How to Understand and Cope With Job Search Rejection

“For there is a proper time and procedure
for every matter, though a person
may be weighed down by misery.”
Eccl. 8:6

A job search is not unlike dating. Remember those teen years? Whether you dated a lot or a little, you were popular or a wallflower, you probably experienced the following once or numerous times, and now you are facing it all over again in your job search:

• First comes the assessment. What type of person seems like a good fit and a possible date?
  • And in a job search, what type of job seems like a good fit with who I am and what I can do and possible employment?
• Second comes the scouting…looking for a possible match in the band, at church, math club, sports, whatever was your thing.
  • In your job search this is where you look, check out ads, recruiters, networking.
• Next comes the exploration. This may have taken the form of notes in class, phone calls (texting and email today), or even lunch at school with others.
  • In a job search, you send your résumé in response to a company’s ad.
• Then comes the testing stage. In your search for dating material this may appear as walking home from school, going to the library, having lunch, going to basketball or football games together (apart from the hundreds of fans of course).
  • In a job search this is the interview.
• Finally comes the ask. This is where the two of you talk about going out on a real date; the movies, a dance, or skiing.
  • In a job search, this is the final interview where an offer is made.

Will you get rejected?

It’s that last stage where you are most vulnerable. You have invested time, energy, emotion, and now you’re ready for the payoff, but too often it’s rejection. You get up the courage to ask, and there’s rejection. Or you wait for the ask that never comes. Another rejection.

True in dating. True in a job search.

So how can you handle the rejection; how can you respond?

• Understand, just like hormonal teens, that what you may see as a good match may not be how God sees the match at all.
• Acknowledge you don’t have complete knowledge of the other party’s agenda.
• Reflect on what you can learn from the experience and purpose to do better next time.
• Review what you have to offer in the way of skills, abilities, experience, and be ready to discuss these.
• Trust that God will bring the perfect match, in His time, for you to be fulfilled and contribute.

Be encouraged. Don’t mope around like a rejected teen, get back in the adventure.

Dear Heavenly Matchmaker, I don’t take rejection well, but give me the faith to trust Your matchmaking skills.