Posted under Career Management, Career Planning, Internet Job Search, Interviewing, Networking on July 16th, 2007
Rejection, according to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, is a noun that means…
- to refuse to take, agree to, accede to, use
- to discard or throw out as worthless, useless
- to pass over
When you’re looking for a job, rejection goes with the territory. It takes a lot of “no’s” to get to the “yes,” so we’re told time and again. Have you met rejection? Has rejection impacted your life? Is rejection your friend or foe?
Here’s a fun exercise to help you put rejection in perspective. Think back to the earliest time in your life when you first recall getting rejected. What was the circumstance? What was your age? Where were you? What were you doing? When you were rejected, how did you handle it? How did you feel? Did this rejection stop you or did you make the most of the situation?
Yup, I recall my earliest experience with rejection. Wednesday nights. Roller rink. Sixth grade. Lights out. Boys’ choice. My heart would go into orbit knowing that tonight would be THE night that “Johnny” would swoop in and hold out his hand to me! But no! Not once. Not ever. Never. Johnny never picked me! He always picked the other girl!
When you are told “no” by an employer in your job search, always remember that you are getting that much closer to the employer who will say “yes” to you! You will be their first pick! The next time you are faced with rejection, be it in verbal or written form, think about how you can turn that negative into a positive.
Live with it. Learn from it. Laugh about it (later) and then, let rejection lead the way and roll on!
Posted by Billie Sucher
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Robert Dagnall on 18 Jul 2007 at 6:05 pm #
Some additional perspectives on failure/rejection: in baseball, the game’s greatest hitters fail 7 out of 10 at-bats.
Then there’s this resume of failure:
Lost job in 1832.
Defeated for state legislature in 1832.
Failed in business in 1833.
Elected to state legislature in 1834.
Sweetheart died in 1835.
Had nervous breakdown in 1836.
Defeated for Speaker in 1838.
Defeated for nomination for Congress in 1843.
Elected to Congress in 1846.
Lost renomination in 1848.
Rejected for land officer in 1849.
Defeated for U.S. Senate in 1854.
Defeated for nomination for Vice President in 1856.
Again defeated for U.S. Senate in 1858.
Elected President in 1860.
Abraham Lincoln.
billiesucher on 18 Jul 2007 at 7:21 pm #
Robert, thank you so much for your comment — I was just beaming when you used an example from baseball as that’s such a big part of our family’s life. : - ) And what a neat accounting of Abraham Lincoln’s pathway to glory! As “they” say, persistence pays! Thanks for reading & I really appreciate your comments!
billiesucher
Walter Akana on 26 Jul 2007 at 12:10 pm #
Hi Billie! You’ve made some great points about rejection and given some excellent advice. As well, I appreciate Robert’s accounting of Abraham Lincoln’s record and the baseball statistic. Still, when I work with clients who did not win job offers, I like to remind them that it isn’t about the employer rejecting them as much as it is about the employer picking someone else. Perhaps it’s just a slightly different spin on how to handle rejection. Still, I find it opens the door to considering what positives the candidate can focus on to be the one picked in a future interview.
billie sucher on 26 Jul 2007 at 2:58 pm #
Walter, thank you for your comments — what you say is really good…”it isn’t about the employer rejecting them as much as it is about the employer picking someone else.” Such an uplifting tip and constructive way of looking at things!
billie sucher