Being unsuccessful at interview stage can be disheartening, especially if it has happened more than once. Even if you already have a job already for when you graduate, you will need to go through the interview process in the future and quite feasibly face rejection at some point. So how do you successfully manage interview rejection, and where possible turn it to your advantage?
- Have a break. It’s natural to feel disappointed, and if you feel you need to do something relaxing or fun then go do it! You’ve had a lot of cortisol and adrenaline running through your body, so finding a positive outlet for your emotions is health.
- Keep things in perspective. Remember that vast majority of people have this experience, and this doesn’t mean you’ll never find your ideal job or that you can’t do the job well – in fact, it may be an indicator that you’re applying for the wrong type of job. Doing further research and speaking to a Careers Consultant about this can help.
- Review your performance. While easy to over-analyse, reviewing how you did is essential. Consider recording your answers to questions, and identify how you could improve. Practise these answers and get feedback, for example next time you have an interview, book a mock interview or find an industry mentor on either Lboro Connect or through the LinkedIn Alumni tool who can give you feedback.
- Get feedback from the interviewer. Not only can this give you useful information to work with, but sending a thank you email expressing your continual interest in the role should the successful candidate drop out may lead to unexpected opportunities. Drop into Careers Help Point if you need help with this. Note – not all employers will give feedback or be helpful unfortunately.
- Act on feedback and use it as an opportunity. If you are given feedback, thank the interviewer, connect on Linkedin and send them a message in the near future summarising how you’ve acted on what they’ve said (e.g. found out more about a specific part of the job) and what you’ve learnt from this. Also, at the end of initial feedback, simply asking if the interviewer knows someone else you could speak to for moving forward in your career may help you grow your network and discover opportunities (this is how I got a job at Loughborough). Speaking to either a mentor on Lboro Connect or Linkedin, or a Careers Consultant, can help you make a plan to act on this feedback.
For more information on how to prepare successful for an interview, attend our Interviews presentation 7th March 10am. We also have presentations to help you improve your CV & covering letter, application forms, and understanding and editing Linkedin.