Lessons I Learned From Not Getting the Job

Lessons I Learned From Not Getting the JobLessons I Learned From Not Getting the JobOne of the worst feelings Ive ever experienced was not getting the job I wanted. I interviewed with a major publishing company and received the dreaded e-mail that it decided to move forward with another candidate. The rejection was especially hard to swallow because I thought I had done everything right. I was referred by an old colleague who worked there. I practiced answering multiple interview questions beforehand with friends and even old managers. I promptly sent a thank-you note to everyone I had interviewed with. I did everything youre supposed to do, but still didnt get the job. But theres always a silver lining to every rain cloud, and Ive come up with a few tips on how to deal with being rejected from your dream job.Ask for feedbackAfter being rejected from the job a mentor suggested that I thank the interviewer again and to ask for feedback. I was hesitant to ask for feedback, but I muster ed up the courage to do it about three weeks after my interview. The interviewer did send me a generic reply and encouraging words, which made me happy that I reached out. What I would do differently is to ask for feedback as soon as possible, while your interview and resume is still fresh. They may just send a generic e-mail back, but some interviewers might have feedback you can apply to your next interview.Keep up the momentumAs soon as I scored an interview for my dream job I stopped looking for other jobs. This action put extra pressure on me to get the job, and when I didnt get the job I didnt have any other opportunities to be hopeful about. If I could do it all over I would continue applying to other jobs while I was interviewing. I shouldnt have put all of my eggs in one basket, and the process of job searching while interviewing would have taken all of the pressure off landing the job.Google famous failures or rejection storiesNo matter what you do, the feeling of rejectio n really stings. What made me feel better was reading articles on how successful people dealt with failure and realizing that everyone goes through rejection or failure. Also, not getting the job you wanted can be a story you use on your next interview. A common interview question is some form of, How have you dealt with rejection? Dont be discouraged, brush off any self-doubt and landsee your rejection as a learning experience.