I didn’t want to have to write this blog post. The idea has been swirling in my head for a couple weeks now, but I didn’t want to wave the white flag just yet. But the time has come to sit down, reflect, and write a blog about rejection. I’m not completed out of all search processes I entered just yet, but many doors have shut and others are doing that slow, squeaky, about to close thing. So, a blog about rejection.
It sucks! I wish I could put it more eloquently, but there’s really no pretty way to say it. It is probably best described with that plane crash/explosion sound effect. I know that rejection can be a learning experience. What could I have done better? Differently? Sooner? Take time to evaluate the experience and my performance, make changes, and go at it again. But it’s an incredibly draining experience.
Somewhere along the way of multiple interviews at conferences, over the phone, and on campuses, I just seemed to fall out of the process with schools. Either I didn’t fit what they were looking for in a new hire, or I flubbed an answer, or I decided that what they were offering just wasn’t right for me.
THAT took some guts, let me tell you. Turning down offers for second interviews or campus visits, not knowing if that would be my only shot at a job. In the end I decided that I really needed to have at least two of three things in a job: a good location, responsibilities that were interesting and challenging, and a nearby support system. If a job didn’t have those, I couldn’t do it.
I know it is better to be unemployed for a bit and wait for a job that’s the right fit to open up, even if that does mean waiting past graduation, or into summer. That’s incredibly scary though, not knowing what I’ll be doing once I graduate. I also can’t imagine returning home and working at Target or the local bowling alley with my Masters.
I also dread the thought of starting the job search process all over again. To be back at square one will be frustrating. Not only because it involves searching out positions I’m interested in again, doing the research again, interviewing again. But also because I feel like a bit of a failure not getting a job from the first round of searching. I would hate for that to dent my confidence going into round two.
I think the only humorous part of rejection so far has been getting a FOAD letter for a job that I didn’t even apply for. (For those not familiar with the acronym, check urbandictionary.com if you don’t mind some profanity.) Apparently I was horrid in the interview I didn’t have. I’m not even sure how my name got mixed up in their pile of applicants. It was especially weird because it was sent to my office, not my apartment address. Oh well. I hung it up on my fridge, and it is now a daily source of amusement.
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Your comment about the FOAD letter is funny and scary at the same time. If they can mix you up with an interview you didn't have, could schools also have denied you based on a mix-up or lost your application completely? I almost didn't get my current job because my online application never maid i to the hiring manager. Luckily a friend on campus followed up and made sure it went though. Now that I'm on the hiring end, I see how chaotic job searching can be for the employer and how many things can get mixed up.Good luck. It took me 6 months past graduation to land this job but I'm really glad I ended up here.
I keep rejection letters of all sorts as a source of inspiration. For every rejection letter, there has been something I have been successful at. It really helps me conceptualize my experiences within a more positive framework.
What about a “mission”? You wouldn't go anywhere for a mission?
I had a friend email me a few days ago that he's given up on finding a job in student affairs and he's looking at faculty positions (he has his PhD). His news gave me a panic attack. If he can't find a job, what are my prospects, even with 19 years of experience.So, while it might not help much, I know how you feel. And no, you're not the only one out there feeling the rejection smack-down. Good luck!
Jason: Thanks for the support here and on Twitter. As much as I would like to have a job by the time graduation rolls around, I'm willing to wait for a job I really fall in love with. Glad to hear that even with having to wait you ended up somewhere great!JM: I'm almost proud of rejection letters – it means they liked me enough to give me an interview in the first place!Jamie: I think mission plays into job responsibilities a lot – how does that mission play out in their programs/services/training/etc. I definitely think the mission is important to consider, but moreso how it's being actively applied. (Does that make sense?)Mike: It has helped immensely to realize that every school has gone to placement conferences or into a search already know who they want to fill that position. I could be scoring 99/100 with them and be rocking it, yet if I'm not hitting on that one thing that they are looking for to complete their department, they're not going to pick me. It's not that I suck, it's just that my fit will be elsewhere.(Wow, lots of "J" names commenting! Thanks all!)
There was a time I kept rejection letters, but I ran out of space for them ;] I know, that you know all the cliques about job searching and what people say to make you feel better so I will spare you. Recently I was hired for a job where there were over 200 applications. I fell very fortunate it worked out for me, but there was a lot of rejection along the way. I even got rejected from jobs I did not want to apply for, but applied out of desperation.Each letter (or most cases emails) can bring you down a little, but I am proof the right situation will come along eventually. I am sure all the red-tape and bureaucracy on campuses is slowing it down a little but it will get there eventually get posted and the process will start again.
Shannon — so brave to write this post! I was searching for 6 months to find my current job. (Including getting turned down twice for the same job. Um, then why phone interview me a second time?) It was a scary time (complete with a stint working the fair at home as a temp job), but I knew it was the right thing for me to be looking (so I could transition out of residence life). On the bright side, I began considering lots of jobs I wouldn't on first look — including the job I have now — and I am so happy for it! This job has been a great fit, and has, in just a few months, given me a new focus to my skills as a professional.Your ability to self reflect and share your experience shows that you will be a great asset to the institution who wisely chooses to hire you.