Job-hunt knock-backs: staying positive the face of rejection

Image by Robert S. Donovan via Flickr

Looking for work in a suppressed economy can be more than just an uphill struggle… it can be a soul-destroying experience. Unless you approach it with the right attitude, the inevitable knock-backs will chip away at your self-confidence and erode your self belief to dangerously low levels.  It’s a vicious circle… if you don’t believe in yourself, what are the chances of an employer believing that you’re the right person for the job?

Staying strong and maintaining your focus in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds can be difficult. It’s important to remember that not getting a particular job, or even an interview, isn’t the end of the world… nor is it necessarily a negative reflection of your skills, ability or experience relative to the role. There are literally thousands of things that influence an employers decision on who and who not to hire. In an incredibly over-populated labour market employers are inundated with tidal wave of applications for practically every vacancy they advertise. Not getting a job offer at the end of the process is the de-facto standard when it comes to job-hunting, and in a recession it’s ten times worse.

If you’re looking for work, and are starting to lose your enthusiasm, here are a few things you can try to help keep your spirits up when the inevitable knock-backs come.

• It’s not just you: remember that the vast majority of applicants are holding the same "thanks, but no thanks" letter in their hands. You’re far from alone.
• It’s a close call: who’s to say that you weren’t one of the candidates short-listed for the final position? It could easily have been neck-and-neck between you and the successful candidate, who may have shaved it by the merest of whiskers. Not getting that job doesn’t necessarily mean you were far from the prize.
• Employers make mistakes: just because an employer didn’t pick you, that doesn’t mean you weren’t perfect for the job. Employers are fallible, and as prone to errors of judgement as the rest of us — you may well have been the best applicant for the job, so don’t let it get to you.
• Each application is a fresh start: it might seem that with each knock-back your chances of getting the next job you apply for diminish, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact if you use your experience from the last application to fine-tune your approach to the next one your chances will improve (see the next point).
• Learn from the process: if you adopt a positive mental attitude you can use each rejection to spur you on. Use the fact that you didn’t get that job both a catalyst to redouble your job-search efforts, and as a learning experience to help refine your job-search strategy. Analyse your application process and/or interview technique. What can you do differently that might improve the outcome next time around? What’s the best way to highlight your skills, experience, commitment and drive to a prospective employer?

Remember every application you make, regardless of the outcome, is something you can learn valuable lessons from, and is ultimately one more step along the road to your next job. Believe in yourself, learn from every experience, hone your CV, refine your covering letters and polish your your interview skills and you’ll be well on the way to a positive outcome.

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