Ten Tips For Beating Rejection Letter Blues
Receiving a rejection can really knock you back, but the truth is, it’s a valuable opportunity to improve and rethink. Follow our top ten tips to use your rejection to your advantage:
1. Don’t take it personally. Being rejected doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough for the job. All it takes is one candidate who has a touch more experience – and next time that candidate might be you.
2. Double check your target market. If you keep getting rejected from the same type of job then you might be under or overqualified. Look again at whether they really match your skills and competencies.
3. Learn from your mistakes. We’ve all had interview moments we want to forget, but it’s important to remember the awkward silences or confused answers so you can remedy them for next time.
4. Ask for feedback. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask why you were not chosen for a job, especially if you made it to interview. You might find it’s something relatively simple and easy to fix.
5. Act on the advice. Feedback is too valuable to ignore. Take action with practical steps; for example, if you didn’t know enough about a particular software, do some research for next time.
6. Use the positives. It’s not just the negative feedback that matters. Pay attention to the things you did well and take time to congratulate yourself and nurture those talents.
7. Hone your skills. It’s all too easy to get complacent about your interview technique. Try doing mock interviews with someone who can give you frank advice and suggestions for improvement.
8. Get off to a good start. Psychologists tell us that it takes just 90 seconds to make a judgement about someone. Think about your first impression: your CV, your interview outfit, your attitude.
9. Take a break. If the rejection is becoming overwhelming, then don’t feel bad about taking a short break from jobseeking. Do something you enjoy, then come back refreshed and ready to succeed.
10. Be philosophical. Remember that almost every job hunter is rejected at one time or another. Rejection is just one part of a journey that will end with you in a great job.