Rejection. No matter how impressive your resume ^[2], how extensive your education or experience, if you’re interviewing, you’re experiencing interview ^[3] rejection. (The Inner View of Your Interview ^[4] will help!)

Looking for a job requires three things:

1. A lot of Preparation
2. A Positive attitude
3. A great deal of Persistence

While all three are very important, overcoming interview ^[3] rejection is usually a matter of persistence more than anything else.

Stories abound of new graduates, mid-career professionals, and old-timers alike who are going on 30 interviews or more before getting a job … and that’s after sending out 100+ resumes. In today’s job market, getting a position with a desirable company is a numbers game and you should be prepared for numbers like these, in some cases, much higher. That’s why it’s important to use the information in The Inner View of Your Interview ^[4] to help you better prepare for each and every interview ^[3] you have. After all, you may only have one shot at that position!

^[5]

Handling rejection

Knowing ahead of time that you’ll probably go on dozens of interviews before that job offer comes through, you can view each rejection as “one more number out of the way.” It’s tough, though. Very tough if you truly wanted needed that job.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Interview ^[3] rejection is rarely personal. Take a few moments after each interview ^[3] and go through a “debriefing” period by asking yourself a few questions:

• What did I learn from this interview?
• Was I as prepared as I thought?
• What could I have done or said differently?
• How can I be better prepared for my next interview?
• Did I follow the tips and techniques found in The Inner View of Your Interview ^[4]?

If you’ve been told that your “resume and interview were very impressive, but we’ve decided to select another candidate for this position,” ask yourself a different set of questions:

• Am I looking at myself and my job candidacy in an objective manner?
• Do I need more experience?
• Did my interview answers accurately reflect my skills?
• What can I do to improve my interviewing skills?

The reality is, many hiring managers secretly prefer to hire people either like themselves, or that they feel very comfortable with. If several candidates meet those requirements, they will offer the position to the person with the most impressive experience. As a last resort, they’ll hire someone with “potential.”

If you’ve been rejected yet again, take a few moments to ask yourself these debriefing questions. Answer them honestly and try to view your job candidacy from another perspective – the hiring manager’s. Would YOU hire yourself? Before you answer that – think about why you would hire yourself. Then make certain you mention those in your next interview.

About the author

Ron has written 1083 articles on The Wisdom Journal.

The founder and editor of The Wisdom Journal ^[6] in 2007, Ron has worked in banking, distribution, retail, and upper management for companies ranging in size from small startups to multi-billion dollar corporations. He graduated Suma Cum Laude from a top MBA program and currently is a partner in a national building materials company.

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