Dealing with job application rejection

Rejection is something you are going to have to deal with in life. For some people, dealing with rejection is very difficult. Rejection can make you feel insecure and even depressed. Rejection can force yourself to reflect on yourself and usually this is a time when your self-image can change. Especially if you are looking for a job, you can get rejected a lot and that is super annoying.

That's why in this blog I discuss how to deal with job application rejection

Mental consequences of rejection

Have you experienced that with gym? That you had to make two teams and 1 classmate got to pick people from the team. There is always someone who gets picked last. Fortunately, this generally does not say much about how nice you are, but about your performance at gym and whether you can help your team to a victory.

Still, it feels very annoying to be chosen only last. "Am I really that bad at soccer then?" or just "Do they think I'm stupid?"

In the process, this can also change your view of the person choosing the team and the other members of the team. For example, you may be less eager to become friends with them and also have a more negative opinion of the person the team chooses.

As a result, you actually start rejecting them as well which puts you in a kind of vicious cycle of rejection.

Fortunately, you were still able to prove yourself on the team, and you usually had other classes where you excelled, which helped keep your self-confidence from dropping too low when you were picked last during gym class.

Infringement of your self-image

Rejection can have many psychological consequences. At first, it can undermine your self-image. For example, you might think you’re really good at gym class, but if you’re chosen last, this image isn’t actually validated by your peers. Your identity as someone people enjoy playing sports with and who is good at sports is thus called into question.

Rejection outside of sports—such as in a relationship, by supervisors or coworkers at work, or even when applying for a job—can threaten your need to belong. People need other people to feel happy, and the sense of belonging contributes to this.

In doing so, such rejection shows that you don't have control over everything. This is very unfortunate, because we all feel some need to have control over our lives and who we interact with. People you hang out with and the work you do can also make you feel like your life has some purpose or at least usefulness to more than just yourself. Being rejected for a job can also make you feel like your life is useless.

All of these factors can contribute to lower self-confidence after rejection.

Lower ambitions after rejection

Research shows that rejection can cause your ambitions to go down. The study compared people who have experienced rejection with people who have not experienced rejection and how they behave when they can join a new group to perform a task.

The study found that people who had previously been rejected were more likely to find a supportive role in the new group —one in which they could collaborate extensively with the group—but they were not ultimately responsible for the group’s performance.

People who were not bothered by rejection were actually more likely to take on a leadership role in the group and thus assumed more responsibility.

What is also interesting is that the study found that you do get accepted into a group more quickly if you want to take a supportive role rather than a leadership role. The chance of success, i.e. inclusion in the group rather than rejection, is therefore greater than when you aspire to a leadership role.

Rejection job application

Especially if you are often rejected for managerial positions, this can cause your ambition to drop so again and you go for executive work after all. This is very unfortunate, because usually it is not the managerial abilities that cause rejection.

If you are invited, most companies are already convinced you have the knowledge and skills.

Usually during such a job interview, they will see if you fit into the group and if you are likely to be accepted by the team you will be working with.

How to respond to a job application rejection.

Instead of the paralysis that can occur after a job application rejection, you can think of reasons why you didn't get the job. However, these reasons may not apply to the rejection at all.

What you think the reason is, and what the actual reason is, may be two completely different things.

Ask for the reason for the following application

To make sure you don't think yourself insecure, it's best to ask the company why you were rejected, especially after an interview. In that case, you can find out what their reasons were, why you don't fit the team, for example.

Perhaps your character is already very similar to someone who already works there and they are afraid that will clash.

This has nothing at all to do with how nice or knowledgeable you are.

Improving Yourself

Improving yourself is not always necessary if you are rejected for a job application, but to maintain your confidence in your business ability, it is important to stay educated.

Tip 1: Keep a blog about your work

One way to hold your level is to blog about your work. By writing about what you do, you need to keep your memory refreshed each time to find the knowledge you need to write a logical blog.

In some cases, this even causes you to research "How was it again?" and quickly dive into old material to keep that knowledge fresh. Or that you actually learn new things to keep up with the times.

In the process, a blog also helps you come across as an expert in your field, which can dramatically increase your chances of getting a job.

Tip 2: Read about your field

Another way to stay up to date and, therefore, build confidence in your professional abilities is to keep reading about your field. If you read three books on a particular topic, you’re often already more of an expert than most other people.

Lifelong learning, while something you hear a lot, is also something that few people do.

Keeping yourself strong

As mentioned, a rejection can lead to all sorts of thoughts that undermine your self-confidence and self-assurance.

Tip 3: Make a list of everything you know and can do

By making a list of everything you know and can do and putting it up somewhere you see it regularly, you keep confronting yourself with the fact that you have quite a lot going for you. People who disagree just don't know you.

Tip 4: Visualize the work you want to do

Visualizations also make you more confident about what you want to do. By visualizing what work you want to do, you ensure that you keep faith in your own qualities. By visualizing, you confirm to yourself that you are responding to jobs that fit your qualities.

For such visualization, you use self-hypnosis. You then make sure you are first in a relaxed state by sitting or lying down in a comfortable place. A visualization causes you to recognize what to do in a similar situation. Even your muscles are then more likely to have a signal through muscle memory just by visualizing.

You visualize the following things:

1. Surroundings
2. People
3. Fragrances
4. Sounds
5. Your own behavior
6. How people respond to you
7. How you respond
8. Your own mimicry

If, despite these tips, you’re still struggling with low self-confidence due to rejection after a job application, you might consider seeing a hypnotherapist. They can help you identify the beliefs that are causing your low self-confidence and assist you in developing hypnotic suggestions that you can repeat at home to regain your self-confidence and self-assurance.

Want to learn more about what hypnosis can do for you? Then come to a workshop or seminar and check out Hypnosis Institute Netherlands' training programs.

Sources:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1010661825137?LI=true

http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu%3A204553/

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2001-06667-007