Bouncing Back from Rejection

Nobody likes being turned down from a promising internship. Flip this negative into a positive and make it worth your while.

Here’s a simple truth: not getting that internship you have pined and prepared for so thoroughly doesn’t make you a failure. You put in your 100 per cent into your grades, somehow made time for an extracurricular activity or two, and ensured that you did everything perfectly right up to the interview.

Even then, rejection can hurt, and seeing that email can make you question everything – from your efforts to your capabilities and future.

First, allow yourself to go through the grief, briefly. But once you have cleared your mind of any self-defeating scenarios, take the time to re-attune your focus towards achieving your goal. Take these rejections as experience and work on ways to improve your odds for upcoming applications.

Don’t let the words “We regret to inform you…” define you as a person. Instead, go through the different stages of rejection and watch as it strengthens your character and enhances your approach to the application process.

With experience, you’ll understand that getting an internship is unlike the passes and fails that have defined your academic career so far. There’s no clear-cut way of determining the real reason behind your results, and the only person keeping count of the number of rejections is you.

So be patient, stay humble and trudge on – in time, you’ll get matched with the right internship and find yourself safely established in a career path you enjoy.

1.

Dealing with rejection

The most important rule about dealing with rejection is to not take it personally. Respond professionally and keep yourself from overthinking about the reason behind your unsuccessful application. Understand that sometimes the odds are just not in your favour – for instance, there may have been an overwhelming number of equally excellent candidates applying for the same internship. Stay confident in your abilities and know that you have plenty to offer.

2.

Ask for feedback

When in doubt, ask. If you had gotten through several rounds of interviews and various assessment tests before still coming out short, ask the interviewer for feedback and decide how best to tweak your next application. Was there a better qualified candidate? Did they think you just weren’t the best fit for their company culture? Look for opportunities to gain relevant work experience.

The information you receive may seem vague at times – “We decided to go in another direction” – but ask anyway as you never know when you’ll get something constructive. However, don’t be overly persistent if recruiters take a while to respond or don’t get back to you at all.

3.

Trust the system

The process of getting an internship isn’t as straightforward as you might think, so dwelling on something that isn’t within your control will only do you more harm than good. Instead, count every rejection as a learning experience and let it hone your hunting skills.

Remember to respect the recruiter’s decision – it’s possible that you simply weren’t a good match for the role on offer. Don’t forget that paper qualifications and excellent interviewing skills alone aren’t enough to secure an internship; it’s also up to the recruiter’s discretion to ascertain if you’re the best possible fit for the company.

Be humble and take this as an opportunity to do some realistic selfanalysis on the type of role and work environment you’re best suited for. Once you’ve gained a new perspective on the recruitment process and some self-awareness on what you can offer, you’ll be able to better market yourself to recruiters at your next interview. With a bit of patience, you may even end up with the right role for your skills and personality!

4.

Move forward

Once you’ve fully come to terms with your first rejection, work on getting back in the game. At this point, you should be armed with a stronger resume, more adept at handling interviews and a more realistic expectation of the process.

Don’t give up on other applications! Resilience throughout the process of landing an internship is necessary, as it’s common for an applicant to receive several rejections before securing one. There’s no fixed rate of success or shortcut, so you might get accepted for an internship after the first few tries, or find yourself sending out dozens of applications before finally getting a foot in the door. Have faith that your tenacity will pay off in the long run.

Also, keep in mind that it’s more than likely your friends are going through the same experience – sharing your feelings may help diffuse your frustrations. But don’t be discouraged if your peers get internships before you do. Focus your energy on improving your situation instead.

If you’re in need of guidance, don’t shy away from seeking the counsel of your school’s career advisors. Their pool of resources and expertise may help you move in the right direction.