Centred Content
Dear Joanna,
Has this ever happened to you? I am so frustrated. I am eager to find a job in a safe workplace as this pandemic is not over yet! I have applied to over 100 job postings for a an work-from-home office clerk position. I have attended a few telephone interviews and in person. But never have I ever received a job offer!!! How much more can I take of this? Any suggestions on how to move on?
Signed: Ready to Give Up
Centred Content
Dear Ready,
Don’t give up just yet. Welcome to the club! Doyle in https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-handle-job-search-rejection-2062999
acknowledges that even in the job search, it stings to find out that you’ve been turned down. Doyle adds that itt can be especially hard to cope with job search rejection when it happens over and over again—but that’s not an uncommon experience for job seekers. “To succeed in your long-term goal of finding that dream opportunity and getting hired, you need to learn to cope with being turned down. Otherwise, it’s easy to let a momentary setback turn into a major career roadblock.” Adds the blogger.
Remember – even with the impact of Covid, the job market is competitive and often rejection is due to this factor. And sometimes, if you aren’t hired because the hiring manager doesn’t think you are a good fit, you are better off.
Doyle presents some of the following eight (8) ways to handle that “job search rejection”:
- Talk to a friend or family member and share your feelings in a confidential setting. The best person to share this with is someone whom you trust and will not be your future boss or co-worker. Venting can help sometimes to get over the anger and frustration of not getting the job offer. But then it’s important to move on.
- Self-care. Don’t forget to look after Make sure you have timeyou’re your hobbies, healthy eating, exercise and any activities that help you relax and have fun!
- Don’t burn your bridges. Don’t share anything negative at the job interview. You never know whether you might want to apply to the organization again in the future. More often than not, you will never know the truth why you were rejected. And I’ve known cases when the hiring manager came back to the candidate at a later date with a job offer!!!
- Follow up the rejection with an email. This is a pro-active way that might open the doors with the hiring manager to consider you for other positions with the organization. Perhaps Ask the hiring manager for “constructive criticism” on your application. Although this rarely happens, sometimes an employer will offer valuable feedback on your candidacy including your resume and cover letter as well as the job interview. It doesn’t hurt to ask – but remember, this is their choice.
- Improve your job search skills and applications. Take the time to analyze your approach to your job search and see if your resume, cover letter, job interview presentation, networking and other strategies need work. Connect with a job coach at Reena or in the community. Learn more about your targeted career goal and the job descriptions and companies that you are applying to. Aask yourself if you could have done something differently to present yourself in a better light and one that made you seem like a better fit for the job. Consider approaching the recruiter for feedback on your interview or resume.
- Keep motivated. Keep applying and networking to maintain momentum in your job search. Set goals for a number of applications and networking contacts per week, rather than waiting to hear back from one company at a time.
- Learn new skills. This can give you something other than the job search to think about, and it might help you in your search. You have free access to LinkedIn Learning, the online public library, youtube, company videos, and training from other employment services.
- Volunteering is another good way to stay motivated. It’s an opportunity to support a cause you’re passionate about, and can remind you of your strengths. You can also include volunteer work on your resume.
Most of all – Don’t give up. Keep the momentum of your job search going even if you are waiting to hear if you got the job! Always continue looking until you have a serious job offer in writing that you have accepted!
Joanna
To submit your questions and comments to this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email jsamuels@reena.org