When you receive what feels like rejection after rejection, it is easy to become disheartened and disappointed with job hunting. Those soul-destroying job rejections can really affect your confidence, but it is vital that you don’t lose hope. As hard as it is, rejection is actually just a normal part of the job-hunting process, so do not take it personally or to heart. Look at it as a journey that will help you learn and grow in the long run, giving you the tools that you will always possess in the future.
Rather than treat each rejection as a knock-back, start thinking of it as a step closer to securing your dream job. Most things in life don't come to us straight away, you have to invest time, learning along the way and it is only then we usually find success! We know ignoring the rejections and staying motivated is easier said than done, so with this in mind we have listed 10 quick tips to help you cope with rejection while job searching.
Here are our Ten Top Tips!
1- Don’t Take It Personally
When you apply for a job, chances are many other people have too. Therefore, it’s vital that you don’t take every rejection personally, there could be many other factors at play here, some which can be unfathomable!The role, company or position may not have been perfect for you, or there may have been a candidate with more relevant experience. Just because you don’t get a job, doesn’t mean there was anything wrong with you as a person or job seeker, so make sure you don’t take it personally.
2- Focus on The Positive
Remember that regardless of the rejections, you have tremendous skills and qualities that will be perfectly suited to another company and role, it’s all about finding the right fit. Think about your strengths and achievements and make a list so you will be able to talk about them with enthusiasm when you secure aninterview.
If you manage to get through to an interview, but don’t get the job – you should ask for feedback. Within that feedback, you will receive positives and the employer will comment on your strengths. Take these compliments and take it as a huge positive. As well as this, the fact you got an interview is amazing, it means that there’s something great about your CV and your experience. Remember, the experience of the interview itself is a great positive too as it teaches you more about the job-hunting process.
3- Find Ways to Improve
If it’s available, try and get feedback from ALL of your rejections. You can then take their comments on-board and think about what they have said. You can then work at developing and turning around any negatives so that you become the perfect candidate. That way, your rejection has become a learning curve and an investment in your job-hunting skills.
4- Do Other Things That Make You Happy
When you’re job searching, it can be easy for it to take over your life, especially if you’ve been unemployed for a while. However, you should treat job searching as an actual job itself. Set a few hours aside for you to actively search job boards and sign up with recruitment companies – that way, you can do other things alongside job-hunting. It is important that you make sure that you do this so that you can stay positive and happy and keep a healthy balance.
5- Take a Break
Sometimes when you get into a habit of searching for jobs, and it feels like you’re getting rejection after rejection, it can be draining. If you need to, take a break from the job searching front and have a holiday, or take a few days off. Allowing yourself to do things that make you happy and cheer you up will bring you more motivation and allow you to go back to job-hunting with a new, happier mind-set.
6- Keep the Faith
Linking from our previous point, try and stay positive. Finding a job isn’t easy and it requires persistence. Try and learn from every experience on your job-hunting journey, and improve all of your skills. Recruitment companies offer a great amount of support and advice giving you motivation when you need it. Just remember that rejection is a natural part of the process and everyone experiences it. You just have to keep going.
7- Exercise
Though it might be difficult to find the motivation, hitting a gym or going outside and being active will make you feel better. It takes about 20 minutes of exercise for the endorphins to start being released in your body. Endorphins are stress fighters and will help keep your head clear and motivate you! It sounds too good to be true, but it really does work so why not give it a try!
8- Volunteer
If you are feeling disheartened by job rejections, volunteering is a great way to stay busy and keep your morale up! It increases your experience, which could be attractive to future employers. Also, you never know when volunteering it may lead to a permanent, paying position! So it’s always good to get some volunteering under your belt.
9-Work Your Network
If you know the type of industry that you want to work within, (which you probably do if you’re applying to jobs!) network, network, network! Though it may seem daunting talking to people within your industry, it’s a great opportunity to open more doors for yourself. There are tonnes of networking events all over the UK and social media networks like LinkedIn are great to meet people from all over the world who are interested in the same industry that you are! Use these networks, you will be surprised where they can lead!
10- Treat Every New Opportunity as a Fresh Chance
Try not to focus too heavily on your rejections and treat every job application as a fresh, new chance. Concentrate on the present, if you apply for a job with the mind-set that you are going to get rejected, you may not come across as positive and enthusiastic!
Conclusion
We know it can be hard to stay motivated and keep moving forward but keep the faith and you will get there! You can't beat the sweet taste of success after a testing and sometimes long battle!
If you would like to sharpen your job-seeking skills why not look at our comprehensive guide How to Find a Job or download our Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Dream Job. Also, take a look at some of the blogs below, they will all help you become a better job hunter, you know what they say, 'Luck favours the prepared! We wish you all the luck and success in the future!
The Top 10 Interview Questions You Should ALWAYS Prepare For!
Research You Should Consider Before An Interview
Ultimate Guide to Preparing your CV
How To Completely Nail Your Zoom, Skype or any other Video Conferencing Interview!