Read time: 3 mins
You didn’t get the job. Here’s how to bounce back
Carrie, the bestselling sci-fi novel by Stephen King, was rejected by 30 publishers before becoming an iconic thriller.
King’s response to the rejection?
“The nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing.”
King has since published more than 50 books, all worldwide bestsellers, according to Amazon.com.
Getting turned down is frustrating, and not getting the job can lead you to have doubt in your abilities. This can result in you having reduced confidence for future interviews.
However, there are many valuable lessons you can learn from a failed interview. Follow these steps to identify how you can bounce back from rejection:
Respect the process:
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Gain this:
- Acceptance in what happened
- Confidence to have more interviews
- Value in the interview process and what you learned
Reflect on the interview
Change perspective – with advice from psychologist Timothy Wilson, who describes how perspective changes can help us out when times get rough.
We prompted students to reinterpret their academic problems from a belief that they couldn’t cut it in university to the view that they simply needed to learn the ropes. The students who got this prompt — compared to a control group that didn’t — got better grades the next year and were less likely to drop out. – Timothy Wilson
Gain this:
- A positive learning process
- Closure on the interview with insight on what to avoid in the future
- Knowledge on how to nail your next interview
Recharge and release
Discover eustress – a psychological term that refers to the good form of stress that helps an individual or business grow and remain healthy.
Activate eustress by committing to focusing on putting in extra effort and performing activities that challenge you.
Gain this:
- The ability to shift your focus off the rejection
- Inspiration from creative and physical distractions
- A fresh outlook on how you can overcome challenges
Reconnect with others
Having a mentor will help guide you in many important career decisions. They will offer encouragement whilst stimulating both your personal and professional growth. If you don’t yet have a mentor, find out how to ask for mentorship here.
Gain this:
- Another perspective from someone who really knows you
- Someone who can hold you accountable to your goals
- Unique advice on where you can go from here
Redirect your energy
Set your focus on your skill set and investigate what one or two things you can do right now to make you stand out from the crowd.
- Learn a new skill or hobby that could make you more marketable
- Spend time making your LinkedIn profile more impressive
Gain this:
- Improve your employability
- Grow your self-confidence in the value you have to offer
- Get the recognition and credibility you deserve
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