Job Seeking Tips: Dealing with job rejection Part 1; Getting nowhere with your search

Posted on Sep 24, 2012

There are two types of rejection you may have to do deal with in your job search; rejection in your search and rejection after an interview. We will be dealing with both of these types of rejection over the next two weeks. This week we are dealing with subject of getting nowhere with your job search. You have applied for countless jobs both independently and through recruitment agencies and the only responses you have gotten are ones saying you will not be called for interview. It can be very disheartening and we have all been there at one stage in our life but there are ways to dust yourself and carry on applying.

1.       Be gracious.

It will only make you feel worse if you act bitterly, say you are never shopping there again and try to turn everyone off the brand. You may have given you all in your application and you may have an impressive CV but an employer will only tell you that you are not suitable for the job, if you are not suitable. Instead of going into a bitter down-spiral be thankful that they replied to your application and send them a quick note to thank them for taking the time to consider your application. This shows that you are a nice, approachable person and they may consider you at another time, but most importantly, it will make you feel more positive about the situation.

2.       Get Feedback

At Excel Recruitment we always seek feedback on behalf of our candidates because we know it helps to pin-point what went wrong and how it can be improved. If you are applying for some jobs directly, there is no shame in asking for constructive feedback on why exactly your application was taken to the next stage. Be gentle in your approach and simply say that you are looking to improve your approach to a job search and that any feedback would be hugely appreciated.

3.       Re-examine your approach

If you are not hearing back at all or only getting rejection emails/letters it may be time to re-examine your approach. We have a number of blog posts about job seeking to guide on the best practices when it comes to CVs, cover letters and other job seeking details. Compare our expert tips with how you have been dealing with your search and make changes where appropriate.

4.       Take some time out

Job seeking is a full-time job and it can be as draining mentally and physically as working 5 full days a week. The quality of your applications may be suffering if you are applying for job after job without taking a break; be sure to have some “me-time” and do some things and relax before starting again.

5.       Keep Trying

While you may need to re-examine yourself there is no point picking your own flaws and getting down about it. Dust yourself off and get back on track. Consider that everything happens for a reason and if you seriously apply yourself to getting a job for which you are experienced, you will get there eventually.

So there you have it; five steps to keeping your head held high if you are falling foul of an undesirable amount of rejection emails or letters. Just follow these steps to keep your head clear and to use what information you can to turn things around. If you are looking for the ideal retail job and haven't registered with Excel Recruitment yet, send your CV to info@excelrecruitment.com and one of our consultants will be in touch.