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Rejection Tips - Don't Be Blue!

Every job seeker, no matter how talented and experienced, has received at least one dreaded rejection letter in his or her career. And, no matter how talented and experienced the job seeker, rejection always brings up deep seated insecurities and that inevitable question: "Why?"

Even though it is a drag to be rejected by a potential employer the key to landing a job is not to dwell on missed opportunities and just keep focusing on possibilities. Nearly every time I have ever been rejected after interviewing for a job, I later discovered information that made me realize that the rejection was a blessing in disguise.

For example, I once interviewed with one of the world's largest banks for what I thought was a dream opportunity. I was scheduled to fly back for a final round of interviews that should have culminated in an offer when I got a call from the HR department informing me that they were not going to fill the job. I was devastated. But then a couple of weeks later I found out that the bank was restructuring and laying off thousands of employees including the entire department with which I had been interviewing. Whew. I guess I dodged a bullet!

If you don't have a job and are getting rejection letters after interviewing, the process can be both scary and depressing. Do not let yourself get so down on yourself or depressed that your interview skills suffer. Each job interview has to be a whole new world of positive thinking. Don't reflect on past losses, failures, or rejections when preparing for an interview. Prepare and put a positive spin on everything that you discuss with your interviewers. Positive thinking will get you far in interviews.

After each interview sit down and make a list of everything you thought went well and the things that you think you could have improved upon. Then, if you don't get the job at least you will have given yourself some feedback that you can use to improve your interview skills the next time. Sometimes interviewers will tell you why you didn't get the job but you can't count on that...you have to create your own "after action review" in order to improve your skills.

Don't focus on rejection. Treat your job search like a sales job. You are selling product "You Inc." to a potential employer. Don't focus on the sales you lose but try to learn from them in order to improve your pitch until you close a deal.

Keep in mind that many times the jobs you don't get are blessings in disguise even though you may not think so at the time. Don't think "what's wrong with me?" when you are rejected for a job because, in truth, there may not be anything wrong with your interview skills or your ability to do the job -- it may be that you and the company aren't a good fit for each other. And that is nothing to get depressed about.

About Liz Handlin

Company: Ultimate Resumes LLC

Liz Handlin, CEO of Ultimate Resumes LLC, has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, and recruiting. This combination of experience, along with a BA from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, give Ms. Handlin a unique perspective on the resume creation process.

In addition to her work at Ultimate Resumes, Ms. Handlin serves as the Vice President of Marketing for BroadPeak Collaborative (BPC), a professional services firm based in Chicago, IL. She held previous positions with The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Deloitte & Touche LLP, NetSpend Corporation, and APV plc. At Deloitte & Touche, Ms. Handlin was the Director of Recruiting for the Illinois practice with responsibility for all experienced hire and college recruiting across the audit, tax, and related services practices.

In Chicago, Handlin may be best known for creating and managing Money Smart Week during her employment at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. For more information on Money Smart Week visit: www.chicagofed.org. Ms Handlin was honored by Microsoft Corporation and featured in Smart Money Magazine (June 2004) for creating Money Smart Week (MSW), now in its sixth year. She is the author of numerous articles on access to banking issues including: Chicago Fed Letter, Remittances and The Unbanked, March 2002, Chicago Fed Letter, Tapping the Potential of the Unbanked - Private Sector Interest Increases, January 2003.

Ms. Handlin has been interviewed for and quoted in numerous articles in publications that include: The Economist, The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Community Banker, and American Banker. Ms. Handlin writes articles on resume creation, careers, and related issues and these articles can be found on a variety of websites including www.thinkglink.com, www.gather.com, www.ilifecoach.com and her blog.

After years of using her recruiting and marketing background to help colleagues to create winning resumes, Ms Handlin launched Ultimate Resumes LLC in June 2004. Since that time she has helped hundreds of clients to create resumes that, in turn, have opened the doors to wonderful new jobs. Her passion is helping clients find and land the jobs of their dreams.

Anyone who would like some help preparing for a job interview should download Liz's free Interview Tips E-Book, which compiles all the information you need to prepare for a job interview in one place. These interview tips are targeted to folks interviewing for jobs that range from entry level through middle management roles.