Navigating Rejection: Tips for Handling Feedback in Your Job Search

The journey of job searching may be laced with times of hope and, on the other side of the coin, feel like waters that often swirl out of control. Navigating rejection is one of the most dreaded occurrences during this process. Whether it’s radio silence from a would-be employer or a blunt “no,” rejection is the brutal reality of looking for work. But it also might be some of the best growing and learning experiences. I know– I’ve learned from mine.

Here are some strategies for how to handle the feedback and rejection from your job search, turning those setbacks into stepping stones toward your goals for your career.

How to Make Sense of Rejection in the Job Market

First, it’s crucial to recognize that navigating rejection is not a reflection of your worth as a person or professional.
I was crushed the first time I was rejected from a job I really wanted. I let it get to me, it affected my job search for a solid week, and I let it control my feelings about myself.
The job market is influenced by numerous factors beyond your control, such as timing, the specific needs of a company, and the pool of applicants. Sometimes, rejection speaks less of your qualifications and more of the lack of fit. Maintaining such a perspective can assist you in not losing confidence and resilience in the face of rejection.

Embracing Feedback

Take the notion of feedback from the premise that when you receive the feedback, negative or positive, you receive it as a gift. Constructive criticism can provide invaluable insights into areas for improvement, whether it’s your resume, interview skills, or certain qualifications. If feedback is not automatically provided, don’t hesitate to ask for it politely. Use the information to refine your approach and make it a stronger candidacy for your next opportunities.

Building Resilience

Building resilience is like your emotional armor in the job search. It includes adopting a growth mindset where every experience is taken as an opportunity for learning and development. So, pat yourself on the back for every effort and all the progress you’ve made, not only the outcomes. Be compassionate with yourself and remember that persistence is what will finally make your efforts pay off toward your career goals. Be patient.

Fine-Tuning Your Approach

Use rejection as another chance to reassess and fine-tune the areas of your job search that may not be working. Look for patterns in the feedback; all the comments seem to be leading toward only a few themes. What are the skills or experiences that you could fill in more detail? Is there any gap in your resume that you want to fill? The intention of this self-analysis is that with the realization, it will be possible to make targeted improvements in your job search approach so that you emerge stronger as a candidate in the race. What do I really want to do? How can I stand out as the obvious choice?

Networking and Mentorship

Developing a supportive network of family, friends, and professionals helps in receiving emotional and practical advice. Look for mentors who can guide and review your application documents and provide insights into your target industry. In addition, networking could act as a source of new opportunities by way of relationships, perhaps for job leads more befitting.

Expansion

Sometimes, even a rejection can be a time to broaden your scope. Look at related fields and even opportunities where you could gain that advancement knowledge, and be open to the possibility of more education if it is in line with reaching your ultimate career goal. You can do this to make yourself more well-rounded and appealing to prospective employers. Thinking of getting that certification? Do it!

Staying Positive and Healthy

Maintaining a positive outlook is crucial, but it’s equally important to look after your mental and physical health while navigating rejection. Job searching can be stressful, so engage in activities that boost your well-being, such as exercise, hobbies, and spending time with loved ones. A healthy balance can keep you motivated and reduce the toll of rejection.
Back when my first rejection hit me, it was in the Fall. That is when I learned to can. During that job search and rejection time, I canned tomatoes, salsa, pickles, applesauce, pears, and so much more. It relaxed me AND it made me feel productive even though my job search wasn’t productive.

Persistence Pays Off

Remember the power of persistence. Every ‘no’ is bringing you closer to the ‘yes’ of destiny. Stay committed to your job search but be flexible in your approach. Be ready to learn, change, and jump at new opportunities. Navigating rejection isn’t always a straight path.

Learning from Success Stories

Find motivation from the success stories of people who have received rejections but later on have been hired in the company of their dreams. It may have helpful advice and motivation for moving forward. Knowing that even the very successful professionals have been rejected many times could make it normal and foster tenacity. ‘They’ve been through this, and look where they are now!’

