Job rejection depression

Hey Lloyd!

First of all, sending you lots of positivity. ✨ I can relate to how you're feeling to a great extent.

Since graduating last year, I started looking for my first full-time job and applying for DevRel roles. It took me almost 3 months to get my first offer (which I had to decline with a heavy heart because it didn't align well with my expectations unfortunately) and 6 months to land my first job!
In the course of those 6 months I got several rejections, most of which I received after the last round of interviews. It would break me after each rejection and getting back up to apply to a new position would take everything in me. It was exhausting me mentally but I decided to not give up.

Here are a few things that helped me and I hope you can find this helpful too:

• Allow yourself some time to recharge and gather feedback after a long and tiring round of interviews. It became increasingly important to me to take much needed breaks after rejections.
• Learn from the previous interviews. There is always a flip side to everything and trying to draw useful insights from hiring decisions can significantly improve your performance in the next one.
• Ask for feedback after rejections. Ask them for areas of improvements you could work on. Personal development is something we need to be highly invested in as developers.
• Don't take it too personally. Sometimes it's not about your abilities or how good of a developer you are. From my experience, I've realised that external factors like location, relocation budget, etc can be a reason for the rejection.
• Strike a balance between the number of applications and the quality of your applications.

And last but not the least, don't be too hard on yourself. Focus on learning, embrace your journey, and keep giving your best! Your commitment will definitely yield results and you'll be glad you didn't give up. :)

For tips on preparing for interviews, you should check out Candidate Planet on YouTube by Lusen Mendel. Their advice was super helpful to me and I'm sure it will help you too!

All the best! 💜

man just don't take it too seriously.
the fact that you haven't passed is just the fact that somebody has sold himself a bit better, it's a market.
it does not mean that you are a bed dev, just keep going, maybe rejected positions lead you to the best one.
I have got 5-7 rejected vacancies last 3 months, but I have found a new way - freelance.
I'm really happy to have such an experience and I'm free of that all corporate stuff.

Hello Lloyd,

I have been in a similar situation in the past , I have been working in a testing background and recently moved to development and I started finding job once after I quit ( I thought it’s a bad decision at first ) . I must have failed atleast 15+ times and it had shattered my confidence every time . One thing I made myself clear is I shouldn’t give up and I took some time to evaluate myself out of every interview , questions asked , what response I gave , what I should have done , areas I lack confidence . I started working on the areas and questions which I couldn’t answer , went back to basics and over time I gradually cleared first round of interviews . I was able to realise the questions across various companies started repeating and I started getting better . At the end , I had 4 offers in hand and picked the one I liked the most .

Don’t give up !
Concentrate on your areas of improvement!
If possible record your calls and listen where you did mistake
Get feedback from recruiters / companies why they rejected you

All the best !

Bala

Only 3?

But seriously, remember that interviewing is a skill. And the more you do it, the more you get better at it.

Through meticulous research, we at B-Labs (pronounced "blabz") have calculated that your interview-fu level is the natural log of the number of failed interviews you have had, plus log2 of the number of successful interviews, multiplied by a factor based on the number of standard deviations the salary offered is from the median in your country.

That puts you at a nominal 1.09861228867, only another 6 interviews to go until you reach level 2. Keep leveling up, and perhaps you'll get to a level on par with most of the rest of us ex-rejects.

Think of rejections like all the iterations when you are writing your programs. Do you get things right the first time? I don't. Try to get feedback each time and improve. I have been through a lot of rejections myself but I view the situation as a two way street, if they didn't want me then probably it would not work out for me either. Fingers crossed.

I left my first software job because I was no longer comfortable working there and didn't have any other jobs lined up. A few people told me that was a bad idea, but the emotional stress was taking its toll on me.

During the 6 months after that I created my first portfolio site and started blogging (not really for an audience, but to prove to myself how much I know). I was also following tutorials for Vue.js since I started learning about it in my previous company and wanted to continue. By the end of that same year I was accepted to my first remote dev position (I applied by just submitting my resume and cover letter FYI) and absolutely loved the team and company. Unfortunately, I was let go recently before COVID happened (best time to look for a new job huh?). The let go had nothing to do with my work so I didn't take it too personally, but I was devastated.

Currently, I'm still applying to jobs. I will admit I'm picky on which job postings I dedicate time to applying for because there are so many that I feel are not written properly and don't make any sense to me. When I'm not looking for jobs, I'm working on more projects with the new skills I got from my second job and also embracing other hobbies when I need a break from coding.

So being in the job search for the second time now, I have to say, it gets easier. You know more than you once did and you are going to keep learning more to find a better job than you've had before.

Also, I have a friend who is in a completely different career field than me and has been looking for full-time positions since she finished grad school. The depression and self-doubt you mentioned has been a huge center of discussion I've had with her. I'm going to say the same thing to you that I say to her: you need to trust and believe things will get better. If you're willing to learn from your rejections and trust that you will eventually get a job you want, you will make things easier on yourself emotionally when you're going through this tough time.

Wow, I wrote a lot - sorry for the long read. I wish you luck Lloyd, and I hope something about my experience makes you feel better.

This is pretty common. I have experienced my share of rejections. Some upfront, and some ghosting. One way to get the most out of rejection is to reach out to the hiring manager and request for feedback. Not everyone is willing to do this for candidates they have rejected, but there are some really considerate people who would take the time to let you know why they decided not to hire you as a candidate. This helps because it gives you a few points on what you should improve on the next interview.

Also, take a break. If you end up in a constant cycle of just hitting apply on every single job advert it might build up anxiety gradually especially during the wait.

Hi Lloyd,

It's totally common in the industry and I personally have been rejected many times from interview or other applications process.

In the beginning of the career it might feels like a huge disappointment and discouragement.
The key is don't give up and don't take it too personally
You will realize these are just a nano impediments across your life.
Look and think about at the bigger picture.

What is it you want to achieve in your life/career ?
Why do you want the job so badly ?
What has driven you into the software industry and want to become a developer ?
Any new project and ideas you can build on your own as learning opportunity ?

Don't let take down, i'm a senior developer and looking for a new opportunity since 10 months ago and the rejections it's something that exists and you need take strength from them to improve your abilities and take the next opportunity.
2 months ago a company gives me an offer and in the last day in my current job they tell me because the coronavirus quarantine they cant receive me and you cant just decline in all and deep in depression, is no time for that.
Last week the same happen again and again its no time for that

Just keep working on projects on the side. It takes time but more importantly perseverance. Look at job interviews as a gauge. You are close because you got to the final round. Keep grinding it out.

I'm a new dev, 3 months in on the professional full time level. It took me 2 years to get here. Once you get in, you will still feel like you don't know enough or aren't good enough. Keep grinding. It will get you there!