Dealing with rejection is never easy. Dealing with job rejection may be even more challenging. But it’s something that we all experience. There isn’t one person out there who hasn’t been rejected from a job in their past. 

Around a year ago, when I was looking for a new position, I got rejected many times. I was rejected from various positions within the company I was working for, from a company I had a family member working at, and even from the current company I am working for now. 

The hardest part for me to swallow is that with the company I am working for now, I was being rejected from positions that were going to require me to take a 15% pay cut. That was an incredibly humbling experience for me, but it’s the price I was willing to pay to find a job that would make me happy again. 

Finally, after my third interview, I got the job that I am currently working in today. And I have to say, as much as it hurt to be rejected from those various positions in the heat of the moment, I wouldn’t change it.

I honestly believe I am the luckiest person alive. I love the role I am in, my team is much more than just a team, and I have a supervisor who I can honestly say does everything on behalf of my best interest. In a big company, that’s a rarity. 

Dealing With Job Rejection

Yes, you have been rejected in the past and you are most likely going to be rejected again in the future. That’s just the nature of growing in the professional world. As hard as it is, here are a few things to remember that will help you to keep moving forward. 

1. Rejection Means Nothing

Being rejected from a job says nothing about who you are as an individual or the skills you possess. Being rejected from a job simply means that the managers interviewing you simply didn’t see the right fit. Does that mean you don’t have the skills required for the job? Absolutely not. It just means there was something there that didn’t click between the two parties. 

You can choose to take this for what it’s worth, but I am actually thankful that I was rejected from the previous positions I applied for. The last thing I want is to be in a position where I am not going to be my best, or on a team that isn’t going to value what my best looks like. 

That’s all rejection is. 

You know what you are good at. You know what your strengths are. You know what you want your future to look like. The last thing you should do is fold and let somebody else’s opinion or judgment stop you from achieving the things you are capable of. 

2. It’s Their Loss

Again, you know your strengths. Don’t look at being rejected from a job position as a way of saying you’re not good enough. That is so far from the truth. It’s not your loss in the first place. If anything, it’s the managers your were interviewing with. They are the ones who are missing out on an amazing employee, an amazing individual, and on someone who would have helped them in more ways than they can imagine. 

You can choose to look back and wonder what you could have done differently or what why you didn’t get picked, but at the end of the day, it simply isn’t going to matter. You just have to stay true to yourself, believe in all that you are, and know that it’s their loss – not yours. 

3. Rejection Now Is Preparing You For What’s Ahead

I can’t stress it enough, you have been rejected in the past and you are going to be rejected again in the future. The rejection you are experiencing now is simply helping you to become a stronger individual for what lays ahead. 

Life isn’t easy. Not just in the professional world, but in life in general. There are going to be many more times where you are going to experience rejection in the future outside of just the professional world. The more you go through it, the easier it is going to become to navigate through it. What you are experiencing now is simply making you a stronger individual so you can manage what is going to come in the future. 

4. Everything Happens For A Reason

I truly believe this. I believe that everything (both good and bad) happens for a reason. 

Had I have been hired by one of the previous positions I applied for, I wouldn’t be on the team I am on today. I wouldn’t have grown the relationships that I have developed, and I probably wouldn’t have found the success that I have. If I got a position within the company I was previously employed by, I probably wouldn’t have a job today seeing as how they furloughed 90% of their employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the end, just remember that everything happens for a reason. I know that doesn’t make the pain any easier to deal with now, but trust it. Someday, you are going to be able to look back and realize that you are exactly where you are supposed to be in life. 

5. See Rejection As A Opportunity For Growth

Now, in case you are like me and choose to overanalyze every situation in life and have a challenging time dealing with job rejection, ask yourself how you can grow from this experience. One way to do so is by reaching out to those you interviewed with, thank them for their time, and ask if they have any constructive criticism for you. 

The thing that’s important to take away from this, however, is that every manager is going to have different preferences. The interview that led to you being rejected may have been a flawless interview for a different manager. So with this, I just caution you of paying too much attention to the feedback, but just look for ways to grow as both an employee and as a person. 

You know what that looks like, so now it’s just time to act on it. 

Before You Go

At the end of the day, being rejected from a job isn’t worth beating yourself up over. It says NOTHING about who you are, all that you are capable of achieving, and the type of employee you are. How do I know? Because this is coming from someone who was rejected over and over again but is now one of the top performers in the company. 

You control you. You don’t control how others see you, so don’t let their rejection bring you down. Stay true to yourself, believe in yourself, and you will find your fit.

Michael Bonnell