Get Professional Help

If rejection is taking a toll on your confidence or even mental well-being, then consider seeking assistance from either career counselors (hello there!) or mental health professionals. They would provide techniques with which to deal with rejection, measures to make your job search better, and ways to handle stress.

Conclusion

While navigating rejections within your job search can surely be difficult, it is also an opportunity for growth and self-improvement. Practice embracing feedback, bouncing back, refining your strategy, and staying positively healthy in mind and body, and you’ll turn rejection into an incredible force for moving your career forward. Remember, every “no” is a step closer to the “yes” that will open the door to new professional adventures. Keep learning, adapting, and persisting—your perseverance will pay off.

5 Resume Hacks for 2020 Job Seekers

Guest PostsJob Search

Finding that first job after graduating or starting a career change can be one of life’s greatest challenges. Getting a solid job in the industry you want to work in, however, can open doors to success that lasts a lifetime. That makes landing a strategic job worth all the effort you put into it.

That effort starts with your resume. Putting together your resume, whether it’s your first time or just the first time in years, can feel daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be. With a few clever tips, tricks, and savvy hacks, your resume will communicate your talent and experience clearly to all potential employers.

Get ready to wow at your next job interview with these 7 simple hacks that you can use on your resume today.

The structure should depend on the stage of your career

First, it’s important to think about the overall structure of your resume. Where should each section go — what sections should you have in the first place? First, it’s a good idea to make a distinction between an early career resume and a mid- or late-career resume.

What’s the difference? In an early career resume, you probably don’t have too much work experience to brag about. If you do, good for you, you busybody! Either way, it’s likely that the most impressive achievement you have accomplished so far is your schooling. Whether that’s an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s degree, or technical schooling certification, if you’re looking for your first job, it’s smart to put your degrees or certificates first on your resume.

Takeaway: if you’re early in your career, your resume should lead with an Education section.

Those whose school days are long behind them, and who have been working in the career world for some time (maybe 7 years or more) should think about leading with their job experience. It’s likely that you have spent a good amount of time seriously developing your leadership, communication, management, and teamworking skills while on the job by that point in your career. Sure, your schooling is pretty impressive, but employers will want to know what you’ve done since you graduated.

Takeaway: if you’re in your mid-to-late career, think about putting your Work Experience first, then your education later.

Once you’ve settled on the order of the general sections, it’s time to think more specifically about how you’ll lay out your work and schooling experiences.

Make sure your resume tells a story — chronologically

Employers reviewing applications often don’t have a ton of time on their hands to sort out confusingly laid-out resumes, so one way you can make it easy for them (and give yourself a more comprehensive look) is by laying out your resume chronologically.

In each section, Education and Work Experience, be sure to lead with your most recent position. Employers are probably more interested in your work managing a team of programmers for five years than the internship you had as an undergrad.

Once you’ve correctly laid out each section chronologically, it’s time to think about the story that your resume tells. Remember, that reviewer is on the clock, and you want to communicate to them as concisely and effectively as possible what value your experience and education will bring to their company.

Pro tip:

If you’re applying to jobs in a few different industries, consider having different resumes for each one. You may have a variety of experience that’s relevant more to one industry than another, and your resume is your chance to highlight that.

Depending on the type of job you’re applying to, it’s okay to spin each position you worked for to best match that role. The truth is that, in most jobs, you’re likely performing a variety of responsibilities, so it’s totally okay to highlight the aspects of your past work that tells the most coherent and engaging story about your schooling and work experience so far. That brings us to our next tip.

Always highlight achievements from past experiences

Your resume is your highlight reel. You want potential employers to see clearly and quickly how you will add value to their company or organization. When crafting each entry describing past work experience, it’s likely not worth it to list out everything that you did at each job. Sure, it’s great that you can answer emails or do the basics of what your past jobs required of you, but that’s not the stuff that will set you apart from everyone else in the pile of resumes.

So, rather than simply describing the duties of your past jobs under each entry, list 2 to 4 noteworthy accomplishments you made while working there. Perhaps you solved a really tricky programming puzzle that no one else on your team could. Or maybe you wrote an article that brought more views to your site than any other for months. Maybe you were able to settle a difficult disagreement among coworkers and got your team back on track. Whatever it is, highlight it on your resume; it makes it clear how much value you can contribute to your new workplace.

