Reject means “dismiss as inadequate, unacceptable or faulty”. Sounds pretty harsh, doesn’t it?

But although rejection is just a word, there’s no denying it hurts. Some people even complain of physical pain when they experience rejection, with medical studies proving the same areas of the brain that light up when we’re physically hurt also light up when we feel rejected.

With rejection ripe in today’s “swipe right” culture, it’s more important than ever to develop the personal strength to move beyond it.

Employment rejection – be it not landing interviews or jobs after interviews – can hurt just as much as any other rejection in life. But it doesn’t have to destroy your self esteem or send you into a spiral of depression.

Here are 5 ways you can choose to handle rejection to side-step the pain and move forward with confidence…

Don’t let it consume you

It’s hard not to take rejection personally, and it’s OK to feel disappointed or sad, but you don’t have to let it consume you.

If you had your heart set on a job and didn’t get it, reflect on why.  Try to evaluate it objectively.  Review your cover letter and CV, or think about the answers you gave in the interview. How did people responded to your answers?  What went well and what didn’t?

And if you can’t remember much at all, it’s a great lesson to be more aware in your next interview so you can use your observations to your advantage in the future.

Ask for feedback

Feedback is the fastest way to improve, so try to be open to it without getting emotional or defensive.

Even if don’t agree with the feedback, the insights you gain will better prepare you for future interviews.

If you applied for the role through an agency, your Consultant can seek feedback for you. At HorizonOne, we take all new Candidates through a series of questions, which allows us to get to know them and provide immediate feedback. This proves highly valuable as it gives Candidates a boost of confidence before any interviews.

Evaluate your expectations

If you’re at point A and want to get to point C, you’ll have to go via point B first.

Consider whether the roles you’re applying for are a step ahead, or two steps ahead. If they’re two steps ahead and you’re not getting anywhere, you may need to compromise and adjust your expectations slightly.

This could mean applying for lower level roles or evaluating your salary expectations. Remember, it takes time to build a career – sometimes you may need to take a small step backward if it means the next step is forward.

If you believe you miss out on roles because you’re overqualified, explain why you are taking such a big step backwards. Explain it in your cover letter or CV and be prepared to answer questions in the interview. Being overqualified is usually not a problem if the potential employer can understand why you want the role.

Stay open and honest

Dishonesty is a big turn off for any employer, and being cagey about any question in an interview is guaranteed to raise red flags.

Commit from the start of the process to be open and transparent – in your CV and cover letters, with your recruiter, and in interviews.

If you have to lie to get a job, it’s probably not the right job for you. And if you were to land the role, you would have to keep the lie going indefinitely.

Trust that the best is yet to come

If you have the perfect job in mind and an opportunity arises that appears to fit the bill, it’s easy to think it’s the be all and end all.

But if it doesn’t work out, the rejection shouldn’t shatter your confidence.

As the cliché goes, there are plenty of fish in the sea.   And you don’t know what’s out there until you start so keep moving forward.

Every knockback is a chance to learn more, meet more people, gain new experience and understand more about what want from your next role.  Realise that some things take time.

And if you hold onto your career aspirations and don’t let rejection bring you down, the right opportunity will present itself – and often when you least expect it.