3 underrated ways to deal with (another) rejection email
We probaly all received one of those. It's frustrating. It's discouraging. It's even painful sometimes, honestly. When you put so much hope and efforts into preparing for an interview... When you did well - because sometimes you just know you did well. You even received positive feedback during all the different stages of the interview process... and it's still a 'no'. So what to do when this happens? Here are three underrated ways to deal with another rejection email after one or multiple job interviews.
1. Be kind to yourself.
First of all, stop saying that you got rejected. So many times I've heard people around me, friends, colleagues, telling me that they got rejected. As if it were their entire person, mind, body & soul, that got rejected and this is absolutely not true. Not only it's not true because it's just your application that was unsuccesful - so first of all, let's put things back where they belong -, it's also very harsh.
I keep saying it (but I'll say it as long as I need to), the words that we use to speak to ourselves matter. Words are extremely powerful, our thoughts as well. So if you say to yourself or out loud 'I got rejected', this has a terrible impact on your mindset, on your confidence, self-esteem and energy. Find another way to say that you didn't get the job (why not try the short and simple "I didn't get the job"?), but don't take it personally.
2. Take a break if you need to.
It's okay to be sad and it's okay to take a break. No one is expecting you to be a robot and to pretend that this rejection email means nothing. (And who cares about other people's expectations, anyway?) Don't force yourself to jump back straight into job hunting. If you need to take a break, a couple of days, a week, please do it.
It's really up to you to decide how much time you need before digesting the news basically. We all need to digest those disappointments, so take the time and when you go back to your job search, make sure that you're back with a positive mindset. And it's really tough to feel positive and motivated just after receiving one of these dreaful emails, so take the time that you need. Just be careful not to turn this 'well deserved break' into 'procrastination'. Job hunting can be a long and tiring process and being consistent is the key to success. Remember that all it takes to land a job that you really want is just one yes.
3. Send a thank you email to the interviewer.
Sometimes when you get a 'no', you just want to forget about it and pretend the whole thing never happened in the first place. Personally, I really like to finish the process on a positive note and express gratitude for the opportunity and for the time another person spent interviewing me. It matters and it really makes a difference, especially because most unsuccesful applicants don't send 'thank you' notes.
Taking the time to do it shows that you're professional. It shows that you were genuinely a potential good match for the company and for the role, and they may keep you in mind for future opportunities, especially if you were the 2nd or 3rd one on their final rounds. Just to end the whole process on a positive note, I strongly recommend to send a thank you email. It's okay to mention briefly that you're disappointed by the news, but try your best to focus on the thank you message.
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Which ones of these 3 tips are you already applying? What are the benefits for you? What else did you do that helped you to move on and keep a positive mindset in a similar situation? Please leave a comment and share your wisdom below.
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