Confession: I have never received a rejection letter in the mail. For as long as I remember I’ve been using the internet to apply and find jobs. So my rejections always came in the form of a phone call or email. Today, I got my first new-job-search rejection email. W00t!
I had an interview earlier this week for a position that I was really interested in and for a great company. I don’t usually like to talk about how those things go until they solidify into something larger. I never know how many people get called for the initial interview and then how many people get called back. Until I have a better idea of what I’m up against, I tend to keep quiet. It’s a protective cocoon I make. If I don’t tell people then they can’t ask.
The interview I had on Tuesday I felt went fairly well but in this kind of market it’s anyone’s guess as to who your competition is going to be. Rejections happen. It most likely won’t be the last I’ll get either and that’s just the current situation. No spoonful of sugar for me, although a dash of salt would be nice.
My only advice for people in similar situations is to ask for feedback, if possible, on any qualifications you may be missing or glaring mistakes you may have made but were not aware of. In my case it sounds like I was missing some specific experience. So now that I have time I’ll see if I can do anything on the side and build that experience up.
There are so many experienced professionals unemployed right now that it really has become a market for businesses looking to hire. They can find exactly the experience they are looking for which in some regards is great. However, for someone like me who has an interest and passion, but not as much specific experience it makes it that much more difficult to be given a chance. I understand. Right now companies need a person with proven ROI. So today I move on. I raise my glass of water to my two week unemployment anniversary and with a continued vigor in my job search, I survive.
