Rejection equals Redirection

Author : Manasa Sai

I walked into the beautiful glass building admiring the cute red flowers popping out of those lush green bushes. After a tight security check, I rushed into the conference room mentioned in the email after confirming it twice. I was interviewed back to back by four interviewers, and eventually, my HR told me that I got rejected because I was over-qualified. I reasoned my rejection with HR, my friends, and my family. However, I swallowed the hard pill and started applying for other jobs. Within a week, I landed a Data Analyst role effortlessly without having to negotiate my salary.

Research shows that the areas in our brain that get activated when we physically hurt ourselves are the same areas in our brain that get activated after a rejection. Although there are numerous books, videos, and articles that talk about how to deal with rejection, the most important thing we can do is to sit with it for a few minutes. A few quick questions to ponder upon are –

What was the reason given to me for rejection?

Does this feedback have sufficient information for me to work on it?

If yes, what is it that I can immediately implement?

If not, what is the point in dwelling over it?

Now that I already have the results, what should I do next?

The next best thing that can be done is to be grateful because it is certain that being considered for the same position twice is unlikely. It will help us move on to applying for other positions. Questions that may come up such as “What if I get rejected again? How long will this go on like this? If I am not given constructive feedback, how will I improve my resume?”. While job application is a strenuous process, it is important to understand that the process is not linear. Job application teaches us what the market wants and what skill sets are required. The job market also influences the attitudes and perspectives of the job seekers to get better during interviews. According to positive psychology, any small act of gratitude such as writing or mentally giving thanks to the people, place, or process invokes positive emotions. Such positive emotions redirect our attention to all the amazing skill-sets acquired instead of focusing on what we lack.

To conclude, the job application process gives job seekers ample opportunities to rethink what they are looking for. While rejections cause disappointments, as a job seeker, it becomes imperative to look at the bright side because rejection means redirection.

Avtar has created a responsive job portal named https://myavtar.com/ to make job seekers’ journeys less strenuous. Visit now to apply to the jobs of your choice.