Dust Yourself Off And Try Again: Dealing With Rejection On The Job Hunt

I was in the middle of writing my post for the day when I got an email. The subject line was about a position I had recently applied for. The job was one I applied for because they were looking for my specific skills. Plus, I knew someone who already worked at the company and loved it, so that was a bonus! I submitted a resume and as a cover letter provided a personalized project showing my ability to use the exact tech stack they were looking for. I tried my best to stand out from the sea of resumes that I knew this company would be getting. Excitedly, I opened the email, thinking (or rather, hoping) that my extra work had paid off and that it was a note to schedule an interview.

*Narrator voice* It was not a note to schedule an interview.

Sigh.

Throughout these past few weeks, I've written a few times about my career transition. It's an exciting time! Venturing into a whole new field and having the opportunity to learn new skills. For the first time in a long time, I'm not exactly sure where or what I'm going to be doing next. It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time, but I'm ready for everything that comes with this process. The reality is, as exciting as this adventure has been, there are still not so exciting parts. The above is an excellent example of one of those parts. I'm talking about being rejected.

In a perfect world, every time I applied for a new job that was perfect for me, I would get it. But the world isn't perfect. And I would be lying if I said that was the first time during this journey that I had been rejected by a company. It's not the second or third time either. I try to apply for roles where I meet the majority (if not all) of the qualifications and make sure to edit my resume to reflect the specific requirements. I've even submitted personalized projects. And still been ignored or rejected. What's a young professional to do?

The harsh reality is that I may think I'm the ideal candidate for a specific role, but odds are, there are at least one hundred other people who believe that they are the perfect candidate. I may have done extra work and tried to get creative with ways to stand out, but it is very likely that out of those one hundred people, thirty of them also got creative and stood out. There are so many different variables that go into how hiring managers choose who they interview. The truth is, you can do everything "right" and still not be selected.

So, I got rejected, and won't be continuing on in the process for that particular company. The more important question is: what am I going to do next?

First, I'm going to indulge in a conciliatory Starbucks drink (a mango dragonfruit refresher lemonade, in case you were wondering. Try it and thank me later). Rejection stings, and it's ok to do something small to make yourself feel better. Next, I'm going to send a genuine thank you for your consideration email. Companies get a lot of applications in a single day, and it's not unheard of to never hear back at all. In this case, I actually did get a polite response to my application, and the proper thing to do is be just as polite back. You never know, maybe there will be another opportunity open soon, and it's never good to burn bridges. Finally, it's time to get back to the hustle. I'm going to go back over applications and send follow up emails if some time has passed, apply to new postings, and create simple projects for them. The world doesn't stop just because I didn't get selected for this opportunity, I can't either.

Going into this career transition, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Rejection isn't just a part of the job hunt, it's a part of life. And it is also inevitable. The biggest lesson I've taken away from moments of rejection isn't what you got rejected from, but rather how you deal with it afterward. I'm going to keep applying for opportunities. I may get rejected, it's true. But I don't need to be chosen for every opportunity I apply for, I just need to get one. And I know that if I keep pushing and applying and getting back out there, eventually, I know I will get that one.