Let’s face it…nobody likes rejection. Not me, not you and not anyone I know. But the very unpleasant reality of today’s abysmal job market is that job candidates are much more likely to face rejection from prospective employers. According to U.S. Government estimates, 8.4 million jobs have vanished in what is now being coined as the Great Recession. Many economists believe that high unemployment will persist well beyond 2010 and that it will likely take three to four years for the job market to return to a more stable or normal level. As a result, it is not unrealistic or surprising to expect job candidates to experience a higher incidence of rejection from prospective employers.
What can we do about it? First, take a pass on you throwing yourself a pity party. Sitting and sulking might feel right at the time, but it is not productive and will only create negative energy, which will ultimately divert your time and attention away from your number one priority…your job search. You need to play a game called “Get over it!” What is productive is taking some time to reflect on your interview performance. I am sure you think that you gave a killer interview–and maybe you did–but sometimes things just don’t go our way. Like the bumper sticker says, “Crap happens!” Wipe the slate clean, accept that you lost this small battle, and commit yourself to winning the next one. Learn to be critical of yourself. It is imperative to understand that everything can be improved upon. To borrow from the marketing geniuses over at Lexus, you should be relentless in your pursuit of delivering a perfect interview performance. I know–nobody is perfect. But that’s not the point…you should strive for perfection nonetheless.
Really think about your interview preparation and overall process. Could you have been better prepared? Were your answers to questions polished, succinct and relevant? Did you incite in the interviewer an “eager want?” Did you provide anecdotal stories, evidence and specific examples to demonstrate your ability to generate positive results and tie it back to the questions asked? Did you display and showcase your top shelf qualities, skills, abilities and accomplishments? Did you ask open-ended questions regarding the company, the position and the hiring manager to demonstrate both your preparation and curiosity? Did you ask for the job at the conclusion of the interview? Did you walk away from the interview feeling like you owned it? Did you send a strong thank letter to the interviewer(s)? Maybe you did all of these things and placed a cherry on top for good measure; or maybe you didn’t. The point is this…even if you delivered an Oscar-worthy interview performance, you did fall short of perfection. We all do (that’s the price we pay for being human). Since interviewers are often reluctant to share specifics as to why you were removed from further consideration, we are left alone on our own little island to contemplate our failure. Just know that you can and will do better next time if you commit to yourself and your own individual pursuit of perfection.
