Rejection, are you prepared?

Unless you are in sales rejection can be a hard pill to swallow but I've got some tips for you to prepare yourself for the road ahead

If you read my articles etc you'll know that I often compare job seeking and interviews to dating and they're not too dissimilar. Therapists believe that being rejected by a protective employer can lead us to depression as if we were jilted by a prospective employer.

There's no doubt that job searching is exhausting, especially if you're not used to it so let's give you some guidelines....

1. Don't put all your eggs in one basket

It's very easy to get excited when you get an interview but don't get ahead of yourself just yet. Whilst it's great to be excited you must keep searching for other options just in case the job you want doesn't work out for some reason.

2. It's an "Employers market"

Don't walk into an interview thinking that you've got the position. Employers have the biggest choice they've ever had so don't get complacent. Do your research, plan for the interview and focus on being the best version of you. An employers market means that there are few jobs and a lot of people. Make the most of the situation and treat it like a first date, you want to impress!

3. Feedback

It'll be no surprise reading the comments on LinkedIn, the No1 complaint from job seekers is that they don't receive feedback. Whilst you should always ask for feedback don't expect it. Unfortunately, the reality is that you might not get the answers you're looking for but don't let that discourage you, it won't change the outcome so move on a

4. Focus on the future

Humans are awful at focusing on the negatives, it's much easier for us to look for negatives than positives. This is where you can help yourself today and in the future. Being happy is hard work, it takes time to put the work into yourself however it will pay off in more ways than just your job search. Again this is something you can control, so do. I did a post on resilience last week check it out, if you struggle to feel positive I highly suggest you read Trevor Moawad's book "It takes what it takes", click here. He's worked with CEOs, famous NFL players/teams and now is a Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author. If you're serious about wanting to better yourself the resources are out there, you've just got to be willing to find them.

5. You are not alone

We've all heard our friends and family say this phrase over and over but it's true. 97% of job applications ends with rejection. Work on that basis, if you don't hear back from 100 applications then you need to go back to the drawing board because what you are sending out isn't hitting the mark.

6. Stay positive

No one likes a "Debbie Downer" and honestly, as a recruiter, it's incredibly hard to deal with a job seeker who always tries to make you feel bad that they didn't get the job. You're going to push people away if you're pushing your sadness and despair onto the people you come across. Negativity has a snowball effect, the more you think about it, the more it happens, as the saying goes "Positivity breeds Positivity"

Conclusion: Accept that rejection is part of finding a job, don't waste your time in blaming anyone and focus on moving forward! I can't stress this enough. Staying stuck in self-pity won't do you any favours so mentally visualise moving forward, do not take rejection to heart but do believe that something better is for you out there and keep going!

Get in touch if you'd like help

#careers #jobseekers