Prefer to read? The transcript is below 🙂

Hey, it’s Iris and welcome back to my YouTube channel.

In this video, I’m going to answer another question I received from one of my clients the other day. That question is…

“how do I bounce back from repeated job rejection?” 

Whether you’ve been actively job searching or not, we all know how shit (bleep!) it feels to have been to a job interview, feeling quite positive about it, but then get that dreaded rejection call. 

Or even worse, to spend a lot of time putting together your CV and cover letter, send it over, and to hear nothing in return….

So, I’m going to share 3 tips with you on how to bounce back from job rejection. 

But before I do that, please like this video if you like it and subscribe to my channel. It’ll help me to get this video out to more people, AND it tells me exactly what type of content you’re finding helpful.

Let’s dive right in.

So, what do you tend to do when you get rejected for a job? 

Do you…

• Doubt yourself? Wondering what you did wrong or what you’re lacking?

• Lose hope or confidence? Thinking there’s no use because you’ve just been rejected for your dream job or that company you really wanted to work for? 

• Kind of shrug your shoulders, but feeling really disappointed on the inside? 

• Or do you not do much at all? Because it’s a done deal and there’s not much you CAN do

Look, these are all totally VALID things to do and think. Getting rejected isn’t fun, whether it happens for the 1st or 50th time. 

And while that sting might never 100% go away, there are some things you can do to deal with it in a constructive and healthy way. 

Tip #1 → take yourself out of it

What do I mean with this? 

Well, this: we often tend to take rejection very personally.

Whilst this is understandable, it’s not helpful. You have to realise that big companies get on average 250 applications for one job opening. (250!). There are only so many hours in a day, and so many CVs a recruiter or hiring manager can sift through.

That’s why 98% of large companies use a so-called Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, to automate that first step of the hiring process. 

An ATS will scan through the CV of each applicant, and automatically reject those that aren’t a good pre-defined match for the advertised position.

In other words: your application might never have reached an actual human being when it got rejected. Your CV simply got filtered out through the system. 

Or, if you’ve made it through to the interview and got rejected afterwards, realise that there might be a ton of reasons why you didn’t get the role. 

Maybe there was someone who matched the job requirements to a tee, or someone that the recruiter or hiring manager already knew. Or someone who had more experience in something that they were specifically looking for. 

More often than not, a rejection has less to do with you, and much more with the people who were invited for an interview or the person who ultimately got the job. 

Tip #2 → never waste an opportunity to learn

I know, I know, this sounds cheesy, but it is TRUE. 

What’s the point in sending out application after application, without learning why you’re not succeeding?

They say that insanity is making the same mistakes over and over again, but expecting different results. 

So, whenever you don’t get invited for that job interview, or don’t get that job offer, make sure you take that as an opportunity to learn how you can be better next time. 

Here are some things you can do: 

1. Ask for feedback. Reach out to the recruiter or hiring manager, thank them for the opportunity and for letting you know the outcome, and ask specifically what you could’ve done better. Was it your CV that lacked relevance? Was your cover letter not convincing? Should you have highlighted something in the interview that you didn’t?

2. Another thing you can do do learn from your rejection is working on mastering the art of applying for jobs by, for example, making sure your CV is rich in keywords that are crucial for the job. 

This is especially important if you’re applying for a position at a company that uses, there you have it again, an ATS. Application Tracking Systems scan CVs of applicants for relevant keywords, which are often the required skills or experience for the role. You can find it by carefully studying the job description, and highlighting skills or experience that jump out. Those are the keywords that you want to mention in your CV as best as you can.

Tip #3 → go on rejection therapy

If you’re really struggling with rejection, whether that’s in your private or professional life, it might be a good idea to get yourself some rejection therapy. 

What on earth is rejection therapy, I hear you ask?  

It’s simply a method to get used to rejection. Because often, when we experience something that we feared or dreaded, and realise we were able to deal with it, it has less of an impact the next time we experience it. 

Now, I’m not saying to send out a bunch of job applications and get rejection after rejection, so you get used to it. That’ll be quite harsh. 

What I am saying is to start doing small things that pose of risk of being rejected. 

• Reach out the author of your favourite book to share how much you’ve enjoyed their work or latest book, and ask them one small question, for example when they’re next book will be out or where they find inspiration for their work. 

• Ask for a discount next time you buy something

• Connect with someone at the company you’d love to work for, and ask if they would be happy to jump on a 15 minute video call to share how they landed that position

• Ask your favourite celebrity a question in the comments on their latest IG post

The point is to do something that kind of terrifies and stretches you out of your comfort zone, but at the same time you know that if you get rejected it’s not the end of the world. 

When you do get rejected, notice how you feel, then challenge yourself to do something else that might get you rejected. Keep on doing that, the more you do it, the more you realise that when you DO get rejected, you’re able to deal with it. 

So, there you have it, 3 things you can do to bounce back from rejection. 

1. Take yourself out of it

2. Never waste an opportunity to learn

3. Go on rejection therapy

Let me know if you’re going to follow one of these tips by typing YES in the comments! 

And, of course, if you liked this video, click that thumbs up button and hit the subscribe button PLUS the bell right next to it. 

Also, if you want to find out more about free online training that I offer to help you find your passion, and make it your work, hop on over to irissmyth.com and sign up to receive my emails.

Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you again next week! 

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