On average, a polar bear makes about 20 attempts hunting for food before he succeeds and can enjoy a nice polar bear meal (they eat seals, so it’s not a happy ending for everyone but stay with me). If this is the first or twelfth rejection you’ve gotten from a company you’ve interviewed with, you’re still beating the polar bear.

There are many reasons why candidates aren’t chosen, and so many are arbitrary and have nothing to do with how well you suit the job, or, quite frankly, you. If you felt you gave a great interview and have the right skills, don’t dwell on the outcome. Though, one thing you should do is ask politely for feedback. But keep in mind this feedback may or may not be good. If you keep getting the same feedback, then it starts becoming more persuasive, and the good news with that is that now you know what you need to do to improve.

The problem with rejections is that we take them personally and we shouldn’t really. I know, easy said. But the better you are at getting past the negative emotions, and these things hurt, the quicker you’re likely to land the job you really want. After you’ve licked your wounds move on and start envisioning your success. As new-agey as that might sound, it really does work. You want to position yourself towards the best outcome, and you start by doing this mentally.

Don’t lower your standards. You’ve worked hard for your title, and you’re not likely to be happy taking a job you think is below it. Hold out for as long as you can. Maybe pick up freelance or contract work to pay the bills before you settle on a position you’re not really happy with. And always remember, you’re still beating the polar bear.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.