When you get rejected from an interview or when you get rejected from a job application, it’s easy to feel discouraged and wonder if it’s something you did wrong. Did your cover letter suck? Did your resume not highlight enough of your accomplishments? Were you not engaging enough during the interview? If you’re wondering why you keep getting job application rejections, consider these three factors before accepting that rejection as confirmation that there’s something wrong with you.
Most people don’t know what they want
This sounds silly, but most people are simply not clear about what they want in a job. If you don’t know your ideal job or even if you’re sure of it, why would anyone give it to you? You need to know exactly what you want in a new job before sending off applications—and keep refining your criteria as your search goes on.
Companies need to know you before they can hire you
Each time you apply for a job, your resume is going to a large stack of hundreds of other resumes. And while you may be perfect for that position (or so you think), companies need to know you before they can hire you. Otherwise, it’s just luck of finding somebody who might be qualified and interested in what they are hiring for. You want them to take action based on your resume—and believe us, employers know how many resumes go through their hands every day!
Show passion
When you’re at an interview, tell them how much you love what you do. This is more important than you might think. If they’re looking for someone to fill a position that requires your skills and knowledge, then it follows that they’ll want to find someone who has a passion for what they do.
Assess your skills and see where you fit in
We often reject job applications out of hand because we think they don’t fit our skill set. However, you may be surprised to learn that many positions don’t require specific skills as much as they require other elements, such as great people skills or past experience. Before you rule out a job completely based on your inability to do it, take another look at your resume and cover letter—you might be able to find a way to present yourself in a new light.
Treat the application process like an interview, it may be your only chance
You’re most likely just one of the hundreds of candidates for any given job. If you don’t treat an application like a job interview, you’re unlikely to get hired—regardless of your experience and qualifications. Just because you already have a job doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs out there with more exciting opportunities or higher salaries. So why not apply?
Avoid these common mistakes
The first mistake is to assume it’s a rejection of your skills, experience, or potential. It isn’t. The job wasn’t right for you (just as other jobs won’t be). To move forward, we need to stop beating ourselves up over something that was never within our control in the first place. Job application rejections are part of life—we can learn to deal with them more effectively by turning these failures into stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.
