When you’re being custard-pied by recruiters on a regular basis, it’s tempting to hide under the duvet – or in the pub – forever. But Graduate Fog has a much better idea.
Writing applications is dull, researching for interviews is time-consuming – but being rejected for jobs is downright harsh. Unless you’re bullet-proof it’s 100% normal for the thumbs-down to hurt like hell. If you’ve ever opened a ’Thanks but no thanks’ letter or received a ’Sorry, you came second’ phone call and sat and sobbed like a little girl, you’re not alone.
Everybody knows that job hunting calls on graduates’ practical skills – but it’s rarely acknowledged that it’s emotionally brutal too. On bad days, it’s a blood sport. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it . Great applications - and certainly great interviews – mean investing and engaging in a personal, emotional way. In other words, to give it your best shot, you have to be able to visualise yourself actually doing that job, going to that office every day, saying good morning to those people, who will be colleagues. Having designed and committed to this vision of your future life, it’s no wonder it burns when the recruiter writes you a letter that starts, ‘Unfortunately…’ Or they don’t bother to write at all.
You’ll find more advice on coping with inevitable emotional kicking that comes with job hunting on the advice page How to Stay Motivated – but that isn’t actually what we want to discuss here. Why? Because we actually reckon that the most effective way for graduates to bounce back from rejection is to take charge and take action. The smartest graduates actually use rejection to gather clues about how to make their job hunt even more effective – thereby increasing their chances of not being rejected next time.
As much as your dear mum assures you your job hunt is “just a numbers game,” Graduate Fog believes that the harsh – and more useful – truth is that while you remain out of work, you should never stop doubting the effectiveness of your job-hunting strategies. Until you land a job, you should constantly be asking yourself “What could I be doing differently that might yield better results?” There is always more you can do to increase your chances. Accept this and you free yourself to start trying new, more effective strategies – and stop repeating the mistakes that were wasting your time and energy.
NEXT: WHY ARE YOU BEING REJECTED – AND HOW CAN YOU FIX IT?
