7 Lessons I learnt from my first job rejections

“Come to think of it, should I really be writing about rejections at this stage of my career?”

It might not be good PR or an excellent idea for personal branding to be vocal about the number of job rejections I have received while I am still at the “infant” stage of my career journey. But that’s exactly what I decided to do with this article — talk about it. And it is my sincere hope that by sharing from my first experience, I might be able to provide some valuable knowledge that could be helpful to someone else out there. Having said that, let us begin with the number 1.

1. Do you keep receiving those rejection emails with the usual “Unfortunately….”?

In November 2017, a couple of days after I completed my first master’s degree in media and communications science from the University of Technology, Ilmenau, Germany, I was very certain that I was ready for my next professional challenge. About a week after I defended my thesis, I got really “turned up” and assumed my newly self-assigned role: applying for “any” communications-related job.

- from internships to entry as well as experienced- level positions (especially the typical 5–10 years working experience required roles).

As many fresh university graduates with no relevant job experience will attest, the more I applied, the more the rejection emails kept flooding my inbox.

Lesson 1: After hundreds of rejection emails, a couple of failed interviews and some helpful feedback, I learnt that one way to reduce the number of rejections, was to stop applying for roles that I was NOT qualified for.

2. Your response to rejection(s) will be everything.

I was not the type to be easily deterred by rejections or rejection emails. To be quite candid, my past experiences (many thanks to the struggles of growing up in Nigeria) had done a pretty good job to prepare me for these kinds of scenarios. So, after weeks of receiving a handful of rejection emails, I didn’t get frustrated but decided to take a step back and re-evaluate.

I noticed a pattern: most jobs openings I was applying for needed candidates with detailed knowledge or experience in communication management — both of which I, unfortunately, didn’t have enough of just being fresh out of university in 2017.

I asked myself “Kingsley, how could you make up for these shortcomings?” In response, I decided to devote the next couple of weeks taking up online courses in a new and evolving field: digital marketing and analytics.

Lesson 2: A degree is usually not enough.

3. You have 2 degrees in communications, why digital marketing?

The answer was quite simple. While applying for communication roles, I noticed there were a lot more opportunities in the field of digital marketing which at that point in time was quite new and promising (and still is by the way). And the job experience requirement was not so much a challenge because the digital marketing field was (and is) still evolving.

The typical “5–10 years working experience required”, was not going to hold me back here. Plus, I was already fascinated with measuring and tracking content and social media campaigns.

So, I said to myself, “If I couldn’t easily land a job in communications, I could as well try to get one in digital marketing.

Lesson 3: I learnt to open myself up to new opportunities and the demands of the market.

4. You only need one chance!

Learning something new requires much time and effort. I could recall spending a whole week on my dormitory bed in front of my computer to complete online courses in digital marketing. After several weeks, I had made considerable progress and was soon confident I was ready for a new career path. And to prove I was, it didn’t take long before I started to receive a new set of rejection emails again after each new application :).

Fortunately, there was one rejection email I received that changed everything. It was for a role I applied for as a junior digital marketing manager in a start-up. Initially, I had landed a jackpot after the company’s CEO responded to my application via LinkedIn. He was an Alumni of my university and studied the same communications programme as I did. After a couple of messages, he wanted us to set up a Skype interview to discuss my interest.

Our first conversations were not so much focused on the job I had applied for but served primarily as an avenue for us to get to know each other. In retrospect, I think he just wanted to help and give me a chance to succeed.

After our discussion, he asked me to get in touch with his business partner who was going to interview me to access my suitability for the role and was also responsible for the digital marketing team that needed a new member.

Lesson 4: I invested a lot of time and energy working hard to acquire new skills in digital marketing. When I eventually got that first breakthrough, I learnt, hard work pays!

5. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

I had just been recommended to apply for a position by the CEO of the company. With such a recommendation, I knew I had an unfair advantage over every other candidate. At this point, I didn’t have to do so much to prepare (so I thought). How did the interview go? Hmmm, I don’t think I did so well.

By my assessment, I know I did a good job displaying my inexperience and lack of preparation. Some days later, I got my well-deserved response — another rejection email.

The CEO’s business partner had decided for another candidate who was more experienced and suitable for the role. To be frank, it was only fair that he chose to go with another candidate after my poor performance during the interview.

Lesson 5: “I planned to fail.”

6. Knowledge saves

A couple of weeks before my “failed” interview for the junior digital marketing manager role, I had bought and was reading a book titled “How to Win Jobs & Influence Germans, The Expert Guide To A Career in Germany” by Chris Pyak. In his book, Chris shared a personal story about how he responded to a similar rejection experience after he was turned down for a role. He made the hiring manager an offer:

“Look, I’m not asking you to make guesses or to just trust what I say, allow me to work for you for one week, free of charge. And if you like what I do, hire me. If at the end of the week, you feel that I can’t match your expectations, I will be grateful for the opportunity”.

So, I decided to try this out. I replied to my rejection email in a similar fashion and waited for the response.

Lesson 6: At ground zero, you have nothing to lose!

7. There is a light at the end of every tunnel

A couple of days went by and I did get a response to my email.

It read: “Dear Kingsley, I have discussed your idea with my partners. what we could imagine is a short-term internship of 10–12 weeks. We do not want you to do this for free….”

Long story short: some days later I signed my first contract as a digital marketing and sales intern.

Lesson 7: You shouldn’t give up just because you got a no at first! As the saying goes, “if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”

Conclusion

I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. So am always trying to enjoy every experience as much as I can — you should also. You can imagine how I felt at the point when I finally got an internship offer after hundreds of rejection emails.

As my short experience has shown “there is always a light at the end of every tunnel.” So don’t give up!

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