Conf in a Conf Session

Getting back on the Horse after 10 Rejections

25-minute Talk

All levels

Timetable

12:45 a.m.-1:15 a.m.

Thursday 16th

Room

Track 1

Audience

Everyone

Key-Learning

- Rejection is not always a bad thing

Having career goals helps to overcome the feeling of being stuck when facing multiple rejections.

I was jobless for 6 months. Not by choice but by fate. Updating your CV and interviewing when you are not mentally prepared to do so is a very difficult situation to go through. One would think that the current market is the candidate’s market, so why didn’t I have a job for 6 months? I went through a lot of interviews. And with each interview, I started losing hope in my skill-set. This happened not because I wasn’t doing well. I was continuously told that they really liked you, BUT… and nothing.

I still don’t have useful feedback for why I got rejected 10 times. I even started questioning whether I want to be associated with the tech industry. A part of me also started thinking that I am being put forward only because I am a ‘diverse’ candidate. Turns out, it only took one person to give me a job offer during my first interview with them. They saw my strengths which was a great morale boost. However, my imposter syndrome had settled in nicely in these 6 months. So how do I learn to ride the waves again? This is where my previous career and life coaching sessions helped tremendously.

In this session, I want to share how we can continue to learn from every interview rejection. And how we can use some help from mentors and coaches to keep our head high.