Finding an Interview for a potential job can be demanding and troublesome. You put in hours of polishing your CV, searching for possible opportunities and once you find one that seems almost perfect, there’s still the process of going through with the interview. All the while you have no idea whether or not you’re going to get the job. But you try anyway. Up until the point when a rejection email pops up in your inbox. All that effort for nothing. It all seems to wash away. Why would this happen? The thought pops into your head that you were the ideal candidate, but yet they still chose someone else.

Dealing with interview rejection is tough. But there are a few ways you can get over it, and back into the job search game.

Move On
Many people can end up depressed after being rejected from an interview. And the main reason for this is that their expectations are too high. They anticipate that they’re going to get the job no matter what. And then the cruel fact of reality comes crashing back towards them, when they realise that there’s someone better for the position. But there will always be someone better. Someone with more experience. Someone with better qualifications. The trick is to move one after an interview. Don’t expect that you’re going to get it. Instead, move onto the next interview. The more interviews you go to, the more practice you’ll get and the better you’ll become at the interview process. You’ll also have a higher chance of getting an offer or two. And once more than one offer starts coming in, you’ll have the option to choose. You’ll be in control, and it’ll allow you to turn down a particular employer over another employment opportunity.

Feedback
One of the worst things about interview rejection is the fact that you often don’t know where you went wrong. This isn’t good, because without some sort of Feedback you can’t find your faults and better your next interview. Instead of being left in the dark, politely ask the recruiter or employer for detailed feedback about your interview performance. Sending an email stating that you welcome any feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, can show your professionalism and interest in the role at hand. It’ll also show them how committed you are to self-development. Doing so can separate you from the rest of the candidates, and can shine a positive light on yourself. Use the feedback as a way to improve and try to treat each future interview as a learning experience.

Evolve
It’s important to carry on learning and developing your skills, especially if you’re unemployed. Keeping your skills sharp and your experience up-to-date can make it easier to find a job and have a positive interview outcome. It shows potential employers that you’re staying active, even if you aren’t working, and that you’re serious about finding some kind of productive work. You can take part in part-time training courses, volunteer at a charity organisation or project or even intern at a company of interest. All of these things can help you develop new skills, as well as improve your current ones.
It’s also important to take your previous interview experience and apply it to possible future ones. Learn from your mistakes and use them to improve. Researching the role you’re applying for, the company as well as the person you’ll be interviewing with is good homework to do beforehand.

If you focus on your strengths and identify your opportunities that you are passionate about, the passion will start to shine through in your interviews.