Rejection

The thing about the job hunt is that, sadly, you're gonna be turned down. In fact, you're gonna be turned down a lot. As such, I think it's important to know how you handle yourself after rejection. Do I have an example? Of COURSE I do. I always have examples.

Recently I applied for an internship. I did all the application stuff, went for the interview, thought I rocked the interview, learned more about the position, and walked home with a spring in my step because I was really excited about the job and also confident that I'd be hired.

Mistake - Hope is good. Confidence is good. Assuming you've gotten the job is bad. I'd like to think I didn't go as far as actually assuming I got the job, but maybe I did - it's actually kind of hard to remember now. Just don't make the mistake of thinking it's in the bag because that makes being turned down worse.

The gal I interviewed with told me when they hoped to make their decision by and I rushed to check email constantly just waiting to hear good news. But I didn't get good news. And I didn't get bad news. I just didn't get any news.

Dilemma - Be obnoxious and send an email inquiring? Or be patient and wait to be notified?

Frankly, I had had enough of waiting. Let's be honest, that's the worst part. Being turned down isn't nearly as hard as waiting for news that never comes. So, I decided to go the obnoxious route. There are tactful ways of finding out this sort of information. Just simply explain you're excited about the job and anxious to hear if the hiring decision had been made yet. Maybe you can even throw in that it's not your intent to be obnoxious.

So I sent the email hoping to hear something. Several days passed and I was becoming pretty desperate. I didn't know if maybe it was a really close call and a tough decision and they needed more time, or if I was just turned down without being turned down. I thought about informally contacting someone else I know at the office to see if maybe they knew anything, but couldn't decide whether I should or shouldn't. I never ended up doing it because right as I in the middle of decision, I received an email telling me that the position was filled but thank you for applying ... standard rejection stuff.

I was crushed, to be honest. I mean I was super disappointed. This time was worse than any other rejection because I actually felt like I could get this job. There was less competition and I felt fully qualified ... It was really hard to handle, I'll tell you that. Honestly, I cried. I couldn't help myself. And I spent the rest of the day being mad and sad and angry and frustrated and defeated and disappointed... you name it, I felt it. But you know what I did the very next day? I google-searched media internships in Iowa and found a couple of interesting things to apply for.

I guess that's how you have to deal with these things. I allowed myself time to be upset (maybe a whole day was a bit too much), but I didn't let myself be hung up on it for eternity. Yeah, it still sucks, but I know it's not the end of the world. It's tough right now to find internships and jobs when the industry seems like it's collapsing at every turn, and maybe that's what scared me when I didn't get this internship. I was afraid of having to hunt again and find nothing. What is it people always say? "What do we do when we fall off the horse? We get back on." I don't think I was even on the horse yet.. maybe I just slipped out of the stirrups when I tried to get on. Either way it's important to continue to try. There's always something - it may not be an awesome something but it's a foot in the door (or in the stirrup).

Morals of the story? Don't be cocky, recover quickly from rejection, and never stop looking.