It comes with the territory
➔ While some may deal with it better than others, let’s be honest, no one really handles rejection well. And if you’re in a job search, you most likely will be rejected more times than you would like. And, if you’re over 50, you had better polish that armour because you’re going to be skewered on a regular basis. And quite possibly you will be rejected for no good reason, other than your age.
Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
There is light at the end of that tunnel however – and it’s not an oncoming train.
Being rejected for a job simply means that there was one person better suited for that position than you. It’s not a reflection on your capabilities or self worth. Keep in mind that there are a lot of people in that same predicament and everyone can’t get hired for each and every job out there. Someone has to come up short.
Of course, the one thing that you must keep telling yourself is that, when it comes to finding a job, you only need to find one. If and when you are rejected for a position, you can’t take it personally.
What’s more, it might be beneficial – and it’s certainly acceptable – to reach out to the person with whom you interviewed seeking feedback as to why you weren’t chosen.
This is not meant to be gripe session where you complain about not being hired. You are looking for constructive criticism and it’s important that you let that person know in no uncertain terms, that you are simply asking for honest feedback.
It could be that you did nothing wrong. There just may have happened to be a candidate who was better suited than you. Maybe they had more experience or were stronger in one particular aspect of the job.
None of that means that you were at fault. Whatever feedback you receive can be a call to action for you to up your game – as it were.