It is very natural to feel bad and deflated after being turned down for a job application, and this is more so because it dents your self-image, punctures your confidence, and seems to turn the tide against you if you’d put in so much to make the job work out.
However, there is a gulf of difference between job rejection and job failure, and you must understand this. Being rejected for a job does not mean that you have failed at the job; it simply means that the employers do not think it is the best job for you and you must see it that way.
But come to think of it, is it possible to turn a job rejection into some advantage? Yes, and yes. There are a lot of things to benefit from job rejections, and some of them are examined below:
You must have learned something at the job interviews
If you’ve ever attended two or three different job interviews, you will observe that the questions are never the same and the objectives for asking the questions differ from company to company. There’s a lot to learn from the questions asked and it should open your eyes to areas you need to look into at developing yourself and making yourself more marketable.
It shows the weakness and underside of some companies
If you have performed very excellently at a job interview and your interviewers agree that you’ve done very well but ended up not employing you, then you must believe that this is not the right company for you. In fact, you should have had some insights into how the company ticks and seen through some of the questions and how they betray the hiring company.
It shows you to be more selective in the future
Learn to be more selective in the future by knowing that you don’t just apply for all jobs or to all companies, you must understand why you are responding to this invitation to an interview and why you’d like to work with this or that company. Be selective and you won’t suffer many job rejections or suffer the consequence of rejections.
Address personal defects in CV/resume
Work again on your CV and obtain more degrees or experience if need be, or you’d be suffering the same fortune over and over again without much hopes. Rework your CV and know your unique selling points.
It mirrors you as a means for feedback
The job interview and subsequent rejections should open your eyes into personal defects you are suffering from. Poor communication skills? Attitudinal and personality problems? Lack of experience and academic disqualifications? Whatever happens, use the job rejection to learn the reasons for the rejection and as a mirror or feedback for why you were rejected.
Find your passion
Are you learning something from these constant job rejections? Can it mean that you’re not particularly suited for paid employee careers and would be better off as an entrepreneur?
A man suffered over 140 job rejections and one day he decided to maximise all he’d learnt from these job rejections by setting up his own recruitment agency. He now employs people for other employers and also conducts the interviews before making the hires on behalf of his corporate clients. So find your passion and be motivated to know more about yourself in the midst of your job rejections.
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