Working Best: Don't let a job rejection get you down | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

- Adelaide D.

The only real option you have is to stay positive, analyze possible reasons why they didn't choose you and move on. If you're fortunate to get the rejection in person or by telephone, ask the person for feedback that may help you to grow.

And think of the process of applying for a job as really selling a product - yourself. So this may surprise you: even the most effective salesperson gets at least 10 nos for every yes. This may help you realize that getting a no for a job application is the norm - not the rule - and help you put the rejection in perspective.

This doesn't mean you should get careless, or not analyze how you might have done things differently. Writing in the Palm Beach Coast newspaper recently, staff columnist Loan O'Connor advises this when you get the brush-off: Take the job rejection in stride, then reassess. Here's what she suggests to get back on track:

Move on. If you think of this one rejection as a single event in your total job history, it'll have less of an emotional hold on you. The last thing you need now is to slow down your job-hunting momentum, or stop applying somewhere else. It's important to return to your normal life, with some adjustments.

Don't give up. Above all, you mustn't allow yourself to reach a sweeping, negative conclusion such as: "I'm worthless. Nobody wants me. My career is over. I should just give up." Right now, you're vulnerable emotionally; so don't discount your goals and positive focus. You're still the same good person you always were, in spite of both the compliments and the rejections you may have collected during this job search. None of that affects what you were before, are right now and will be in the future.

Refocus your vision. Think of the upside of this setback as an opportunity to see the bigger picture. When we're just living our lives, day after day with no big changes, we sometimes don't have this clarity and positive focus. It's a rare gift. If you move forward thoughtfully, you may use this focused clarity and find yourself taking a different route from what you'd imagined. Your focus might sound like this: "I thought I wanted that job, but here's what I really want to do." If your choice is to return to your present job, make the best of it. Use your newfound clarity - and some courage - to speak up and make changes. You may have more leverage than you think. And start giving yourself kudos for the talents and skills you have, and for the good person you are.