You Didn’t Get The Job, But You’re Okay

It has been a couple of days since the interview, and you still haven’t gotten a call back.

Maybe it’s not for me. You’ve done all you can, just leave it up to the gods of fate. You start to tell yourself these things just so that you feel better and you won’t be too nervous about the official results.

You start hearing how the other people did during their interviews, and you start to question yourself even more. She did better than I did. He knows more about this than I do. She has so much more experience. Those aren’t the best thoughts you can have, but it is okay. It’s normal to feel this way when you’re just starting to climb up the ropes in this industry.

Then the call comes. Yes, they assured you that you did well and they are happy in receiving your application and in hearing all your plans, but unfortunately, you didn’t get the position.

You didn’t get the job. You did well, but someone just happen to do a little bit better. Now, all you can do is accept it, because you can’t complain. You can’t change anything because the decision has been made and someone else got the position.

You start to question everything, and doubt yourself. Everything you’ve been through to get this far, and all the experience you’ve gained that you thought was enough for this, just happen to be a small portion of what they were looking for. You’ve overestimated yourself, or perhaps people just didn’t see you the way you saw yourself.

“You’ve got nothing to lose” they told you, but now you’re more than 100% sure you’ve risked your self-esteem and your pride in the entire process of trying –and now you’ve lost them. You feel like you’ve failed all those who believed in you, you’ve disappointed those who helped you go this far, but most of all, you question your capabilities and think you’ve fallen rock bottom.

It’s okay. It’s okay to feel this way because you tried. You hoped for it, and put your mind and heart to it. If you feel like crying, do it.

Don’t keep those feelings bottled up. It’s okay to be sad, but don’t let it eat you up.

Remember everyone who believed and still believes in you. You risked applying for that position because you knew you had the capacity to fulfill the job, but maybe it’s not the time for you yet. It might be easier said than done, but I’m going to tell you this anyway. Look at the bright side. You can do more things because you’re not tied down to one job. You can be more involved and learn more about yourself, and discover more of what you can do. Just because you tripped on your way to success doesn’t mean you won’t get back up. While you’re in the process trying to get back up, treat yourself some ice cream or maybe even get a massage, because it makes you feel better. Take a few days off, because you deserve it.

It may be cliché, but it’s true what they say: when one door closes, another opens. Maybe it’s not the door you wanted, but it’s the door that will lead you to greater opportunities and the door you’re meant to go through.

At this point, at least you tried. At least you know you’re capable of putting yourself out there, taking risks and trying new things. Now that you’re aware of that, don’t stop now. Continue to take risks that will help you grow. Accept new challenges that you never thought you could do.

One day, you’ll look back at this moment and appreciate the fact that you went through it because you’re a lot better now.