We all know how handling rejection can be hard, but handling interview rejection is often even harder. This is why we came up with five tips to help you feel better and bounce back!
- Don’t take it personally
It is easier said than done, but it is important to keep in mind that the interview process is nothing personal. Recruiters don’t hire people based on who they are, they judge their qualifications and background to get the person who fits best the company’s needs. Your profile wasn’t answering their requirements as well as someone else’s was, but it is important to remember that you might still be working with them in the future, as an employee, as a partner or as a client, so always stay nice and polite to the hiring manager, and thank them for the time they spent on your application.
- Focus on the future
A good way to handle rejection is to focus on the next opportunity. Go back to your job search engine and read some job descriptions, you will find yourself excited about new openings in no time! Also, in the future, it is best to always have multiple opportunities along the line just to be sure that if plan A is cancelled, you still have plan B, C, D … That will make rejection easier to handle since you will have other opportunities in store.
- Learn from the objection
It is important to understand why you have been rejected to be able to reflect and improve. The first thing to do is to ask the hiring manager for feedback. Have you been rejected because your qualifications didn’t match? Was it your skills? Did you get an interview or did the hiring manager only see your CV? Consider the whole interview process while reflecting, it will enable you to reflect objectively and not focus on a tiny faux pas.
- Work on your weakness
Once you have understood the reason for the rejection, you can work on your weaknesses. The feedback from the hiring manager will show you what you should improve. Do you need to detail more precisely your previous tasks on your CV, sound more enthusiastic in your cover letter or lay out your skills more compellingly to the interviewer? Either way, working on improving these aspects of your application will open new doors and help you get more confident.
- Ask for feedback and help
Both before and after working on your weaknesses, it is important to ask for feedback to stay objective and understand which areas may need more effort. Aside from requesting feedback from the hiring manager, you can also ask your friends and family for help. You can show them your CV or do a mock interview, and ask them what they think. Getting feedback from someone else and understanding it will help you grow as a person, but sometimes people near us are less likely to be objective, that is why at Dublin CODING School we are dedicated to giving you the best suggestions to help you improve your applicant skills and land your dream job.
If you are interested in receiving meaningful feedback from market professionals and a free career counselling session, register on our career centre page. We will be more than happy to help you out!
