3 Ways to Deal With Job Interview Rejection

Finding out that you have been rejected after a job interview is never easy and can make a dent in your confidence, but it shouldn’t be viewed as a sign of failure. Whilst rejection is never pleasant, it can allow you to build on your core strengths, improve your interview technique for next time, and help you figure out the type of job you actually want. So, you may not see it at the point of rejection, but unsuccessful job interviews are actually moving you forward.

If you’re feeling a bit downtrodden after a recent interview rejection, we have a few tips to help you move forward and ace your next interviews.

Ask for feedback from the employer

An important thing to do after a job interview rejection is to ask and listen to feedback from the recruiter. This is because the recruiter will be able to give you an insight into how they perceived you in an interview situation and whether there were things you could have done better. This feedback will then allow you to put together an action plan for future interviews in order to be the best version of yourself.

Another note to consider is that if you feel as though the feedback you have received is slightly generic and vague, don’t be afraid to ask for a more detailed insight. You put a lot of time and effort into that interview process and it’s fair that you receive some actionable insights at the end of it.

Review and reflect

The idea of rejection is something that most of us would want to brush aside and forget, but it’s important that you don’t do that, because every job search experience shapes us.

After receiving your feedback from the recruiter, you know what you need to improve on in terms of an outsider’s perspective. It’s now time for you to reflect on the entire interview process and ask yourself: What went well? What could I have done differently? Could I have been better prepared?

Asking yourself these questions will allow you to figure what you need to do to improve for future interviews, and further devise an action plan to follow.

Devise an action plan

Now that you have received feedback and reflected upon the entire interview process, it is useful to devise an action plan to make sure that you ace your next job interview.

Think to yourself: Are there any recurring themes? What should I prioritise? Asking yourself these questions will help you identify what aspects you should be focusing on in order to improve.

After asking yourself these questions, write down any weaknesses or issues that came to mind and ways that you can overcome these. Dependent on the issue or weakness will depend on how you tackle it. It may be a case of taking more time to plan potential answers for an interview and asking someone you know if you can practise with them. Or, if you feel as though you can’t overcome these issues alone, it may be that you seek out some informal coaching to guide you through an interview process. What you have to remember is that you aren’t a failure and that taking the time to create an action plan is helping you to move forward and become a better version of yourself.

Although we have only provided you with a few tips to help you overcome rejection from a job interview, we hope they will help. Do you have any tips that may be useful? We would love to hear them. Leave a comment below.