Lindsay Malcolm
August 07, 2021
Newsletter ArticleDidn’t Get the Job? How to Move Forward and Prepare for your Next Opportunity
Dealing with rejection is no easy feat for any of us – whether it’s in your personal or professional life, it’s never a pleasant feeling. The good news is, there are ways to cope with rejection and improve whatever it is you need to work on for the next opportunity that comes along. A good way to remember this is: as one door closes, another opens.
Read on for 5 ways to sure to help you rise above rejection and kick your job search back into gear:
Although it is easy to take rejection to heart, remember not to read too much into it. Hiring managers make decisions with a variety of factors at play. Most often than not, your interviewer will not make their reasoning behind rejecting you apparent. For example, you may have performed exceptionally well during the interview but there may have been a very strong internal candidate who is already familiar with the company – sometimes employers will lean towards internal applicants because it means less training is required. Another reason an employer may reject you is simply because another candidate was equipped with slightly more relevant experience than you, or maybe they worked on a particular project that was more in-line with the duties of the hiring role. At the end of the day, these factors are beyond your control. If you were fully prepared for the interview and gave it your best shot, that’s all that counts.
Just because you didn’t land this job, does not mean you won’t land the next one. Do not put yourself down or hold yourself ‘accountable’ for not getting this position. A job seeker who learns from their interview experiences and takes it upon themselves to improve for future opportunities is ahead of the game. It is important to keep in mind that in these situations, it is perfectly normal to ask your recruiter for some feedback regarding your interview. While sometimes this can return unspecific and generalized comments, it shows that you are interested in seeing where you went wrong and in being proactive by identifying which skills could use some polishing.
Don’t dwell on it! Keep moving forward – adopting an open mindset and positive attitude will help give you a fresh perspective for any new opportunity that may arise. When a new job opportunity opens, be sure to tailor your resume and CV to best match the opportunity. Always make sure you spend enough time researching and preparing for every new interview. Reflect on mistakes you made in your last interview, but do not fixate on them as it might make you nervous. The bottom line is an ‘ideal candidate’ looks different for each company and hiring manager. So, the best thing you can do to be successful is to stay true to your personality, skills, and experience.
As we all know, rejection can be a confidence killer. This is why it is so important to continue to learn and grow to become the best version of you. Sharpening your skillset and ensuring your experience is up to date is a great way to keep your confidence and motivation levels afloat. It is essential to keep yourself active in the professional world, especially if you are currently unemployed. This can take the form of attending an online or in-person training course, a mentorship, a volunteer position or participating in a charity event. By partaking in these activities, you can focus on skill development while keeping yourself busy outside of your job hunt in a productive way. These learning experiences can also act as great talking points for your next interview!
If you are truly interested in working for the company, the better the grounds you stand on with them, the higher the chance of them contacting you about future positions down the road. By asking the employer how you can best stay in touch, you are demonstrating willingness to take ownership of the situation, on their terms; something that rarely goes unappreciated. This communication will provide you with clear next steps on how to keep moving this relationship forward. If you didn’t get the job this time around, there’s always next time. So, remember be proactive about maintaining the relationship with the employer – you don’t want to give somebody else the chance to take your place!
