As a senior in college, this past month has been one of my busiest. Though my classes aren't any more difficult, and the clubs I'm involved in aren't taking up more of my time than years prior, I find myself getting up very early and going to bed extremely late. The main reason for this is job hunting. Right now, many companies are interviewing for full-time employment in the fall of 2019. Since the school year has started, I've been polishing my resume, reviewing interview questions, and learning how to go about case interviews.
Two weeks ago, I was excited about my first case interview. I had gone over numerous possible scenarios that the interviewer might throw at me, and I had some of my friends who had experienced case interviews come up with questions and had them give me feedback. By the time the interview came, I felt fully prepared and went out of the interview thinking that I nailed it. Over the next few days, I interviewed with another company and had scheduled more interviews for the future. I was super confident up until I opened my email and saw the phrases "Thank you for taking the time to interview with us...At this time we will be moving forward with other candidates."
I felt my stomach drop. Even though this wasn't my top choice for where I wanted to work next year, I still felt a bit defeated. I thought that I had nailed that interview and believed that I would be moving to the next round. I started panicking, thinking that I may have bombed the other interview and that I had to rethink my strategy.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I was silly. It had been my first interview of the year, and my first case interview. I was rusty, and I wasn't going to be as prepared as the other candidates, because many of them have probably gone through case interviews before. I realized that's okay. I would get better with more practice, and I needed to accept the fact that I was going to get other rejections.
It's okay to get rejected for a job. When I thought about it, there were probably hundreds of people that applied, and after each interviewing round, someone was bound to get cut. The chances of getting an offer from every job that I applied for is nearly zero. Perhaps this position wasn't the best fit for me anyway, and the interviewer could see it. I'd much rather receive an offer from a job that I would enjoy and thrive in than one that I would hate.
So, if you're applying for jobs or internships and get rejected or don't receive an interview, don't let it get you down. No one will get acceptance letters from every position. Some people fit better in specific roles than others. There is an internship or job out there for you. Just keep practicing for interviews, polish your resume, and go about the interview confidently.
