People say that job hunting is like working a full-time job. You spend a grueling amount of time browsing the Internet for job opportunities, looking for outfits to slay the interview session, and even practicing your well-thought answers to the most generic interview questions such as “Why should we hire you?”. In fact, job seekers pour their heart and soul into crafting their resumé, cover letter, and other documents to prove that they are capable and fit for the target position.
However, no one will truly ever be prepared for the pain of job rejection that comes along the process of the job-hunting game.
"However, no one will truly ever be prepared for the pain of job rejection that comes along the process of the job-hunting game."
Interestingly, a number of famous personalities such as Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Steve Jobs have shared their past rejection experiences that turned into a blessing in disguise or successful ones. Yet, what about the life story of ordinary people who have managed to overcome the same kind of rejection?
Here’s the story of Leo De Vera Jr.’s first job heartbreak and the lessons he learned along the way.
Leo’s job-hunting journey started in his senior year in college when he decided to seek financial independence. He remembered asking his friends about companies that accept college students. He also considered the possible job industries that were in demand during that time. Upon hearing the advice of others, he decided to enter the call center industry as it was one of the prevalent job careers in his time.
Leo shared, “Sikat ‘yung call center noong panahon na ‘yun, as in nag-boom sa Baguio. Tapos may mga ka-kilala pa akong nag-part-time sa call center company kahit hindi pa naka-graduate.”
(Leo shared, “The call center industry was popular that time, especially in Baguio. Then I know someone who works part-time in the call center company despite being a college student.”)
In preparation for the application interview, he remembered practicing his answers to common questions such as “Why should we hire you?” and “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” Like what most of us will do, he even prepared his formal attire.
During the day of the application process, he traveled early in the morning from his apartment at Engineer’s Hill to the company’s office at Camp John Hay. He admitted that he was not nervous about applying for the job for two primary reasons: (1) He was acquainted with one of the company’s key interview panelists; (2) He highly thinks of his capabilities as a UP student. However, his confidence went down the drain when he faced the final stage of the interview.
The assigned interviewer asked about his knowledge of the company’s profile.
Leo exclaimed that “Unang tanong pa lang tungkol sa company hindi ko na alam kaya nag-stutter na ako. Dire-diretso nang ganoon hanggang huli.”
(Leo. exclaimed that “I don’t know how to answer the first question about the company, that's why I stuttered till the end.”)
Right then and there, he knew that he was bound to experience his first job heartbreak. After a few days, he received the company’s text stating that his application will not push through. Leo felt sad for a moment and even embarrassed about not getting the job despite bearing the brand of a UP student. The pressure of graduating from a prestigious university burdens him to always be on top of his game.
After a few days, Leo realized that he had to bounce back from the rejection because he knew what he was capable of and the skills he can improve on. He didn’t let the pressures, expectations, and disappointments get in his way.
Leo’s job rejection blues didn’t last long because he was able to improve his lapses from his first job interview. He bounced back by using his initial experience to successfully ace his next job application.
Currently, he is a college instructor in a premier university in Pangasinan. From his experience that day, he emphasizes the importance of preparing for job-related questions. Moreover, he encourages everyone to always do extensive research on the expected duties of the job position and the details about the company’s background profile. He believed that his first job application taught him to be humble and be prepared for the other challenges in life. He didn’t let the job rejection stop him from achieving his goal.
"Always do extensive research on the expected duties of the job position and the details about the company’s background profile."
From another perspective, Ms. Rochelle Bautista, the Human Relations Officer of Dagupan Electric Corporation, spearheaded many job application processes. As a part of her job’s nature, she has developed a keen eye for choosing the applicant that best fits the vacant job position.
Hence, Rochelle shares some tips and advice when applying for a job for the first time. Are you ready to start the job-hunting game?
BE PREPARED
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success”- Alexander Graham Bell
If there’s what we call the doomsday prepper, it would not hurt to go the extra mile in preparing for all the possible circumstances in the upcoming interview. As they say, we should hope for the best but expect the worst.
Before the day of the interview, Rochelle advises preparing necessary requirements such as the documents (resumé, application letter, pen, and picture), formal attire, possible answers to usual interview questions, knowledge about the company, and even the nature of the vacant job position being applied for. Rochelle expects the applicants to maximize the Internet to research the company’s history, mission, vision, and nature of their business.
During the interview, applicants should highlight their qualifications, knowledge, and skills. Lastly, she advises every applicant to be equipped with the right amount of confidence by practicing the usual interview questions. She emphasized that “if you know that you are prepared, you will be confident for your job application even if it’s your first time.”
“if you know that you are prepared, you will be confident for your job application even if it’s your first time.”
STAND OUT
“Maybe you’re not meant to fit in, maybe you’re supposed to stand out” - Taylor Swift
Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels
The job-hunting game involves the art of selling yourself to stand out from the crowd. The applicant must bear in mind that he must project a good impression to the panel.
Recruiters often do paper screening, especially when there are a lot of job applicants for a specific position; hence it’s crucial to make the resumé appealing. Rochelle suggests using a legal size bond paper to make the resume “stand out” or more visible, especially in a pile of job applications.
In terms of technicalities, she advises using a readable font style, size, and adequate line spacing. Moreso, it is best to keep the resumé a two-pager at maximum. Specifically, an applicant must have his name, 2x2 picture, and contact information at the top portion of the paper.
"It is best to keep the resumé a two-pager at maximum."
Next, put the career summary and/or career objective, especially with those first-timers who do not have any experience yet. Additionally, the rest of the resumé should include work experience (if there’s any), education, achievements, training and seminars, skills (focused on the skills required by the position you are applying for), and personal information. She lastly suggests using bold and/or italicized section titles to emphasize the important words.
In connection to job rejection, Rochelle advises the job hunters to try their best to stay positive. Applicants should consider rejection as a learning experience and motivation to improve themselves. She highlights that rejection should not hold Leo in his hunting game and advises all first-time job seekers to “Just keep going until you achieve your goal, which is to land a job.”
Overall, rejection and pain go hand in hand. It’s okay to feel the blues of job rejection, yet it shouldn’t veer him away from the goals he set in life. Sometimes, rejections redirect a person to a better opportunity; thus, he should never stop fueling his inner desire and passion for career growth.
Anxious about a future job application? Or have you recently received a job rejection email? Go out there and show them what you’re capable of. Just like Leo, you’ll be laughing about it one day as you happily achieve your desired job, and Ma’am Rochelle will be giving you a proud smile and a thumbs up for following her advice.
Graphics by: Sofia Vinuya
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