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Job Rejection: 8 Tips to Help You Deal With Job Rejections

Job Rejection: 8 Tips to Help You Deal With Job Rejections

I’ve Faced Many Job Rejections. What do I do?

Sadly, job rejection stories of talented, qualified young people are becoming all too common now. Either you or someone you know is stuck in a rut where they can’t seem to get a call back from any of the countless places they’ve applied to. It’s disheartening, frustrating, and quite exhausting.

Stressed upset businessman sitting on a chair, after job rejection
Sadly, job rejection stories are becoming common now

Job rejection takes a psychological toll on a person. You’re also ready to put your hands up in the air and give up at a certain point. But never do that. Don’t give up; just change your job search strategy.

Consistent job rejection doesn’t always mean something’s wrong with you, and perhaps you’re presenting yourself the wrong way. You are either not qualified for the jobs you’re applying to, or merely looking in the wrong places. Whatever the reason, there’s always a way around it.

Freelancing

Freelancing has traditionally been seen as something pursued either by creative people or by those who travel.

Traveler with laptop sits on top viewpoint on the mountain valley
Big companies are keen on hiring freelancers

Many companies are moving away from hiring full-time employees in favor of freelancers. Freelancers provide higher value by delivering the same work a permanent employee does, without the added costs of hiring and retaining.

It has opened up a whole new world of freelancing job opportunities in a large variety of fields. The fields being marketing, law, administration, engineering, accounting, and so much more. There’s something for everyone.

One of the biggest perks of freelancing is that hiring companies don’t look at your degrees or experience. They need someone who can work and deliver. It is excellent for people who find that their short work history causes repeated job rejection.

Female interior designer working at home office
Freelancing job opportunities are available in a variety of fields

After working on a couple of freelance projects, you can add all the newly-gained diverse experience to your resume, which will help you score a much better chance of a permanent position at a firm. Some of the best sites to get you started are:

Update Your skills

Don’t waste time between jobs while you’ve had yet another job rejection. Use it, especially to learn new skills and update what you already know. Also, meeting new professionals in your industry always helps.

Metal Wheel Concept
Updating skills should be high on priorities

Many a time, HR managers dismiss job applications because of specific skills they lack. Skills they can quickly get in courses as short as three days or six weeks. They can be pretty affordable – generally, the more concise the program, the cheaper it is.

Businesses are not only looking for specialized skills, but certain traits and abilities found among high performers. According to recent research by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB), corporate organizations look to hire working professionals for new jobs with the following ten talents and skills:

  1. Ability to Prioritize
  2. Works well in teams
  3. Organizational Awareness
  4. Effective Problem Solving
  5. Self-Awareness
  6. Pro-activity
  7. Ability to Influence
  8. Effective Decision Making
  9. Learning Agility
  10. Technical savvy
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Take Up a Course

Do a quick Google search, and you’d be surprised at the variety of courses offered in your area. There are also some great options online, like the website Coursera.com or Edx.org.

Udacity website
Udacity’s nano degree course

The website Udacity’s, for example, offers you an online course named nano degree. The course guarantees you a job offer as an employee or a contractor within six months from receiving your credential.

Learning new skills expands your knowledge and understanding while also allowing you to meet other professionals within your field and make new contacts.

The advantage of taking a course in your locale or closest city will be to network with other people, doing the course, and the instructors themselves. They can refer you to unadvertised job opportunities. They can be useful as connections within the industry, especially after you’ve faced a dead end with a job rejection. You can even talk to them and ask them for advice on how to avoid job rejection.

Reduce Chances of a Job Rejection by Improving Your Resume

Job recruiters get thousands of applications per vacancy. The only way to get through them is to skim through them.

Resume close shot
Keep improving your CV with updated skills

While hirers have always assumed it takes them less than five minutes per resume, a new study says otherwise; a recent research study from TheLadders found that the average recruiter takes less than 6 SECONDS per resume! The shockingly low number means your resume has to pop out instantly, highlighting all the right places.

