Read on to understand that rejection happens to the best of us and how it’s all about building the internal resilience.
1. Rejection is never personal
As difficult as it may be to comprehend the above statement, you need to understand that rejection is never about you. Chances are that another person’s skills and experience matched the company’s requirement better than yours and that’s okay. It is not like the Hiring Manager intentionally rejected you and even though the rejection email may have been addressed to your name, it is very likely that they have forwarded it to another 100 people as well.
2. Rejection does not mean that you aren’t good enough
Rejection is often perceived as a sign that you are inadequate as an individual but that is far from the truth. Rejection only signifies that you have not learnt or prepared enough for the job or an interview. It just means that you have not put in the required effort or done the background work you needed to and bear in mind that it has absolutely nothing to do with your personality or self-worth.
3. Rejection is just a redirection
Every single time you get rejected, you will be redirected towards something better. You may not realise it now but in the long run, you will be thankful that you were rejected previously because that led you to a better opportunity. Sometimes all it takes is a rejection to further prove that we are better off doing something else, which would, in turn, provide bigger rewards or greater experience. This rejection may be the wakeup call you have always needed and just believe that greater things are coming for you.
4. Rejection is always right
If you did not enjoy the process of preparing for something, chances are that you will not enjoy the end product of it. For example, if you did not enjoy preparing for an interview, you are very likely to not enjoy the job itself. Therefore, when you get rejected, it could also mean that the role or the industry may not be your best fit.
5. Remember the 100-doors rule
We have all heard the saying “When one door closes, another opens”. But what happens if you stop knocking? This is exactly what most of us do when we get rejected: we stop trying. We stop applying for new jobs, stop trying for that big promotion and so on. However, remember that you have to knock on 100 doors to have at least one door open. So what do you do if you want more doors to open? Yes, exactly, you knock on more doors! Send out more resumes, make more phone calls. Never be afraid of rejection and don’t ever stop knocking.
6. Reflect and Revise
Rejection at times signifies that you have not upgraded your skills or have not gotten out of your comfort zone. Take your time to reflect on what went wrong during the interview and figure out how you could improve yourself. Ponder on what do you really want and set goals to aim better instead of applying for every single position that comes on the job search website. Do a self-analysis to identify your setbacks and recognize how you could be a better candidate.