3 tips to overcome rejection while job seeking

When you’re looking for a job, being rejected is nearly impossible to avoid. That doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t hurt! You could be sending in applications and not hearing anything, or you could be getting all the way to the end of a hiring process only to be passed up for another candidate. Whatever the situation may be, rejection while job seeking can feel difficult to bounce back from.

If left unchecked, these negative feelings can begin to sabotage your job search, so it's important to refocus yourself when you start to feel down about employer rejections. Here's how you can stay ahead of those feelings to both care for yourself and keep your job search moving in positive directions.

1. Understand that it’s not your fault

When you’re rejected, it can be easy to take the blame onto yourself, but there are elements that will always be out of your control in any hiring process. Being that, in many cases, you simply won’t know why you’re being rejected it’s better to not get down on yourself for being lacking in some fundamental way.

Remember that hiring managers make their decisions based on the small amount of information provided about you in your application and/or interview. Their ability to determine whether you are a good fit is limited by the tools they use to filter applicants and their own, very human, ability to judge who might be a good fit for the job.

2. Understand what you can control

Feeling like things are out of your control can also be a point of stress when rejected, so it’s important to balance your understanding of what you can’t control with what you can control. If you feel powerless to succeed, you may feel like there’s no point in trying which can give you less energy to try.

A loss of momentum in your job search can lead to you submitting less applications or putting less effort into the applications you submit. So to keep yourself motivated, focus instead on the things you have the power to change about your job searching approach. Here are some elements that you have control over while job seeking:

• What jobs you’re applying for
• How often you apply for jobs
• What job seeking tools you use
• The content and quality of your resume or application
• Your dress and demeanor in interviews
• How prepared you are to talk about yourself in interviews
• Your willingness to follow up with employers

By consistently focusing on elements that you have control over, you can divert your attention from feelings of powerlessness while making progress toward your goal of being hired, simply by focusing on the quality of your job seeking approach.

3. Stay informed and creative

At the end of the day, the rejection you face today is a signal to change something about your job seeking approach. By knowing what you can change and making creative and informed decisions about how you make those changes, you can assert control over the situation.

If you’re finding yourself in a rut, submitting applications over and over and never getting offers, it makes sense that you should change up your approach. Depending on your industry, qualifications and personality you will have to find the unique approach that shows you in the best possible light.

To unlock this combination, you’ll need to be constantly absorbing new job-seeking tactics and trying them out. Doing this will not only push you toward finding your footing with job-seeking, but it will keep things fresh and interesting while you work toward getting hired. Staying creative and informed also keeps your focus away from thinking about rejection, and redirects your energy in a more productive and positive way.

Have you struggled with rejection while job seeking?

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