I wrote this blog in the hope that it will dispel some of the myths our political leaders would have people believe, that the unemployed are skivers, not strivers. That they are happy to live on benefits and do nothing with their lives. Though it is true that there is a very small minority who are that way inclined, the vast majority of the unemployed are not.
That can be equally said of the nearly one million young people who are currently unable to find work of which, the vast majority have done what was asked of them and got their qualifications be they GCSE’s, A Levels or Degrees and still find it nearly impossible to get their first steps on the ladder of employment.
When is enough, enough.
At what point does a Job Search Manager throw in the towel?
When they feel nothing when a rejection arrives or doesn’t.
When the very act of job search is merely a case of going through the motions.
I’m not quite there yet, but have to admit that the pain & indignation that normally follows when I receive a rejection is diminishing. The career coaches who write on this and other subjects around job search will tell you not to take it personally, not to get beat up by them. They obviously haven’t suffered enough of them to get to that point. Come on just because we are job seekers it doesn’t make us any less human. How can we not take a job rejection personally, a job rejection like any rejection is personal. It is saying, “Yes you might have a lot to offer, it’s just that we don’t want what you’re offering.” Put like that it is going to hurt and anyone who says that they are not hurt doesn’t care enough to have been offered the opportunity in the first place.
Rejection especially after having interviewed for a position brings out a large number of feelings:
Disbelief: How can they have rejected me, I was a good match for that role, I answered all their questions, I don’t think that interview could have gone any better.
Anger: How dare they have rejected me I was perfect for that role.
Disappointment: I really wanted that role, I would have really enjoyed working there.
Resentment: How could they have given it to someone else.
Guilt: How can I go back to my family & friends and tell them I have failed yet again.
Acceptance: Oh well that’s another opportunity gone, time to look to the next opportunity and see what that brings.
Those feelings are brought forth the minute the rejection registers in the job seekers brain. If the rejection is by ordinary or email then reaction will be almost instantaneous and they might go through the whole lot in a matter of minutes. If the rejection comes via a telephone call with a recruitment consultant then there might be a delay as they fight not to say anything that will put them off putting them forward for the next role they are working on, but the minute the phone is put down those feelings will rush out.
Those feelings might have to be subdued if there are family or friends around when it happens, when they ask the inevitable question “Well did you get it?” and then watching their faces change when they tell them no. Depending on circumstances someone else is going to have the same feelings as the person rejected but with maybe a few others thrown in too like fear, worry, panic. Not to say the job seeker themselves won’t feel them, they will, just as soon as the first lot of emotions regarding the rejection have passed. The worry about paying the next lot of bills that are due, putting food on the table etc will all come in to play.
A true Job Search Manager will not give in or give up. They will never say enough is enough. But every now and then when the next rejection hits home and all those thoughts and feelings come to the fore again. In that brief moment in time they might just think enough is enough.
Mark Gilligan Down to Earth H.R 