How to Deal With an In-House Job Rejection

You might have strong feelings about being passed over for a new job at your company.

When you apply for a new position in-house, you often expect to have some advantage based on the time you've already put into the company. However, depending on the skills and experience needed for the job, you may not be the best fit, despite your time already spent working there. When you receive an in-house job rejection, it can sting. Consider a few tips to help you deal with the hurt stemming from a rejection.

Instructions

1. Allow yourself to process all of the emotions associated with the rejection. You may feel angry, sad, frustrated and bitter, all at the same time. Give yourself a few days to wallow in your negative feelings about the situation and then begin the healing process and move on. You can't work through your feelings about the rejection if you don't actually deal with them.

2. Give it time before you take any additional action. Don't do anything right away; take your time to think over what happen and let the dust settle around the hiring process. It gives you time to process your emotions and the hiring manager time to get someone into the position.

3. Ask for a meeting with the hiring manager to find out how you can make improvements in your skills or gain more experience in the position. Don't whine about why you didn't get the job or make the hiring manager feel uncomfortable. Rather, explain that you plan to use this as a learning opportunity to determine where you have the most growth potential and what you can do to improve professionally.

4. Refocus on your position. Brainstorm ways to take on new responsibilities or to become more effective in your job. Consider continuing education to earn new skills in your field. For the immediate future, focus all of your energies into become even better in your current position, so that the next time there is an in-house position available, your contributions to the company will outshine other candidates.

References

• The University of Western Australia Organisational and Staff Development Services: How to Find Out Why You Didn't Get the Job