It might sound strange to think of employment rejection as one of the career phases. However, anyone who works for a length of time, eventually understands that hearing “no” from a prospective employer is all part of the process of moving up the ladder of career success.

Strategic Moves

Bouncing back from a “no” is a little easier once you look at your entire career from where you started. If you are currently searching for a new position, that most likely means you have mastered your current job or have recently obtained a new level of education and you are ready to move up. You worked hard, you achieved milestones and goals and now you’re ready to capitalize on all your accomplishments and take on new challenges. Congratulations! This is all part of any of the successful career phases.

If you are ready to move on, this is the time to pat yourself on the back for all you have done and most importantly, express all your successes in your resume, your job inquiries, the emails sent to prospective employers and the all-important job interview process. During this transitional process, you may very well receive some rejections. In fact, seasoned employees actually expect some rejections here and there, but they understand that is all part of the job-hunting phase and is not a sign of personal rejection.

Hearing “No” Can Be a Good Thing

Sooner or later in your career, you might very well be relieved to receive a rejection from a company. Almost everyone has experienced a time when they thought they really wanted a certain position. They read the job description and thought they found their dream job. They eagerly accepted a job interview and may have even passed the first round with flying colors. Then something presented a real roadblock. Perhaps the salary offered was significantly lower than expected or the company culture was just not a good fit or they met the team they were going to work with and they knew it was not a good match. When the rejection came, they were actually relieved.

Sometimes a job-seeker was terribly disappointed not to receive a job offer from a particular company, then within a few years, the company was not doing well at all. Eventually, they went under. Those are the times when thankfully, rejection actually worked in the job seeker’s favor. Even if it prolongs the career phases.

Rejected? A Million Reasons Why

It is hard to accept rejection when you think you’ve found the perfect job, yet you were passed over for the position. Although it might be difficult, try to look at the situation from the employer’s perspective. It might have been a difficult decision for them as well. Sometimes employers have a very tough time deciding between two or more well-qualified candidates but of course, they have to narrow their decision down to one.

If you feel you had a great rapport with the staff and there is an opportunity for you to ask why they selected another candidate, go ahead and do so. As long as you are polite and sincerely inquire as to why you were not selected, most employers are willing to give a reason or two that will give you insight into their decision. Perhaps the other candidate had a bit more education or skill that clearly stood out. In any case, absorb the feedback and make it work to your benefit in the future. Perhaps you need to hone your skills a bit more or you need to advance your level of education before you reach higher in your career phases.

Learn More About Career Phases

Most importantly, try to stay positive and don’t allow “no” to stop you from continuing on your career path. Hearing a “no” makes hearing the “yes!” all that much sweeter along your road to success. For more information on how we can help you with your career journey, check out this blog post.