Dealing with Rejection as a Recruiter!

Recruitment is tough. There you go, I have said it!!! It is not easy to be a recruiter; it is not for the faint of heart, as one of my bosses once said and it stuck with me: “Recruitment is a physical sport”. And we all know, any physical sport is tough, prone to injuries and could be extremely exhausting.

In recruiting, we are dealing with humans and even science, with all its advancements, hasn’t evolved to claim that it understands humans. That’s how tricky it is, dealing with humans.

In recruitment, there are highs, but there are far more lows. There is a constant pressure to fill vacant roles, unreasonable expectations from the hiring managers, the pressure of your own KPIs/numbers, dealing with the candidates, reschedule requests, no shows and what not. So, it is very important to stay focused and be in the right mindset at all times to stand out from the crowd.

In today’s edition, I want to talk about dealing with rejections and provide some insights on how to deal with it and I really hope that you find it useful.

1: Asking the right question

When you receive a rejection, don’t just take it straight up. Ask the right questions. There could be a silly reason for the rejection and you asking one right question, sometimes, can change the outcome. So, please follow up, ask the right questions and try to understand the reasoning behind the rejection.

2: Don’t blame yourself

“You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” — Dan Millman

One of the mantra that has worked out wonders for me in my personal and professional life is, “What’s done is well done, what’s next is what matters”

I always tell my friends and colleagues, unless you can go back in the past and change something about it, it is not worth your time. You can sit all day, cry about it, dwell on it and blame yourself, but nothing good is going to come out of it. I promise!! So, buckle up and move on.

3: Lesson/s learned

Always look at the rejection from a diagnostic point of view. Dissect it, analyze it and find the learnings, grow from it and apply it to your future course of actions.

4: Trust the process

Over the course of my career as a recruiter, I have achieved personally and witnessed amazing turnarounds by trusting the process and not giving up. Process is there for a reason. You are not the world’s first recruiter. The tried and tested process is there for a reason. All we need is a little faith and hardwork and the results will take care of themselves.

5: Find your go to stress reliever

“Self-care is how you take your power back.” — Lalah Delia

It is very important to disconnect and do something that helps you connect with your true self. That could be any physical or mental activity.For me it’s a physical activity. As recruiters our job is full of stress already, so I try to find a min of 30 mins to disconnect, make it about me and me only and workout, that helps me rejuvenate and get ready for the next dose of stress :D

6: Talk to someone

“Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” — Lisa Olivera

I understand that it is easier said than done, and rejections can be hard to digest and can affect you in many ways. And it is not good for your mental health. Please find some time to share it with your colleagues, your manager or any one you trust. It is important to talk about it and get it out there.

7: Self Belief

It is very easy to give in under the pressure of rejections and lack of results. You start doubting your own self and you think that you are not good enough to be a recruiter or you don’t have what it takes. It is very natural to feel this way and take the easy way out. Remember, Recruiters are called Talent Warriors for a reason, We fall, We get up and Get in the war zone to start over..

I will sum it up with a famous quote from my favorite motivational speaker;

“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.- Tony Robbins”

Hire Top 1% Remote Developers in 24 Hours with Remotebase