Don't Let The Job Search Get You Down

The job search seems to be one of those life activities that includes just a little bit of everything.

There's the excitement that comes at that moment when anything is possible. And of course, there are the nervous flutters that even the most confident applicants inevitably feel when entering an unfamiliar interview. Mixed into that, you have plenty of opportunity for eager anticipation, genuine euphoria, and personal growth.

Really, we are never more human than when we're offering ourselves up for a job. Probably it is because we are offering up a part of ourselves that rejections, which are inevitable for even the most capable applicant, can seem to be so demoralizing.

In fact rejection can have such a powerful impact, that how you choose to handle it can effect your entire mood during a job search.

For your own happiness then, it's important that you develop adequate strategies for dealing with rejection.

First understand that it isn't a reflection on you or your abilities. When your account executive sends you out on an interview, you can feel confident that you are perfectly qualified for that position. AppleOne's advanced computer database technology is specifically designed to find the best possible match between your interests and abilities, and an employer's needs and requirements. If you have been invited to interview for a position, then you are an ideal candidate for that job.

Why bother with the interview then? Well, employers like everybody else prefer to have choices. Occasionally, those choices are random, but more frequently, it comes down to how well they think you'll "fit" in their organization. Sure, you have the skills to do the job, but is your personality and work ethic similar to theirs? Notice it's not as good as theirs, just similar to theirs.

To a certain extent, you can control this. You know what to do to make people like you. It's very much the same thing in an interview. Stress your similarities. Do your best to be friendly. Try to match yourself to the interviewer, but don't feel you have to go overboard.

You'll feel more confident and come across better if you remember to just be yourself. Also, in many ways the interview is your chance to evaluate a potential employer as much as their chance to evaluate you. You'll never be happy in the job if it means being somebody wildly different from who you are.

Still, approach every interview committed to doing your best to get an offer. It's a lot nicer having a choice and deciding it isn't right then realizing later that you were wrong, and threw away your big chance.

So if rejection isn't a reflection on you then who's fault is it? The simple fact is that it's nobody's fault, and understanding that is the real key to getting past it.

Rejection is just a normal part of the process. Much like getting all dressed up for an interview or trying to sum up all of your experiences and talents on a single page resume, it might not be your favorite thing in the world, but it means you're in there swinging. Ultimately, that's the most important thing.

Every rejection means that you're on the path towards a better future for yourself. You're trying to improve yourself and your position in life, and with AppleOne's help, you will absolutely be able to.

It might also help to know you're not alone. As a natural part of the process, absolutely everybody has had to go through it, and there are thousands of famous stories about people who were rejected at every turn before coming forward to prove them all wrong.

Take for instance Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind. Thirty-eight publishers turned it down before somebody took a chance on it. Of course it went on to become one of the most read books of all time.

Once you've gotten past taking the rejection personally, begin to look at whether it's trying to tell you something. Maybe it's pointing out a skill or an area you could work on. Are your computer skills up to par? Should you try to be conscious of smiling more or trying to me more positive?

It's different for everybody. Chances are you already know what areas you need to work on, but sometimes other people can see us more clearly than we see ourselves. Ask your Account Executive if they can suggest areas where you would benefit from improvement.

Finally, remember not to take the answers they give you personally either. None of us are perfect, and we all have things we need to work on.

George Bernard Shaw once said that as a child he realized that nine out of ten things he tried were failures. "I didn't want to be a failure," he said. "So, I decided I had to work ten times harder!"

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