Coping With Job Interview Rejection

By Shea Ki

Have you ever been rejected after a job interview and tried to hide it? Not getting selected for a job we want happens way more often than many of us let ourselves talk about. 

I know how uncomfortable it can be waiting for that phone call or email that could change your life. It's sometimes all you can think about and you check your messages over and over. Receiving a "no" or hearing nothing at all from employers after the job interview is something no one should go through alone.

Feeling the opportunity of what we had been picturing for ourselves slip away can be grueling. It can have us suddenly second guessing our goals and settling for less than we are capable of.

​The voice inside our heads can start convincing us to give up on our career dreams:

"Maybe I'm really not good enough and this is as good as its going to get." 

"They weren't going to take a chance on me anyway. Everybody there doesn't look how I do."

"At least the current job that I hate pays my bills."  

"I don't want to feel this lousy again so I'm not going to apply to any more jobs."

"This sucks. I worked hard to get that job and for what? Nothing. Just a huge waste of my time."

After being rejected by an employer, what you chose to do next matters to your future. How you handle failure determines how long it will be until you get to your next best career step. Being knocked down and getting back up to try again takes fire. Learning from your mistakes while not taking the rejection personally takes grit. Increasing your support around you when you may feel like you want to run into a hole and hide takes courage.

You can be angry. You can be deeply disappointed. But you cannot be so hard on yourself anymore.

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​One of my goals for the Upgrade My Interview™ community is for this blog and our online events to be a positive place that does not judge you. Instead, you are lifted up---especially after a job interview rejection.

Let yourself take a few days to recover from things not working out. But then get back in the game.

Send a clear message to yourself that the time for settling for less at work is over. One way to do that is by making the choice to upgrade your interview skills. You deserve to attract an opportunity that fits your strengths, has room for growth, and excites you.

​You are meant to shine and not melt in the hot seat.
​It will take commitment, practice, and a willingness to learn new ways to relieve stress and boost your confidence. ​
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Are you in?

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Let's continue to grow the Upgrade My Interview™ Community together. This is our space where we admit we have fear of failure, self-doubt about if we are good enough, and anxiety about our future, but we prepare and go for our next best career step anyway.
And we go for it again and again, sharing our failures, triumphs, and lessons learned in the world of work along the way.

Get involved in Upgrade My Interview™ in a way that feels right to you. You can start by making helpful comments on this blog, subscribing to receive updates and free interview tips, and joining in on free, upcoming events (see below).

Your Turn: Share in the comments how else the Upgrade My Interview™ community can help you boost your power to shine in the hot seat. What part of the job interview process gets you nervous or frustrated? 

Most of all, believe in you.

Sign Up For Free Google Hangout with Shea Ki on August 30th 7-8pm EST

Upgrade My Interview™Google Hangout 
Tuesday, August 30th 7:00pm-8:00pm EST

I'll be hosting my first Upgrade My Interview™ Google Hangout at the end of this month. Am I nervous? Heck yeah. Am I going to make mistakes? Most likely. Am I going to prepare like a champ and go for it anyway? You bet! Putting ourselves out there to shine and help others (even when nervous, freaking out, or scared of failure) is what Upgrade My Interview™ is all about. 
It is free and I would love to have you join in.
This month's topic is: Confidence In The Hot Seat
Everybody knows confidence is key to a making a good first impression, but it can feel like it disappears all of a sudden when you are in the hot seat at a job interview.
I'll share some methods that not only bring stress relief, but also can boost your confidence level even while under pressure.
I will also open it up to questions you have about interviewing.

Sign up for this free event here or email me to let me know you want to sign up. There is limited room for this free, online event and you have to sign up to get the link to join in. Deadline to sign up: Tuesday, August 23rd.
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Shea Ki is on a daily mission to help others boost their power to shine (and not melt) in the hot seat. As Founder of Upgrade My Interview™, she coaches, blogs, and lip syncs wildly when needed to help reach and bring stress relief to young adults who are feeling the job interview struggle. 

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