How to plan your next steps after job rejection

“It’s not you, it’s me …”

It’s probably the oldest break-up excuse there is, designed to soften the blow and take the sting out of an impending split. But it doesn’t just apply to relationship rejections. It can be true of job rejections too – even though, unlike soon-to-be-ex-partners, businesses are unlikely to ever tell you that.

Getting a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ response to your job application, especially if it’s one you had high hopes for, can leave you disappointed and your confidence seriously dented.

It’s only natural to be deflated, but once that initial feeling has subsided then a rejection might not be such a bad thing. In fact, unlikely as it seems at the time, it can actually be a constructive step in your search for a new role.

Don’t think of it as failure – see it as an opportunity to focus on your strengths and tackle any weaknesses, especially if you’ve had feedback pointing you towards the areas where a potential employer believes you were under-qualified.

The first priority is to always get feedback if possible – that will give you a base for making a meaningful change to your job search. Keep an open mind about where an employer felt you were lacking, try not to take it personally, and then make suggested improvements if you agree they’d be helpful.

Just taking time to reassess, you could be able to identify why a business didn’t consider you to be the one for them. It might be that you didn’t perform well in an interview, because of nerves or because you failed to get across all of your relevant skills.

Even if you seem to be a perfect match on paper, maybe you’re applying for the wrong type of role, or this was just the wrong company for you.

So how can you turn around the negative of rejection into a positive going forward?

One of the most pro-active things you can do is to narrow down your search and be more selective with the type of positions you apply for.

Less really can be more when it comes to a job search. It’s far better to make fewer applications that are carefully targeted than to take a more scattergun approach which will inevitably lead to pursuing unsuitable openings more likely to end in rejections.

That’s where Vidu can help because we can get you matched with the RIGHT types of opportunities.

A successful application is about more than just having the appropriate qualifications and experience. Once they both align with a position, we can use our understanding of a company, its culture, and the team you’ll be working with to gauge exactly whether you’re likely to be a good fit.

If you are, then we can help you create an introductory video profile to connect personally and show exactly why they should hire you.

And if not? Well then you won’t have wasted time on an application doomed to rejection – because it’s really not you, it’s them …