In a perfect world, you’d never receive that cool, detached letter thanking you for your interest in a job, informing you that your application wasn’t successful, and wishing you well in your ‘future endeavours.’ But it’s a disappointment many jobseekers are familiar with.

So how do you make job rejection as pain-free as possible?

“Do your best not to personalise it,” advises Kate James, career coach at Total Balance Group. “Acknowledge that job hunting is a numbers game, and separate emotion from logic. For instance, if your skills weren’t a perfect match for this job, they will be for another. If another applicant had more experience than you, then a lot of other people were rejected too.”

But if that's not enough to beat the brush-off blues, James recommends limbering up for your next job. There’ll always be an element of anxiety involved, but that's no reason not to try again. Turn your setback into a comeback by pushing forward - unleash your inner drive and charge towards your goal.

Of course, if your ego is particularly bruised and battered, consider breaking your job search into smaller, more manageable chunks, and rewarding yourself often to remain motivated throughout the process.

If you want a speedier, smoother transition through job rejection, surround yourself with positive people who can provide timely morale boosts, and resist the temptation to speculate about why you were turned down - negative thoughts have a tendency to multiply, which can quickly kill motivation.

Hiring a career coach is perfect for people who want to increase their confidence in a supportive environment. It enables you to formulate a targeted action plan and take the necessary steps to move towards your goals.

In terms of feedback, while it’s been popular for years for employers to churn out generic rejection letters, reposition a job knock-back as a learning experience by seeking a more empowering explanation.

“You want to gain enough information from the employer to grow from,” explains James. “Knowing the reasons behind a job rejection can be very useful for reassessment and reflection, so don’t be shy about asking for constructive feedback.”

The same goes for addressing weaknesses in your job applications or search techniques. For feedback to be effective it's best to avoid being defensive, not only because you may miss out on valuable information, but also because responding openly can reignite your self-belief.

Finally, don’t forget that career setbacks are temporary - and believing that the best is yet to come is a sure-fire way to increase your value in the job market.
 

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