It has been a challenging year for graduates; there have been some of the highest unemployment rates the UK has ever seen. Numerous lockdowns have left graduates uncertain about which industries will remain open and which won’t. For recent graduates in this period, it has been extremely challenging to stay positive and find their feet in the world of work. Rejection is an integral part of anyone’s working life, but graduates have faced more this year than usual.
In this guide, we will give you five ways to deal with rejection as a graduate. It can be hard being constantly rejected from jobs, but it’s essential to try to stay positive and use each rejection as an opportunity for reflection.
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Get Feedback If You Can
The most important of being rejected from a job is trying to understand why the employer didn’t choose you, and therefore what you can improve on for next time. Lots of companies offer feedback, especially to candidates who made it to the interview stage. If the company doesn’t advertise it, don’t be afraid to email them and say you are a graduate looking for feedback on where you went wrong. The more you can take away with you from the experience, the better.
Remember What You Have Learnt in the Application Process
Every time you go through writing a job application and cover letter, going to an interview, or attending an assessment day, you develop and refine the skills needed to be successful. It is an excellent experience interacting with different companies, learning to write about yourself professionally and working out why you want to do a particular job. Every time you get a rejection email, try to remember that this process was worth your time and help with whatever you apply to next.
Use It as an Opportunity for Change
If you can get any feedback from the employer, try to use it to learn and improve for next time. For example, if they said they thought you had great experience and skills, but you weren’t confident enough or didn’t use enough examples in your answers, you know that these are things to improve for next time. If you didn’t get any feedback, try to reflect on the process yourself to highlight your strengths and weaknesses.
Remember That One Person’s Opinion Isn’t Everyone’s
When getting rejected from a job as a graduate, it’s really important to remember that there are hundreds of reasons you may not have been successful on the day and that it might not be because you weren’t good enough for the role. With so much competition for jobs, it may just have been one person’s opinion of you on that day and not a reflection of you as a candidate in general.
Be Kind to Yourself and Take Care of Your Well-Being
Facing multiple job rejections as a graduate can be challenging; try to be kind to yourself and not let it knock your confidence too much. You will move through this period and find a role that is perfect for you. This has been an unprecedented year for graduates, and taking care of your wellbeing is an essential part of searching for jobs.
For more tips on dealing with graduate unemployment, head over to our blog post now.
