The Facts of Life: Rejection

unemployedbrooklyn:

Rejection. It’s a fact of life. It happens to all of us, from time to time. It’s one of those lines that runs through so many aspects of our lives - from your job hunt to dating …

I stumbled upon this op-ed on the NPR website the other day - a parent writing about how her son had applied for a summer job, how he had gotten so into it - even corresponding several times with the person taking the applications - and how he never heard a word. Not even a form letter saying that the position had been filled. Now, I know in this day and age, and in this shitty economy, every job listed gets hundred of applicants. I know that in my job search, I have heard back from people … not at all. Even for jobs that were my exact job description. People just don’t have the same courtesy that they used to - appreciation for the time (or feelings) of others. And it stinks.

I’ve written here before, gentle readers, about the men I have dated and their strange and often not-nice behavior. Here’s the thing - telling someone you don’t want to see them any more stinks. It’s hard. You’ll probably hurt their feelings. But not telling them anything, just leaving them hanging, is a dick move. It’s something that guys - the world over - do. They just drop off the face of the earth. Because they’re cowards.

Maybe the people in HR are cowards, too. Maybe they’ve all been left hanging by some guy one too many times. Maybe they’ve just all forgotten how terrible it feels to be left hanging, sitting by the phone, waiting for that call that never comes …

Reblogged from unemployedbrooklyn

Asking Why

You can read thousands of articles/blog posts on how to prepare for an interview, how to dress, and even how to move on after rejection.  There’s just one thing many people leave out:

ASK WHY YOU DIDN’T GET THE JOB.

What have you got to lose, right?  You’re either going to get a generic BS answer or get some concrete things you can work on.  If you’ve interviewed at the company a few times and progressed you may probably get some good info back on how you can change your approach.

Typical answers you may be are:

  • We’re not sure you’re the right fit (company culture)
  • We wanted someone with more experience (if you’ve progressed a round this is probably not true - unless you lied on your resume)
  • We’re not looking to hire right now (then why did they interview you? possibly company politics?)
  • We found someone who is a better fit (nothing you can do here)

Regardless of what the answer is try to get some data beyond the one-liner.  The employer has set aside time, money, and energy to interview you.  Something about you caught their attention when reading your resume or cover letter.  You have to find out what went wrong from that first impression to the end of the interview.

If you don’t know what went wrong, you can’t evolve.  You can’t get better.

 
Posted by funnelthru but reblogged from haveaniceday
Comments (View)
If you’re doing a thorough job search, you will get rejected sometimes. If you’re not getting rejected, you’re not putting yourself out there enough. And if you don’t learn to see rejection as a chance to improve your approach, then you’ll have a very difficult time getting a job.
Reblogged from haveaniceday

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The blog for funnelthru.com - a job board dedicated to honest entry level jobs. We discuss interview tips, hiring trends, videos we love, and anything else we think you might find useful or fun.