Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Job Search: Handling Rejection

Let's face it. No one likes rejection. It's not fun when trying to make friends on the playground in elementary school, and it's certainly not enjoyable when unemployed and searching for that next job. But, instead of crying to a teacher after recess, being an adult means (hopefully!) taking valuable lessons from the process and forging ahead with the quest for a job.

While some employers still send formal rejection letters ("after careful consideration, your qualifications do not match our needs, blah, blah, blah"), others resort to e-mail acknowledgment of applications with the notice that you'll only be notified if selected for interview. Apparently, it's a money-saving technique, but rejection e-mails would cost no more and be much more personal.

No matter the form of the rejection, what we take from it going forward may shape the future success of our job searches. If you have a contact within the HR department who seems particularly helpful, it wouldn't hurt to review with that individual the reasons that your application did not move forward. You can incorporate this information into your job search process moving forward. If you don't have a handy HR contact, I recommend taking some time to reflect on the jobs demands and your qualifications. Is there anything that you overlooked or could have changed? Debrief your application yourself, and check in with a trusted friend or family member for a reality check. Ultimately, it may be that your application was very strong, but they had someone who was over-qualified who took the position. Often, in recessions, the employment market is quite tight due to an overabundance of extremely qualified workers who spill over into positions for which they are over-qualified (read: it may have nothing to do with you).

Most importantly, no matter who rejects you and as tough as it may be, get up and dust yourself off. The perfect job may be waiting for you right around the corner!

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