Application rejection is always hard, no matter what the circumstances. Inevitably, the first reaction is a feeling of failure; I wasn’t good enough.
Take a moment to get over that. A few deep breaths, a cup of coffee if it would help, and then the questions. Why was my application rejected?
If it had seemed like your dream job, the one you would have done for nothing if you could, then it may well have been the dream job for hundreds of other applicants. If your application was a hopeful throw of the dice, a ‘might as well, what have I got to lose?’ then you were setting yourself up for failure before you even started. A job application is not the purchase of a lottery ticket. A job application needs a different attitude.
Yes, you want that job. Yes, you would love that job. Certainly your application should reflect your enthusiasm, but it is not about you, it is not about your ambition, your vision of the lifestyle, your self-belief. This is about the people who are offering the job. Your application needs to be about them. Their reaction needs to be ‘This looks interesting. Put it on the shortlist.’
So next time your dream job is on offer, do the research. Find out as much as you can about the company, and as you do this, ask yourself why this organisation would want you. What can I offer them? How would I fit in with their aims, their ethos, their policies? You may find, as you look through the websites, the links to local and national newspapers, the customer reviews, that this is not the place for you after all.
You haven’t wasted your time. You have learned a bit about yourself as well as the company, and you have avoided another application rejection.
Applying for a job is not easy, particularly in today’s market, with so many companies having been forced to lay off staff, and with huge changes in working practices. You may need help, somebody with the experience and the contacts to set you up for success in your application for a job. Dangan Recruitment has experienced consultants who are not only experts in drawing up CVs and in wording applications, but also have networks and lines of communication. Dangan’s reputation has been built upon finding the right person for the job, so that both the client and the company are happy with the outcome. A Dangan consultant is the best person to match your skills, and your ambitions, with the organisation that needs them, and can use them, and that consultant can then help you through the application process so that you stand the best possible chance of success.
Because you don’t want to become an expert in dealing with application rejection.