Devote a section specifically to your skills

Next, it’s a smart idea to create a section for your skills. The way you decide to incorporate it design wise (more on that below) is up to you, but commonly, people have a box that lists their skills toward the bottom of the resume, or along the side.

Skills are concrete abilities you have that you will be able to start using the day you step into your new role. Maybe it’s web design, or using engineering software, or writing search engine optimized marketing copy. Whatever it is, employers want to know if you have the skills for the job. Your skills section is the place to make that completely clear.

Get creative with design, but keep it professional

Resumes have advanced beyond the classic Word document in Times New Roman font. Sure, for some employers (think law firms or accounting agencies), that’s still the gold standard. However, for many employers, having a creative resume with beautifully designed elements is a great way to stand out.

Luckily, there are plenty of free or inexpensive templates available online. So, even if you’re not a professional graphic designer, you can still have a gorgeously designed resume, laid out perfectly to draw potential employers’ attention directly to the parts of your experience you most want to highlight.

Resume design and layout isn’t an exact science, but by having the right structure and content, you increase your chances of landing that dream job you’ve always wanted.

At the end of the day, writing a resume can still be a daunting task. Trying to write objectively about yourself can be difficult. If you need help in crafting that resume to sell yourself to a potential employer, you may want to consider hiring a professional resume writer who has years of experience developing resumes to highlight all your achievements and skills.

Samantha Rupp holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and is the managing editor for 365businesstips.com. She lives in San Diego, California and enjoys spending time on the beach, reading up on current industry trends, and traveling.

How Much Will Not Having A Good Resume Cost?

Resume Writing

Many times, someone will look at the price of having a professional resume writer develop their resume and wonder if it is worth the cost. There’s a way to put the cost of a professional resume service into perspective:
How much will it cost you to stay unemployed and searching for a job?
Say you are hoping to find a job that pays $52,000 a year to make this exercise easy. That means your pay before taxes is $1,000 because there are 52 weeks in a year. If you have been looking for a job and nobody is calling you back, your resume usually has a lot to do with that, so your current resume and job search methods have already cost you however many weeks you’ve been using them.
Now take a look at the prices of the various a la carte services or packages. Look at those prices in terms of the salary you are hoping to earn and the time you have been searching for a job — and think how improving your resume or distribution will improve your chances of finding that job. It may cost you less than one day’s worth of future salary to have your current resume critiqued and know how to improve it. It could be less than a week of your future salary to have a professional resume written.
There’s no guarantee that you’ll get hired with a professionally written resume, but you almost certainly will get called in for an interview, and the rest is up to you. It’s costing you quite a bit in lost wages to use an inferior resume that is not getting results.

Is A DIY Resume A Good Idea?

Resume Writing

We live in a time when you can find all kinds of Do-It-Yourself advice for pretty much anything you could pay someone to do for you. Sometimes, it actually is a good idea to do something yourself, but the trick is to be honest about it. If you are thinking of writing your own resume, here are some points to consider:

Are you confident that your writing skills are professional level?
Do you have the word processing software and the ability to utilize it for a professional resume?
Do you have specific jobs you are applying for so your resume and cover letter will show your suitability for the position?
Do you have a good grasp of what employers are looking for in a resume?

If you can say “yes” to those questions, then of course I would say, “yes, it is a good idea to write your own resume.” But if you can’t, you may want to do some more thinking about it. The Job Search Resources page and blog posts on writing resumes are two places to start expanding your frame of reference.
For example, if you do not have a specific job you are applying for, the distribution and networking of a professional resume service will be beyond your capability unless you have done extensive networking already. You may decide it is worth investing in the service even if you are a professional writer because you aren’t sure what employers are looking for. It’s really your call.
People write their own resumes all the time, and some of those resumes are good enough to get them the job. If you want to be one of the DIY resume writers, take advantage of the free resources here and do the best job you can on your resume. Good luck!

