After a Job Rejection, Ask for Feedback and Don’t ‘Catastrophize’
There’s no need to beat yourself up after a job rejection, although it wouldn’t hurt to get some feedback on ways to improve your approach and support from friends or even a therapist.
That’s the advice of legal recruiters Valerie Fontaine and Roberta Kass, writing the last in a series of articles for the National Law Journal on career advice for older lawyers.
They say it may be helpful to ask for feedback after a rejection, without demanding an explanation. A post mortem with a friend or your recruiter may also help you spot recurring patterns, they say.
If you were laid off from a previous job, you may be feeling anger, shame or grief. Try getting permission to use a spouse or friends as your support network, and ask for encouragement, according to the article. And if it’s necessary, see a counselor or therapist to deal with your feelings.
When you are rejected, don’t take it personally, and don’t “catastrophize,” the authors say. “Each job search rejection is a singular, temporary event, and does not mean that you will never find the right position,” they write. “Do not dredge up all past failures to create a disastrous pattern in your mind. Just because you are not the perfect lawyer for a particular firm at this time does not mean that there may not be an opportunity there for you in the future if circumstances change, or that you are not perfect for another job right now.”
They also advise that a job search is “a numbers game to some extent,” and you shouldn’t focus on just one job. “Be flexible regarding title, starting compensation, the type of organization, area of practice or geographic area, to broaden your options.”
