I recently asked several of my clients, “what is the most difficult part of your job search?”.

The number one answer was REJECTION.

A job search is all about rejection. Even a highly successful job search will have more rejections than successes.

Many job searches get stuck in the quicksand, unable to move forward. Lots of activity on the part of the person doing the searching and applying, but no real results.

Why?

People get stuck because they are afraid of rejection. Merely the fear of rejection stops them dead in their forward progress.

Even if someone receives 3 or 5 or 10 offers, rest assured they have at least that many and probably many more rejections along the way. One must remember: a successful job search is not measured by how many offers come in. It is measured by ONE good offer. Yet to get to that one fabulous offer, you must endure the hardest part of your job search: rejection.

So, let’s think about the idea of rejection for a moment.

When you are rejected, it is not you, personally, who is being rejected, although it may feel like it at the time. We don’t like being told ‘no’, after all. What is being rejected is the fit: your fit with the job, the role, the department, the employer, the culture. So, stop taking it personally. I know, easier said than done.

But look at it from this angle: if you truly are not a fit for the role, finding that out now is the best time to find out. Better to know now than after months or years of being in the wrong job, one that doesn’t work for you or for them. Life’s too short to be miserable.

Yet fear of rejection may cause you to not be considered for jobs where you are, indeed, a solid fit.

How?

By following the post-and-pray methodology. My clients often think that by sending out 10, 20 or 100 resumes, they are conducting an effective job search. Not so.

The reality of effective job search is that it’s about building connections with more than just the mailman or the email browser.

Just sending out your resume does not necessarily build a connection. Yes, you may actually connect with the hiring manager’s inbox, but that is not a true connection. You must work your network to build the connections which give your resume relevance.  Yes, you read it correctly: RELEVANCE.

Having your resume referred by a colleague gives you 10x greater likelihood to be considered. Conversely, a resume blindly submitted has only 10% of getting an interview. How do you like those odds?

Take a multi-targeted approach. And accept each rejection along the way as one step closer to your end goal of making THE connection that will result in the offer.

We live in an electronic world where it’s too easy to push a button to apply. Yet the electronic rejection seems easier to take than the spoken rejection. But if you want to find a job, you must sell who you are to the potential employer. Do you want to rely on the piece of paper? Or do you want to rely on yourself and your personality? You are the best salesperson of you.

Let me help you polish your interviewing skills so you can get out there and start selling yourself.

I will conduct a practice interview tailored for the job you’re applying for. You will have the confidence you need to get through the rejections and land that great job.

Are you ready for a little success? Find a spot on my calendar and let’s find that job.