want, everyone is rejected at some point by the job search. It’s just a natural part of the process. When 100 candidates want the same job, 99 likely qualified applicants will be left without an offer. There are always ways to improve, but ultimately rejection is just a part of trying to find a job.
Focus on the positive
Humans inherently focus on the negative instead of the positive, meaning your natural reaction is to feel bad and keep feeling bad. Instead of letting one (or several) rejections keep you down, remind yourself that something is going to come your way. Eventually, the right job will happen and this time, the offer will be for you.
Build yourself up
Just because you didn’t get the offer doesn’t mean you don’t have a lot of value to add to an organization. Your brain will try and get you to think about all the ways you aren’t qualified, so you need to fight it by reminding yourself how awesome you are. Make a list of what you’ve done, your skills, what you’re working toward, etc. Anytime you need a reminder of all the amazing things you can do, take out your list.
Find ways to improve
This is an option you can take on both in your own career as well as your approach to the job search. To increase your chances next time and feel more proactive, you can begin making improvements to help you stand out either further. Suggestions include your own professional development, such as conferences, networking events, and classes, as well as updating your resume format and taking more time on your cover letters.
But don’t let improving become an obsession
You want to get better, but you don’t want to overanalyze everything for a long time. At some point, you need to let it go and stop trying to figure out what happened and how you could be better and all the foolish things you said and did.
Find career opportunities in Michigan
If you’re ready to cut back on the rejection and instead be matched to the job that works best for you, try working with LaJoy Group. We have several different kinds of career opportunities in fields like professional, manufacturing, home health care, clerical, and retail. Search our jobs today to see what we have available for you!