The same TheLadders run an eye-tracking study that showed recruiters spend almost 80% of their resume review time on the data points below:

  1. Name
  2. Current title/company
  3. Previous title/company
  4. Current position start and end dates
  5. Last position start and end dates
  6. Education

Make it easy for recruiters to find the information they are looking for. Use white space and bold font to draw attention. Keep relevant text, like section headings and titles, aligned to the left because the eye naturally reads from left to right, improving readability.

Resume close up
Keep important text aligned to the left

Other information, like dates and locations, can be aligned to the right to separate important details. And don’t forget to highlight your accomplishments. Avoid any errors by proofreading it again and again, and then asking someone else to correct it. A single mistake can instantly disqualify you.

According to Careerbuilder, 61 percent of job recruiters automatically reject a job application if their resume contains a typo. Don’t let something as little as misspelling be the reason for losing out on a great career opportunity.

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Expand Your Search to New Locations

It’s only natural to apply to companies within your location or the major city nearby.

Metropolitans like New York City have oversaturated job markets. There’s fierce competition for every job opening in such cities. If you’re not having much luck there, consider applying outside your preferred city, a smaller town, or a less populated state.

A road with NEW JOB written on it
Expand your search

Job rejection in these areas is much less frequent. Also, HR managers are willing to give more time to you and your application.

A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success. – Bo Bennett

Also, look for job opportunities outside your country, preferably in a country where you can speak the language. Many companies are interested in hiring foreign talent. Because they bring in a fresh perspective and angle to their work. Your work abroad will broaden your horizons and enrich your work experience. It will make you a highly qualified candidate for future positions.

Don’t be disheartened by a phase of job rejection, as sometimes, it just takes time.

Do Not Stop Networking

Notwithstanding the physical and mental fatigue that accompanies multiple job rejections, one should never stop networking.

Two professionals handshaking
Keep networking

When you’re looking for a new job, every social gathering or an online event is no less than a golden opportunity. Meet professionals who can connect you to a company that’s looking for you.

As they say, you need to be out there, in the faces of people who matter, proving that you’re willing to change and are out there looking for a way to do so. Whether online networking or the casual or professional conventions, don’t let the fatigue convince you to miss any of it. After all, it can rob you of the opportunities that might await you.

Avoid Taking Job Rejection Personally

It is tempting to take rejection very personally, which is even more so when one faces repetitive rejections.

A professional overthinking after job rejection
Do not underestimate yourself after a job rejection

It would be best if you understood that there could be any number of reasons behind a job rejection that are not related to your qualifications as a professional. You should not, in any case, underestimate your capabilities after having faced a job rejection.

Behind hiring or rejection, there might be policies or ideas you have no idea about. Hence, it is crucial to avoid overthinking your refusal. So, brace yourselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

Stay Positive After Every Job Rejection

Apart from the practical steps, you can take, such as those mentioned above, you require a positive attitude on things’ emotional and mental part.

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An interviewee waiting for interviews after man job rejections
Be positive even if you are losing on time

Repetitive rejection can take a toll on the strongest of heads. A sure shot way to steer clear of it is to surround yourself with positive vibes, ranging from the things you read or watch to the people around you.

Friends and family could either work towards giving you renewed hope and energy to cope with or fight the minor failures, while continuously reminding you of them. It is in such a situation that it becomes immensely important for you to choose positivity.

To Conclude, Never Give Up After a Job Rejection

When things like repetitive rejections happen, the mind bears the brunt of it. It might seem more straightforward to give up altogether and give yourself entirely to fate. Yet, it cannot be emphasized enough that one shouldn’t even entertain giving up.

After all, the stories of the most successful men in every field are filled with seemingly insurmountable hardships. Would they have been as successful as they are if not for the will to overcome all obstacles?

The prize of not giving up is always better than the absolute nothing you get by giving up or resigning to fate.

Remember, a job rejection is merely what it is. It means that only a handful of the millions of opportunities in the world couldn’t be yours. The millions of openings that wait for you to fill in and make a difference are still out there. All you need to do is keep looking and striving towards the one opportunity and make it yours.

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