Between the Trapezes - On Job Search! | April 2022
Between the Trapezes

Help for when you’re between two career certainties
April 2022

Rejecting "rejection"

Many job search candidates interpret a "no" to their candidacy as "rejection". The article below tells you why it’s not really rejection, it’s finding a great match that they’re after -- and that’s also what YOU are after.

Now that it’s spring in much of the US, there are still many in their careers who are outright quitting their jobs or looking for better ones with the plan of quitting when they find that better fit.

This means more opportunities for candidates. But be sure you are finding the right job and the right company, don’t just jump at the first thing that doesn’t seem "bad". There is such a thing as "jumping from the frying pan into the fire". Be sure to check out the culture of the organization to make sure you fit. You deserve that!

Joanne
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Lilacs in the spring, Baileys Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin, one of my favorite places anywhere
Joanne Meehl
Resume expert whose resumes land interviews but she hopes you never need to actually use your resume. "The Resume Queen"®
LinkedIn profile creator if you want yours to be an employer magnet.
Networking guru who coaches you in elegant (not needy, gimme gimme) networking, finding hidden leads.
Interview prep that puts you at ease matching what they need and describing why they need you.

BA, MS, IJCDC
Photos in this Between the Trapezes courtesy of Shutterstock.com
unless it's flowers or memes, which are by Joanne

Your Career Is The Treasury of Your Life ©
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Reject "Rejection"!


So you heard back from a company you applied to last month and they said "Thanks but no thanks" or "We have decided to go in another direction."

You were hoping "This was the one", but it turned out not to be.

How can you minimize the number of "no thanks" responses you are getting? And is it really "rejection" when they say "Thanks but no thanks"?
1) Stop job hunting using just job boards or company websites. Today, companies use their existing staff to find candidates, so network with them to "get nominated" instead of getting the "no thanks" email.

2) Network with those who work for companies that strongly interest you. That you have researched and vetted. You cannot possibly network into 25, 50 or 100 companies (who has that much time?!), so select your "top ten" and go after those. Then when you have learned about those 10, you will want to eliminate a few; this way, you can devote more time to getting into the companies you REALLY want. Yes, regardless of the state of the economy, YOU do the choosing!

3) Approach companies that interest you whether or not they have posted any openings. I have my clients use an "approach" letter instead of a resume, aimed at the hiring manager. See the link to the left to see a sample.

4) Know that if they do not know you yet, and what you have to offer, there can be no true "rejection". Instead, it's really a perceived lack of fit, or it may be you did not cite successes that are what they are looking for in the final candidate...but in most cases, they do not know you well enough yet to "reject" you. Your challenge is to communicate how you fit the job, in such things as your resume AND cover letter (yes, they DO get read). Simply put, they do not know enough about you to reject you!

And when it does happen that you don’t get the job, keep moving. Keep approaching, keep networking. Keep choosing to find the right fit for you, and you will.

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Need to get more recommendations on LinkedIn?DOWNLOAD this free guide from my LinkedIn profile (scroll down to the Featured section) about how to get more recommendations.

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This month’s Tip from Joanne:

LinkedIn: Make use of the space

An overlooked opportunity that I see often, on LinkedIn: not enough content.

What I mean by that is, candidates who use only a little of the space provided. Since CONTENT and ACTIVITY are what count on LinkedIn, use that space!

In the ABOUT section, for example, you have 2,600 characters to use. Be sure to cite successes and accomplishments as well as "about me" info, using white space to your advantage -- meaning no wall-to-wall huge paragraphs. But good content.

Take advantage of adding keywords about you. On LinkedIn, you have the space!

Thought of the Month

I always believed that when you follow your heart or your gut, when you really follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose, because settling is the worst feeling in the world.

— Rihanna, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur
Joanne Meehl Career Services LLC | Zoom or 612.440.6765 (by appt) | Joanne@TheJobSearchQueen.com