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Rejection Hurts: How to Move Forward After You Didn’t Get the Job

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It really stings when you don’t get the job. Going through the interview process is a leap of faith because you put your hopes and heart into maybe getting a fresh start from your current situation. You’ve spent a lot of time and energy selling yourself. Being rejected is always a mental blow, even if you find out during the interview that maybe you didn’t want the job to begin with. How can you keep moving forward and keep putting yourself out there when you didn’t get the job you wanted?

Shaking Off the Job Rejection

The average candidate spends hours trying to land that one job. Revamping your resume for the application process, going through interviews, prepping your references, researching the employer—these are all typically a part of the process. Each interview is not only time-consuming. It takes a lot of energy to psych yourself up and put yourself out there to strangers. During the process, you start to envision yourself working for the company. It gives you a dream of what your life could be like if you get out of the current job situation, you want to leave.

After all this, when you don’t get the job, it’s no wonder you feel disappointed. You might lose confidence that you’ll ever get out of your current job. Maybe you’re just not good enough. All of these emotions are normal when you really want the job but don’t get it. The trick is to overcome these emotions and focus on the next possible career path. How should you do it?

Learn to Overcome Negativity Bias

Overcome your brain’s “negativity bias.” This is your brain’s focus on the negative events in your life over the positive ones. Your job is to figure out how to retrain your attitude and approach quickly or face losing momentum in your job search. Stop obsessively analyzing what you did wrong. The truth is, you may not have done anything wrong. There may just have been a candidate with more experience. We recommend treating yourself to something that makes you feel better right after a job rejection. Don’t wallow in the “no”—you are better than that.

Remember Job Searching is a Process

Recognize that job searches are not usually “one and done.” It’s a process. You’re not going to land every job that you want. Consider a rejection letter from an employer as a badge of honor in the job search war. Let it toughen your skin and teach you valuable lessons in how to interview better, how to revamp your resume, and more. This was a stepping stone to the job you were meant to have, so use the experience and keep working toward your goal.

Focus on What You Learned

Create a list of “bragging rights” and “what I learned” from the experience. This is a great exercise to give you a mental and emotional boost after a job rejection. Craft a list of everything you accomplished in your current or former job. Recognize your strengths and capitalize on them by getting back out there and applying for another position.

Ready to Find a New Job? We Can Help!

You can also reach out to the recruiting team at ADD STAFF. We offer confidential consultations to help you improve your resume and interview skills. We can also represent your candidacy to top employers, and we provide this service to candidates for free. Call on us. We can help.

 

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