1 Not you
There are few areas of life where rejection is as commonplace as in job applications, so don’t let it knock your confidence. When you apply for a job you have to accept that being ignored or judged as less good than the competition comes with the activity. Being rejected doesn’t mean you weren’t good enough. Many advertised posts don’t actually exist – recruitment plans change, internal candidates are appointed, or the advert could just be a speculative trawl to see what talent exists.
2 Survival strategies
A simple way to make things easier on yourself is keeping quiet about what you are applying for. The fewer people who know, the easier it is to deal with. Be choosy about what you target, repeatedly going for jobs you don’t match up to can expose you to dangerously high levels of rejection. Research thoroughly for every application but cultivate a lottery ticket attitude. If you don’t buy one you have no chance of winning, but it’s not worth pinning too much hope on.
3 Next time?
Don’t waste time on companies that don’t reply. Would you want to work for an organisation so lacking in good manners? If you’re rejected after an interview and believe you were right for the post, follow it up. Employers are usually willing to give feedback. Use this opportunity to reaffirm your interest in working for them and take onboard any suggestions they make. When they next need someone who is persistent and able to show initiative they might just remember you.