Lessons Learned from 9 Months of Rejection ?

The last nine months of my life have been FULL of rejection.

Since last August, Elizabeth Lloyd and I have been living in Atlanta, Georgia while I’ve pursued an MBA at Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business .

Elizabeth grew up in Tennessee and I’m an Arizona boy, born and bred, so this new adventure in Georgia was an exciting one for us both.

From day one of living in the heart of Midtown Atlanta we recognized that our new environment would bring with it various unexpected circumstances, both exciting and challenging.

The hustle and bustle of busy city streets and nightlife

The opportunities and anxieties surrounding a new workplace, school, and yet-unidentified social circles

And for me in particular, the beginning of an intense effort to secure an MBA summer internship while balancing the demands of my coursework and professional networking.

For those unfamiliar, this process often spans 6 to even 12 months or longer depending on a student’s goals and the demands of the companies they are pursuing.

Needless to say, in an incredibly challenging job-seekers market like the one we are currently encountering, this can be an extremely demanding and exhausting process.

Over the school year, I observed 140+ of my peers fight tooth and nail to land jobs and internships that would help them reach their goals and advance their careers.

As the months rolled on I witnessed some friends and acquaintances celebrate the announcements of exciting news

And others express frustration as they were left without offers later and later into the recruitment season (unfortunately, there were many).

I was amongst that second group.

I had submitted dozens and dozens of applications

Spent hours upon hours in networking chats and at events

Even interviewed with several great companies

And still in May, at the very tail-end of the summer internship recruiting season, and after a few heartbreaking close calls (even an offer extended and then later rescinded at the last minute)

I was without an internship.

You might say, “Alec, what’s the big deal? It’s just an internship.”

To which I would say, yes, in the grander scheme of things and considering all that's truly important in life, no big deal,

But to an MBA student, a summer internship is a significant part of gaining experience and preparing for post-graduation recruiting.

Internships are an incredibly effective way for MBAs to get their foot in the door with high-caliber people and companies they’d like to potentially work with.

All that being said, obviously, I was disappointed.

Was I just incapable of being valuable to any of these businesses? Were my skills that inapplicable and my experiences so unimpressive?

No. That’s not the case at all.

The reality is that there are a million and one factors at play in a job search.

Yes, experience and skills are an important part of it,

But so are timing, speaking to just the right person, overcoming biases, unseen internal corporate inertias,

And, if you believe in these kinds of things, perhaps even some divine intervention guiding your path in an entirely different direction for your own benefit.

That takes us to about 3 weeks ago, when I was contacted, seemingly out-of-nowhere, by a company based here in Atlanta and was invited to interview for an exciting position within their organization.

After the first interview, I felt so good about the opportunity, the company, and the people I’d been communicating with.

After a few more great conversations, I was eventually offered a position on their team.

Now it's still early in my relationship with this business but despite my initial disappointments, receiving one rejection letter after another earlier in the school year,

I believe things worked out for the best and that I've truly ended up in a fantastic spot. I'm ultimately quite happy with the outcome of this rigorous 9-month effort.

The point of this lengthy dump of thoughts here is two-fold:

?? First, to anyone who is discouraged by the current state of things in their life, whether professional or personal, take it easy on yourself.

Recognize that there are so many factors outside of your control that are not the consequence of your inadequacies.

Choose to focus on the factors that are in your control and be proud of yourself for the good work that you are doing.

?? Second, there are no suitable alternatives to clear goal setting and hard work, but we should also recognize that life's timing is not always going to be in your hands.

The journey is where all the learning happens, so earnestly put in the work and then patiently trust the process.

With all that said, I am grateful and excited to share that I will be joining Vouch.io this summer as a Lead Generation and Business Development Intern working in a marketing and sales support function alongside an incredible group of people led by Anthony Maley , who I've been extremely grateful to get to know. Here’s to many great things ahead!