It’s that time of year when many college grads are looking for a job, an intern spot or that elusive and much coveted place to land and begin a career. You just spent 4 or more years earning a degree and now we want to see if we can get a return on that investment of time……and money. There is so much competition out there and many are looking at the same thing you are. If you are fortunate enough to have the resources to get you on the ‘short list’ you are ahead of many and you know you will, at the very least be seen. If you are on the long list that has been electronically submitted – well, you have no idea where that goes. Either way, you approach it with confidence and although you get no response, you enter the search thinking you are the one they should hire. You’re feeling pretty good about your chances – Even though there are over 100 applicants vying for the same spot.
Often we hear nothing. We get no reply, no comeback. The black hole of darkness is a bummer – but its more the norm than not.
If you are lucky, you get some response. Even if it’s automated – at least you know where you stand. That’s actually better the silence. Rejection at any time in our life is never easy to take. Who likes ‘no’?
Infants and children cry when they hear no. Pets get sad. Adults get mad. Nobody wants to hear ‘no’.
Its part of life, especially when looking for a job. How do you deal with that?
I’m an advocate of keeping your head in a good place. You have just been turned down for something you thought was so right for you. You ask – How could they not want to meet me? How could they not want to hire me?
So what do you do? You definitely do not surrender. You don’t give up. Sure, you are disappointed, but it’s not the end. Quite the contrary, its the beginning. This is a long and winding road that has created a journey for you. Embrace it. Rejection should be seen as a form of opportunity. Rejection is a means with which to re-direct your energy and continue looking for new places to go. There are other places to land. You do the work, do additional research, explore the market and eventually a door will open and someone will say, ‘come on in and have a seat’.
That’s the objective – to be invited in. So if you get turned down then re-direct and turn it up and keep moving.
Rejection can be a blessing in disguise.