June 7, 2022, by Leah Sharpe

I’ve Been Applying but Not Had an Offer

By Cyrielle Mevel, Employability Education Projects Officer

Have you been applying to graduate jobs lately but not had a response so far? Or have you managed to go through a recruitment process but haven’t received the offer you had been waiting for and this is starting to impact your wellbeing? You are not alone.

Even though it is unpleasant to go through one, you are learning every step of the way and you are only getting closer to the offer you are waiting for!

Here are some tips to help you boost your applications as well as your confidence:

1. Give yourself some time to process the news

After receiving negative news (or no news at all!), we can sometimes be guilty of rushing into another application because we feel the pressure of success. However, this may lead to even more frustration as we keep repeating the same mistakes, over and over again. So, recognise and accept your feelings, whether it’s anger, disappointment or frustration, you have every right to feel this way! After all, you will have put a lot of time and energy into your application. Next, ask yourself ‘are these feelings and emotions getting me anywhere?’ If not, then it’s time for step two.

2. Get some feedback

Feedback is key if you want to move forward, it will help you learn from your mistakes and be more in control of how you can articulate your experience to an employer. Remember that not everyone is gifted in the art of providing feedback. It’s also up to you to make sure you get what you need to keep learning.

You will rarely get feedback in the early stages of the recruitment process from the employer. Instead, you can contact our Careers team to get an external view on your application. If you have gone to an assessment centre and/or interview, try and get some feedback from the employer earlier rather than later. Sometimes you have to be proactive to get it, so don’t be afraid to ask. To make sure it’s constructive, consider the following:

– What: What am I looking for? What do I want to know? Is it general feedback or feedback on a particular task? Ask specific questions (is it what you said or how you delivered it?) and ask for tips as to what you can do next time.

– When: Ask for feedback sooner rather than later.

– How: Ask for examples and clarification, help the employer be as specific as possible.

3. Reflect and set yourself some new goals

An interesting exercise to use when processing feedback is the Johari window which aims to help people better understand themselves as well as others. It’s particularly useful when you try and build up your confidence after having gone through a rejection or a challenge. It provides greater self-awareness in relation to how we communicate with others. Ask yourself: did I really communicate my potential in the right way? What needs to change and what do I need to do differently? Have you ever received feedback that transformed the way you saw yourself? Use it to build up your confidence again, you can do this!

Take some time again to reflect on the feedback you will have received. Consider:

– What do you want to focus on and why?

– When do you want to achieve this by?

– How will you know you have achieved it and how motivated do you feel?

4. Refine your search

Sometimes after receiving a rejection, we realise that we may not have given our all. Maybe because we feel that the role wasn’t the right fit for us. Go back to the job description and ask yourself whether you visualise yourself in the role? If you don’t, it’s likely that the employer saw this too.

Remember that applying for jobs is a challenging and time-consuming process so whatever you apply for, you want to make sure it’s the right fit for you. It’s all about quality above quantity.

What is it that you are really looking for? What do you enjoy doing? What makes you tick? Or perhaps you are looking in the wrong places? Contact us if you are struggling to do this.

5. Use setbacks to build your resilience and look after your wellbeing

– What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Reflect on other challenges you went through. What strategies did you use to recover? How can you use your experience to develop your resilience?

– Take a look at our blog article on preparing yourself for the highs and and lows.

– Look after your wellbeing by engaging with the Career Wellbeing Nottingham Open Online Course

Do you need further help? Book a one-to-one appointment with us on MyCareer

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