No one likes to lose out on job opportunities. Finding out that a company doesn’t want to move you forward in the interview process can be disappointing.
Salespeople like to win, and during the job interview, it feels personal. Emotions rise, and when bad news comes your way, the destabilizing feeling of rejection sets in.
If we’re not careful, we can become demoralized, angry, and even behave at less than our professional best. So how do you take losing in stride?
Tip #1: Don’t Fight the Bad News
When’s the last time you changed someone’s mind about anything? People don’t really change their minds when they’re interviewing. If they’re looking for Jim Carrey and you’re Tom Cruise, you won’t get the part.
It may feel personal, but it’s not. If you’re known for your sense of humor and they’re looking for someone super serious, you won’t get picked.
The key is to go to a company that can use your talents, strengths, and well-developed skills, and that starts with knowing what you’re good at.
Tip #2: Apply Any Feedback You Receive
If you’ve been told you talk too much, you didn’t close the deal, or you looked nervous during the presentation, contemplate the feedback and apply it to your next interview. Ruminating on it will only bring you down.
Here’s how to look at it: feedback is an opportunity to improve, and a powerful one. You don’t have to apply it. But you should accept it, and if you’re going to ignore it, that should be by choice.
Don’t let it anger you or put you on the defensive. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad employee or lack talent. Chalk it up as a learning lesson, check yourself against the seven basic interview mistakes, and don’t let your ego become bruised.
Tip #3: Acknowledge That Interviewing Is an Investment in Yourself
“As someone who has faced as much disappointment as most people, I’ve come to trust not that events will always unfold exactly as I want, but that I will be fine either way.”
— Marianne Williamson
You’ll notice all the time you spend researching companies, talking to hiring managers, and meeting with executives adds up fast. The time it takes to find a new job is substantial, and if you’ve invested a significant amount with few results, it can get frustrating.
However, you won’t get the job you don’t interview for. No one else will invest the time in your career for you, so realize that when you’re in the job market, you’ll spend a lot of time working to get the right job.
And don’t feel bad. It’s simply part of the process.
Tip #4: The People You Meet Are Part of Your Network
The people you meet through the job search may become colleagues, co-workers, or even friends down the road, so be careful not to burn bridges over less-than-positive feedback.
Treat everyone you meet with professionalism, respect, and courtesy. You never know where you’ll meet again, and a lot of people will tell you they’ve run into hiring managers years later under entirely different circumstances.
Tip #5: Remember Your Manners
For more than 4,000 years, manners have been affecting how we’re perceived, and they count during the interview process too.
Thanking the professionals you’ve met demonstrates expertise, competence, and dedication. It ends the interaction on a high note and leaves a lasting positive impression, and a well-built thank you note does that work for you.
Manners are a virtue.
Tip #6: Prepare to Face Disappointment
If you’re lucky, 80% of the interviews you go on will be productive. But from time to time, you’ll meet with employers who can’t see the value you have to offer. It’s going to happen.
And when it does, it’s helpful to remember it’s part of the process. This kind of interview experience can be discouraging, but plan for it, recognize it’s typical, and move on.
Manage Your Mindset
Interviewing for jobs is stressful. If you can reduce the rumination and negative feelings that come from being rejected along the way, you’ll have more energy to find your dream job.
Not all interviews will be a smashing success. But you can make the most of them, develop relationships with the people you meet, and learn more about yourself and how others perceive you.
Pay attention to your mindset, and don’t let discouragement or negativity set in. If you keep working at it, new opportunities will present themselves, and one will be just right for you.
