Career Tips: How to Bounce Back from Being Told “No”
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 10:49 am
During your job search and throughout the entire course of your professional career, you’ll encounter plenty of opportunities to hear the word “no.” There’s only one foolproof way to protect yourself from rejection: don’t do anything. You’ll be safe from “no” if you never pursue your passions, never extend yourself, and never take a single risk.
But since most of us don’t plan to spend our lives hiding under our beds, we have to learn estonia whatsapp phone number how to bounce back after a no and move on. And the sooner we master this art, the better. Here are four common forms of the word no with a recommended response for each one.
No #1: Silence after a resume submission
If you submit a resume for an open position and hear nothing from the employers for days that turn into weeks, don’t take this personally. There’s a strong chance that you weren’t actively rejected; you were just competing with a very large applicant pool. Some employers don’t have the wherewithal to personally acknowledge dozens of resume submissions for a single open position. They should…but they don’t.
If you receive no response to your resume within three days, contact the employers and politely follow up. But whatever you do, don’t wait by the phone (or the computer). As soon as you submit one application, start working on the next. Keep applying and searching for positions without missing a beat.
No #2: Post-interview rejection
This “no” is a little harder to take the passive rejection described above. Once you’ve gone through the trouble of setting aside time in your busy day and traveling to meet with potential employers in person, a no can feel like a direct rejection of everything you have to offer.
But again, this probably isn’t personal. These employers were impressed with you—otherwise they wouldn’t have called you in. But another candidate in the pool had a little bit more to offer. So shake it off and use your experience with this interview to shine even brighter in the next one.
But since most of us don’t plan to spend our lives hiding under our beds, we have to learn estonia whatsapp phone number how to bounce back after a no and move on. And the sooner we master this art, the better. Here are four common forms of the word no with a recommended response for each one.
No #1: Silence after a resume submission
If you submit a resume for an open position and hear nothing from the employers for days that turn into weeks, don’t take this personally. There’s a strong chance that you weren’t actively rejected; you were just competing with a very large applicant pool. Some employers don’t have the wherewithal to personally acknowledge dozens of resume submissions for a single open position. They should…but they don’t.
If you receive no response to your resume within three days, contact the employers and politely follow up. But whatever you do, don’t wait by the phone (or the computer). As soon as you submit one application, start working on the next. Keep applying and searching for positions without missing a beat.
No #2: Post-interview rejection
This “no” is a little harder to take the passive rejection described above. Once you’ve gone through the trouble of setting aside time in your busy day and traveling to meet with potential employers in person, a no can feel like a direct rejection of everything you have to offer.
But again, this probably isn’t personal. These employers were impressed with you—otherwise they wouldn’t have called you in. But another candidate in the pool had a little bit more to offer. So shake it off and use your experience with this interview to shine even brighter in the next one.