Rejection sucks

Rejection is something that we must all learn to face and overcome. It comes in bounds, attacking your hopes and aspirations trying to claw you down into the depths of despair. It just plain and clearly sucks. It’s the fear of rejection that causes a noticeable decline in the number of face to face conversations strangers embark on, it’s why when you see a pretty girl you fear to go up to her and tell her that she’s gorgeous, it’s why many people have turned to online dating and chat forums. The fear of rejection hinders many a thing, but it should not hinder your job applications. The good thing about applications in this current climate is that they are now predominately online, you can apply to a position by merely filling out a quick form of sending an email to a specific department. One would think that an application rejection over the internet could be shrugged off with ease, and yes I’ve found that to be true to an extent, but as they start to slowly pile up and weigh you down it becomes no easy matter to disregard.

Up to this point I had been fine with receiving application rejections or even just no answer to an application, but I found that when I actually really wanted a position at an agency, like I did with the PR company I mentioned in my last post: Let’s be Creative I found that the lightweight pile of rejections before that now came down upon me like a torrent of bricks. It’s disheartening to think that when you actually put in the effort in an application, you still don’t succeed. But that is the way of life I guess. The thing I’ve come to think about rejection, especially regarding job opportunities, is that it is their loss not mine. Yeah sure, I’m the one who wants and needs a job, but they are the ones who need fresh new unique talent, and each rejection they deal to me is a loss of great unearthed raw talent. It’s up to the right employer to recognise that, recognise potential and see past the sheet of paper in front of their eyes, see the drive behind the profile.

Exactly 1 week after the rejection from the PR company I was really interested in, I got an email from one of the staff who worked there. To my surprise she was emailing me to say that circumstances had changed and that there was now an opportunity for an internship. Obviously I was ecstatic. The tumult of rejection preceding that now felt of minor importance. I was back on top. The hard work I put into the email must have obviously paid off. In fact it was even remarked in the email that the personal way I approached the email at got their attention and put my application over many others.

So here I am thinking I’ve bagged the internship, finally something going my way. How ignorant I was. What I had bagged was the opportunity to have a phone interview with the main publicist and founder of the company. This is where I actually knew the effort had to be put in. I researched the company, made sure I knew a thing or two about who I was talking to as well as the industry of PR. I fully prepared for this interview and can say that with confidence. The interview was scheduled for a week after I received the email at 4pm. To prepare further for the interview I re-watched the Twilight Saga… how is that related to an interview with a PR company? Context of course. One of their clients was part of the saga, and it was the reason I picked it out to apply to. Also I just wanted to watch the movies again.

Prepared, yet for once actually nervous in anticipation I waited for the phone call, postponing some commitments I had previously made so that I would be ready to take the call. Four o’clock came… and four o’clock went. Five o’clock came… and again it went. I felt let down, rejected again, why would someone set up an interview then just decide not to call? Clinging on to the hope that maybe I got the dates wrong I scoured through my emails.

I actually did get them wrong. The phone interview was scheduled for the next day….

What an embarrassment. Imagine if I had called asking what happened to my phone interview. Always make sure you double-check the dates and times of an interview. In fact triple check it, it may seem like such an obvious point, but one of my future experiences will demonstrate that it is not easy as one thinks to stay on top of interview dates and times.

So tomorrow was the interview… would I do well? O r would I crumble under these new-found nerves?