THE ART OF:

LEARNING HOW
TO HANDLE
REJECTION

MASTERING COLLEGE TO CAREER

MASTERING COLLEGE TO CAREER
MASTERING COLLEGE TO CAREER
MASTERING COLLEGE TO CAREER
MASTERING COLLEGE TO CAREER
MASTERING COLLEGE TO CAREER
 Rejection is part
of the process
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

Rejection is normal, it is inevitable during

the job-seeking process. Ask anyone if they
have ever been rejected and everyone will
say they have at least once.

Moreover, getting rejected means you are

pursuing big things and looking to improve
yourself. If you do not ever get rejected, it
means you are not trying hard enough, that
what you are trying to achieve is not big
enough. If you get every job you have
applied for, you are under selling yourself.
You are going for a job way below your
standards.

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 Are you learning
from rejection?
There is no win or lose when it comes to
rejection. Only win and learn. You can only
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

learn and be better if you get rejected,

otherwise you will not feel the necessity to
do it.

Do not make the same mistakes twice, learn

from them and avoid them the next time you
apply for a job. The thing is, most people do
not know why they got rejected, they just
move on. Do not waste this opportunity to
make your next application better.

How do you do this? You start tracking your

applications.

Start by creating an excel sheet or a regular

document. During and after an application,
make sure you record what you think you did
good, what could be better and most
importantly, you have to ask yourself, where
in the process are you getting rejected? Why
did you get rejected? Here, self-awareness is
key. Answer the following questions.

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 Did I get rejected by the Applicant
Tracking System (ATS) before getting an
interview? If I did, how can I avoid that
next time? How can I improve my resume
to get through this step?
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

Did I get rejected during the first

interview? If I did, how can I make a
better first impression and better express
myself?

Did I get rejected during a skills

interview? If I did, what skills do I need to
work on? Next time that happens, could I
give the interviewer a solution?

Did I get rejected during the last

interview? If I did, examine the whole
process and see if it was something that
built up since the beginning or if you
could not communicate your value
correctly.
Understanding the reason for rejection will
help you learn, and it will certainly be easier
if you tackle each obstacle one by one.

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 What went
wrong?
HOW TO ASK FOR FEEDBACK
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

You should always ask for feedback. It will

not only make the previous step easier, but
it will help you see things you may not have
realized before since it is from a very
different perspective.

The thing is, most of the times you ask for

feedback after rejection, you will not receive
a reply and it has nothing to do with you
personally, it is a liability issue. Companies
will not say anything to you due to fear of a
lawsuit based on discrimination. So you
have to word it differently. Try something
like this:

“Thank you so much for your

consideration, what are some skills I can
improve to increase my chances next
time?”
This is now asking the interviewer to tell you
what you can do to be a better candidate
next time.
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 Nevertheless, feedback should be asked for
before you get rejected. Make it a rule to do
this last question at the end of every
interview:

“Is there any particular reason you think

LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

I might not be a good fit for this role?”

When you ask for instant feedback right

away, especially if they are not in HR, they
will answer.

They can tell you do not have enough

skills, but if you can show that you are
eager and willing to learn you might be
able to salvage it.

If they say that you were great, then you

say “I’m glad you think so, what are the
next steps?".

If they respond saying that they have

other candidates to interview you say “No
problem, I understand. When is a good
time for me to follow up with you?”

And if they say you are not a right fit you

can learn from the opportunity and move
on.

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 The best thing about this is you do not have
to wait two weeks with false hope, you
accept it and start focusing on your other
applications instantly without wasting time,
knowing now what to do and what not to
do.
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

If you do not have the opportunity to ask for

feedback and you get an automated email
rejecting you, it means you did not do a
good job building relationships. You have to
humanize the recruitment process,
approaching possible co-workers, recruiters
and the hiring team instead of just sending
your resume.

If you just apply online, you are treating the

company as a number, so they will treat you
as a number back. Treat them how you
want to be treated.

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 Don't take it
personally
99% of time you do not get the job it has
nothing to do with you personally. Try to see it
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

this way. They did not say no to you, they just

said yes to someone else. And those things
happen, there are times other people are better
suited for a role than we are. And that is okay.
See this opportunity as a learning experience
and encourage yourself to be better, and to be
the person best suited for the next role.

Also, sometimes it has nothing to do with your

skills or experience, it is just that you do not fit
with the values of the company in question.

That is why it is important on having clarity

about your career priorities and the
companies you want to focus on, so you can
carry out deep research regarding the culture of
those companies by connecting with people
that work there and asking them questions on
things that you cannot find online. Then, you
decide whether or not you fit in there. If you do
not, you will save a lot of valuable time.

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 Remember, a no
today does not
mean a no
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

tomorrow
If you are following up, building
relationships and networking to get to
the interview stage and then you get
rejected, do not just walk away from the
company. If you are not staying in touch
with the recruiters, hiring managers,
possible co-workers, then you have
missed the point of networking. You
are missing out on potential
opportunities.

Find the ones who are active on

LinkedIn and keep in touch. Just
because you got rejected does not
mean you cannot keep in touch with
the people you met.

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 Networking is not just talking with a
person when you need something. It is
building a relationship for the long term
that will be very beneficial for other
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

opportunities. You may think the world

is huge, but it really is not. The world is
actually pretty small, industries are too.

Who knows, they may offer you another

position in the company better suited
for you in the future or will put you in
contact with another company. There
are infinite chances!

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 CONGRATULATIONS!
NOW YOU'RE READY TO:

Make the best out of being

rejected

For questions and extra support please attend an of the office hours
or email hello@MasteringCollegeToCareer.Com .