Turn Rejection Into Something Better

There’s no doubt about it: rejection hurts. We’ve all been faced with it in some form. On the job front, after you’ve read the rejection letter and reacted—by going shopping, treating yourself to your favorite sweet, or indulging in a night out—regroup and gather yourself for the second act. When it comes to a rejection letter there are a couple things you need to realize in addition to the obvious:

Be thankful you got a letter. At least it’s a form of communication that keeps you in touch with the company. Receiving this means they are aware of you and your skills–they had to make a decision about you! They’re thinking about you! You are on their radar.

Use this letter as fuel for your next move: getting feedback from that same company that rejected you. You now have a chance to solicit their feedback about your resume, the interview, the skills they are looking for, what you could improve on, etc. Craft a letter that asks these types of questions, or even better, call the hiring manager or person you interviewed with and ask for 15 minutes of their time.

If you are given specific feedback, act on it. This is now a new contact for you. If they forward helpful information onto you, you should follow up on it! The last thing you want is to have two great resources discussing your lack of follow up. This will definitely cut off your future opportunities at two organizations.

Ask for a referral from those hiring managers that rejected you. In other words, find out if there are other jobs in the same organization that you might be a fit for. A simple, “What other positions might be a good fit for me?” can go a long way.

Keep in touch on a regular basis. Don’t lose them as a contact. Instead, use them as a new contact and keep them close. Disregard all thoughts from your head about “bugging” someone and picture the job you’ll be getting instead. Offer them something, too. They may need referrals for job candidates from you. Your contact list could help them, but in turn it will also be helping you.

Image via Abhi/Flickr.