First of all, let me just say it, rejection absolutely sucks. It can make you feel deemed as not good enough. Whether it’s your dream company or just the one that your family friend told you about, not being wanted by a company can send a college student’s stress over the edge.
I’ve felt myself looking towards summers now almost unhopeful. During the school year, I spend my time solely focused on my work in classes and extracurricular activities. All of a sudden in the summer, the prospect of applying, interviewing, and being rejected from countless internships before finding one, sounds daunting.
Just applying is brutal enough: the effort put into updating LinkedIn and scrolling through Handshake, only to then be thrown into the applicant pool with thousands of other college students your age. I find myself wondering, what sets me apart from all the others? Hint, there’s a lot thats unique about each applicant! It’s just about having the right qualities that a company is looking for.
If you get the interview (take a moment and celebrate), this is your moment to show the interviewer who you are and more importantly what you can bring to the table. But it’s also a chance for you to feel more represented than just a piece of paper with your accomplishments. It’s putting a face to those accomplishments and giving the interviewer someone to judge. At this point it can be hard to deal with the fear of not getting the offer, because it feels so much more belittling.
Now if you don’t get it, know it truly wasn’t personal, no matter how much you think it was. It’s always hard to hear and even harder to accept but it’s true. There is always someone that might have just fit the position a little better than you, but have hope that person one day will be you.
Rejection is just a moment in time. It doesn’t define who you are or your abilities. There will be more opportunities and the right fit is just around the corner. So keep searching, applying, and networking. Sooner or later you will get that acceptance offer in your inbox!