Avoiding The Most Common Resume Problems

Resume WritingResumes

A resume is your first opportunity to sell yourself to future employers. Use this opportunity to make a good impression. Unfortunately, many people make common and simple to fix mistakes that keep them from making that good impression. Here are some common errors to look for before you send your resume to an employer.

Avoid spelling errors, typos, and poor grammar. This is simple, yet it will make you look unprofessional and incompetent.
A common error in resume writing is changing from first to third person midway through your resume. Stay consistent throughout your resume writing.
Another common resume problem that you should avoid is creating a resume that reads like a job description. Keep the focus on your skills, accomplishments and how your accomplishments were achieved.
Avoid creating a resume that is too long. Put yourself in the position of the person reading your resume. Most future employers will be reading a multitude of resumes at one time. One way to avoid a too long resume is to avoid providing personal information that isn’t relevant to the job. If your resume is too long, they are sure to not go through the entire resume.
A common mistake in resumes that is often overlooked is making sure you provide accurate information. Employers will not be impressed if you didn’t take the initiative to provide them with accurate information. Gather up accurate dates, names, phone numbers.
Avoid the common mistake of giving partial information because you don’t remember, recall, or haven’t updated your resume.
Lastly, an important and common error you should avoid in writing a resume is keeping it simple. Provide simple yet powerful information. Enough information, but not too much. And, as always, simple and accurate.

The Importance of Persistence in Job Searches

Job SearchResume WritingResumes

There is an old joke of sorts that defines recession as an economic period when your neighbor is out of work, and a depression as an economic period when you are out of work. The point of that is that for someone looking for a job the economy is never great. This is why persistence is so important for your job search. Without it, even in a great economy, you aren’t going to have much luck.
As an example; a young woman I know was looking for a job. She had been an intern at a company that wasn’t hiring, but she sent them a copy of her resume anyway and requested that it be kept on file. She called and checked on new positions every other week but the company had tightened up due to the economy. After 6 months of this, she went and placed her updated resume on file. The head of the department remembered her and they were chatting about some of the changes that had taken place in the year since she had been an intern. The young woman drove the three hours home. Guess what? There was a job offer from the company waiting for her on her answering machine. The head of the department admired her persistence in keeping after what she wanted.
This is a real world example of getting what you want by going after it. When a company isn’t hiring, politely request that they keep your resume on file and be sure to ask how long it will be kept. Then send another one. Visit the company, network with those who work there. Because many companies prefer to hire from within, consider taking any position that opens up with that business. Persistence is often the difference between a job and a career. It’s also often the difference between being employed and being unemployed.

Job Hunting and Taxes

Job Search

(more…)

Fifty And Older Job Market Issues

Job SearchNetworkingResume KeywordsResume Writing

Due to the job markets lately, there are a lot of older generation employees wondering how to get hired. The key is recognizing and remembering that your work experience can play a supportive role as well as a leadership role with organizations. The two need not be mutually exclusive.
If you’re over 50, you’ve probably had the experience of being labeled as overqualified. And in response to this unwanted job-search slur, you’ve probably done what any intelligent, ambitious individual would do: Dumb yourself down on your resume.
A good move, but what does this do to your career confidence? If today’s market is telling you repeatedly in rejection emails that they are not concerned with your achievements, it’s no wonder your self esteem is shaky.
As an over 50 job candidate, you have a unique challenge to struggle with during the interview. Even though the interviewers are telling you that you are overqualified, you are suddenly feeling very inexperienced. This is because you’re overqualified because of the simple length of your resume, the style of your suit, color of your hair, and lingo in your business repertoire.
You’re under qualified because you may lack some understanding of today’s rapidly evolving technologies, flattened infrastructure, and business culture. Coming to terms with this before the interview is an essential component to building back your career confidence.
Be confident that you could do many of the job duties of the interviewer just as easily in the pre-computer generation. That doesn’t make you stupid. Many people couldn’t do a lot of jobs if it weren’t for computer programs helping them along.
Figure out your strengths and what you can bring to the table as far as being able take on a leadership role. It will still be a learning experience but we all have to learn something sometime. It’s important to know multiple aspects of your professional self prior to your job search, and it’s important to know how to present them to your next employer on paper and in person.