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We’ve all been there: “Hi [add your name here], thank you for your application. Unfortunately…” Delete. You don’t care about the rest of the email because you don’t want to know why you “stink”. The natural reaction is to march straight down to the student union and throw back beers whilst declaring that graduate recruitment is “a farce”. But, trust me, there’s no need for such measures.

After I graduated from university, in 2002, it took me over a year to find a decent graduate role. I left university with a swagger; I got a 2.1 from a good institution and I had some decent work experience. So, foolishly, I assumed that I was going to cruise into a big time job. 6 months later, I had accumulated enough rejection letters to wallpaper the Taj Mahal. The swagger had gone.

However, with the benefit of hindsight, I now realise that this was a major turning point. I didn’t go on a bender or recoil into being a mumbling, shivering wreck; instead, I embarked on a very serious re-evaluation of my abilities and my goals, and then persevered. It was long and painful, but I learnt some key lessons, and I hope that these lessons will help you to avoid the mistakes I made in trying to find a graduate role. These lessons are also relevant to those doing freelance, or temporary, work.

Be prepared to be rejected.

If your daddy is a Lord, please look away now. Seriously, the vast majority of us are not born into a life of privilege, and therefore we must accept that rejection is part of the game. Add the level of competition to the mix (there’s an estimated 40 or 50 graduates chasing every job in the market), and you can begin to appreciate the point. Once this is accepted, we can prepare ourselves by reacting calmly and thoughtfully. If you’re calm, you can think much more clearly. Too often you hear rash comments like, “I knew I’d be rejected!” Or, “What was the point?” I know, because I used to make such comments, and the only purpose they served was to distract me from asking more pertinent questions, such as, “Was that job really right for me?”

It’s not personal.

Don’t take rejection personally. Easier said than done, of course; but, the decision to accept or reject a candidate is a business decision, not a personal one. Employers are looking for candidates that are best equipped to perform the job and who, they feel, will fit well within the company culture. Therefore, a rejection for a particular position does not reflect upon your worth, or necessarily upon your capabilities.

Learn from the experience.

Always try to seek feedback from the prospective employer. Prior to landing the graduate role I mentioned in the opening paragraphs, I got to the final round for a “dream” job. However, I was unsuccessful. But, I pursued the employer for feedback and they very kindly obliged. I carried out a “post-mortem” and, at times, it was a bitter pill to swallow. But, I wholeheartedly embraced every point and a year or so later, I landed that very same role. If you are constantly getting rejected at the same stage then I would recommend that you seek professional advice (e.g. CV help) or perhaps seek feedback from friends and family.

Be realistic.

When I left university, I was single-minded about the type of company and career I wanted to go into, and I believed that I was the perfect “fit”. The employers, on the other hand, obviously thought that I was a size 12 trying to squeeze into a size 9 (men’s shoes sizes that is, not dresses!). After many months of rejections, I took a hard look at myself, and I realised that not only was I not really qualified enough, but that I also didn’t even want to go into this industry! (It was banking, if you’re wondering.) I was merely copying my university friends. Once this became apparent to me, I quickly started to see better results, as I began applying to jobs that were a better fit. Therefore, I urge you to be realistic about your chances by, honestly, assessing your qualifications and fit for any prospective employer, industry, or job.

I’d like to leave you with a quote from Robert T. Kiyosaki, author of the well-known book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”:

“…inside every disappointment lies a priceless gem of wisdom”

So go forth and be rejected, this is an order!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am and is filed under How To. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.