Didn’t Get the Job? Dealing With Interview Rejection

You apply for a job, get as far as an interview (which you think goes really well), and even start to imagine what it will be like when the job is yours… Then, to your surprise, you don’t get hired!

How do you feel after interview rejection?

• Confused? You thought they really liked you at the interview.
• Disappointed? You would have loved that job.
• Cheated? You know you would have been great at the job.
• Embarrassed? You wish you hadn’t told people you had applied, now you have to tell them you didn’t get the job.
• Upset? You take it personally, and feel that there is something wrong with you.
• Angry? Can’t they see how experienced and capable you are?

It’s quite possible that you feel a combination of all of the above, or perhaps one, then another. But whatever your feelings and reactions to not getting the job, the most important thing is to accept the situation, accept your feelings, and move forward in a positive way.

Seems almost impossible at the time doesn’t it? But you can do it, one step at a time, and with a positive outlook.

It’s important to realise that how you feel about this situation is based entirely on your own individual reaction, and that is something that you are in control of, although it may not immediately feel that way.

Another way to look at interview rejection

Step outside of the situation for a moment and look at it this way: it is most likely that a number of people applied for just one job vacancy. If you were interviewed then the employer must have been impressed by your application, your experience, qualifications, and suitability for the job. Be pleased about this accomplishment! Many others were unable to get past this initial stage.

If you felt that the interview went well, then it probably did. If you thought you answered questions well, gave a good impression and established a good rapport with the interviewer, then you are probably right.

But remember that other people were interviewed too and maybe their interviews also went well, they gave all the right answers and built up a rapport with the interviewer. They were all as hopeful as you, and all but one of them has also been turned down for the job.

From the position of the interviewer

Put yourself in the position of an interviewer for a moment. You are faced with five or even ten great candidates for a job, they all seem really competent, have great experience, good work records, interview well and would be a great addition to your staff team. But you can only choose one successful candidate.

This was the situation that faced your interviewer too. They are only human and have to make a decision that they feel is best for their company. If you were the interviewer how would you choose?

So maybe one of the other candidates has slightly more specific work experience than you, or had been in the industry longer. Perhaps they seemed more likely to fit in with the existing staff members and blend into the team easier. Maybe they just clicked with the interviewer a little more than the others did. Whatever the reason that person was chosen, it doesn’t mean there was anything wrong with the others. A choice simply had to be made.

Once you have accepted this you can look at the situation more objectively. You may have been great for the job, but so was someone else and this is no failing of yours.

Allow yourself to feel rejected, angry, disappointed, but only for a short time, because then you need to move on. At no stage blame yourself or feel that you have failed, it’s simply that someone else has been successful.

Out of one hundred applications, ninety-nine will not succeed. Doesn’t feel quite so personal when you look at it that way does it?

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Life coaching and NLP can help you to recognise why you react to situations in the way that you do, and this is often based on past experiences and beliefs. It can also help with positive thinking and goal setting. Please contact me if you would like a free consultation.