Rejection – also known as something that supposedly gets easier the more you deal with it. Yet in my experience, the more I deal with it, the more I realize just how wrong that is.
This past year, I dealt with a lot of rejections, primarily in the form of summer internships. I distinctly remember arriving at college and learning about the illustrious summer internship – the one that essentially determined your future.
I had this image in my mind that even though I had already accomplished, and was continuing to accomplish, so much, this internship would be the ‘make or break’ moment for my entire career.
And thank goodness I was so wrong.
If anything, dealing with rejection over and over again in a few notable ways was the best rejection therapy I ever experienced. I not only forced myself to get out of my comfort zone and chase every opportunity I encountered, but I also forced myself to keep going until I finally got that offer of a lifetime. After all, they do say that all you need is one yes (and they couldn’t be more right).
As an anecdote of inspiration, I will share my story dealing with rejection, and how, despite my love/hate relationship with the process, it scored me my dream job.
To start this story, I need to make two facts extremely clear. Firstly, I knew from early on in high school that I wanted to work in the themed entertainment industry (Disney World, Universal, etc.). Secondly, I knew that I would stop at nothing to get there. And so my story begins.
Like previously mentioned, I felt like I was on a wild goose chase with the search for the perfect summer internship last year. I applied to so many different places – Apple, Paramount, Warner Bros, Disney and so on. Many companies rejected my application with an automated email, others completely ghosted me, while a few offered me the opportunity to interview.
Of those interviews, the most notable were with Paramount and Edelman. Both of them really showed to me that I had completely grown as not just a person, but also a professional. I was able to articulate my experience in a knowledgeable and passionate manner, and really connect with my interviewers – simply from practice and by being myself.
Of course, neither of those companies decided to offer me a summer internship. I was ghosted by my interviewer at Paramount, and Edelman sent me an automated rejection email with the most AI-generated feedback I have ever received.
After becoming so attached to those companies and processes, I was absolutely devastated by all of the rejections in the past nine months, and these seemed to hurt even more than all the rest. It almost felt like breaking up with your significant other – you invest so much into a relationship just for them to dump you out of nowhere.
At that point, I was ready to give up completely. I felt that I was never going to be good enough, and therefore never going to receive an offer – just completely hopeless.
Until one day, when I was on LinkedIn, and saw an advertisement for spring internships at Universal Orlando. At that point, I had set up my class schedule for senior year so that I didn’t need to be on campus that upcoming spring (as I had already taken all of my important major classes), so I decided to apply.
I honestly thought, why not? I felt I was never going to get an offer, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t submit an application.
The applications were open for two weeks, which of course was right after I had gotten my wisdom teeth removed and was bedridden, in pain and recovering for almost two weeks. I remember forcing myself to stay up, icepacks pressed on my cheeks, just so that I could submit these applications.
Throughout the summer, I started to feel that I had no shot, and should just apply to Disney internships when they opened in the fall. I had applied to five positions at Universal, and only received interviews for two.
The initial interviews were fantastic; however, I was told I would hear back to schedule my second one, but that never happened. I interviewed for one position in late June, and did not interview for the other until August.
The timing was unbelievably eerie – as I was driving back to Penn State to start my fall semester, I received a call from an Orlando number. I, of course, picked it up, and was informed that I did not receive an offer for the first position (which I had imagined, since I had not heard back from them in a month despite following up).
I was then informed that I was still in the running for the second position. Funnily enough, I had my initial interview for that position a week before, and was told they would follow up with me to schedule the second interview (which never happened). When I mentioned that on the phone, the recruiter immediately sent me an email to schedule my second round interview for that second position.
What I did not know at the time was that I would 1) have the last interview of all the candidates, and 2) have an interviewer who did exactly what I was trying to do, which was to move from Pennsylvania to Orlando in the spring semester of senior year to pursue a career in this industry.
The interview went fantastically, of course, and I got the offer a week later. Interestingly enough, I completely doubted that I would get the offer. I knew that I was a great candidate and had a fantastic interview, but I also had no idea what the other candidates looked like or what my interviewers were thinking.
Safe to say that I was beyond shocked when I received the call. I was actually at my job on campus when I got it, and I started sobbing after I hung up the phone. My manager was so concerned by my reaction that he immediately handed me a box of tissues.
If you want a short summary of my story, here it is: thanks to not giving up, being myself and a sprinkle of luck, I am moving to Orlando next semester to intern at Universal Creative and hopefully build my career in my dream industry.
Like someone smart once said: luck is just the perfect mix of hard work and opportunity. So if you are to take anything from my story – please, do not give up. The best things arrive in your life when you least expect them to.
And finally, don’t forget to create your own luck – if I can do it, you can too.