Rejection is Protection
Image Credit: Ben Zank
This pandemic has unfortunately sent a lot to people back into the job market unexpectedly. Looking for a job can be tedious and basically a full time job in and of itself, but what is seldom talked about is the effect the job search has on one’s mental health.
Even for the most confident, self-assured, and skilled person - it is tough to get automated rejection emails over and over again. Or even worse, when you’ve basically interviewed with everybody in senior management and poured your heart into whatever project may have been requested of you, all just to get the same old rejection.
It’s a process that would wear on anybody and in order to stay confident and not let the incessant rejections get you down, it has to be an active effort. The reason these rejections can hurt, especially when they start to pile up, is because they essentially feel like someone telling you that you’re not good enough. Not experienced enough, not smart enough, whatever it is - just not enough.
And that’s where you need to disturb your natural thought process. Don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s human and we all do it. Just recognize it, feel it, acknowledge it and remember that rejections aren’t personal. Even on the off chance that one may be, it doesn’t matter if those people think you aren’t enough because the only person that gets to decide that is you and you know you are more than enough.
Develop a strong opinion of yourself so you don’t end up internalizing the beliefs others have of you. Rejection is protection. You will land right where you are supposed to be and will be thanking the lucky stars that the ‘dream’ job you thought you wanted rejected you.