Planning your next steps after job rejection

Being turned down for a role, regardless of the reason, can be disheartening and hard to come back from, especially if you have several rejections in a row. If you don’t get that particular vacancy, the role was probably not the best fit for you and there is something else out there that you are better suited for.

Before you can plan your next steps after a job rejection, you need to first deal with the rejection itself. Here is what I would recommend:

  • Remain Professional: Thank the recruiter/interviewer for their time and ask to keep you in mind for future opportunities.

 

  • Ask for Feedback: use the job rejection as a learning experience. Ask for detailed feedback as to why you didn’t get the role. It could be that someone was more qualified than you, you didn’t interview well, etc. It’s important to know the reasoning, so you can improve in the future.

 

  • Accept the Rejection: Most people get rejected from jobs when applying to several ones, so don’t take it personally. You can control some things in your life, but not all of them, so shake it off.

 

How to plan your next steps after a job rejection.

 

  • Revise your CV: Before you start searching for other open vacancies, take a look at your CV. Make it stand out and ensure that it truly reflects who you are and your past experience to show the value you can add. If you received feedback, use that to improve it.

 

  • Address Areas of Feedback: after receiving feedback as to why you didn’t get the role, you should identify your mistakes, learn from them, and move on. Take the feedback and use it to improve in the future. Whatever the case may be, make note of areas of improvement for the next time, it can make a big difference.

 

  • Practice your Interviewing Skills: if the reason you were rejected was because of the interview, focus on the areas where you struggled. Practice makes perfect and will help you gain confidence for the next opportunity.

 

  • Keep Job Searching: the most important thing to do after a job rejection is to keep going with your job search. Don’t give up. Searching for a new job can help you forget what went wrong and motivate you to find a new and better opportunity.