“Wow! I nailed that interview. They loved me. I’m totally getting that internship.”
These are my thoughts as I travel down the 14-foot corporate building in an elevator. Why is it that I feel so optimistic about something and then get rejected? The self-pity and embarrassment that comes with a rejection is almost enough to kill my motivation. This year, I have been rejected from more internships than I can count. I have quickly learned to stop blaming myself for these rejections, and this is how.
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It is not your fault. As hard as it is, you must admit to yourself that this dream internship was not meant for you. That’s okay! There is a time for everything, and fate will work its way until you are in the right place. Just because you did not get this internship does not mean you will not get the next one. Don’t let this hold you back from applying to more.
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Don’t view a rejection as a failure. Just because you did not receive the position does not mean you have failed. True failure is when you lose something that is of vital importance to you. However, you had never gained anything from that internship in the first place. It is not a loss. The only thing you lost was a bit of your time, which you put into the interview process. What you gained was so worthwhile: interview experience and a larger network.
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Don’t compare yourself to others. There will be times when you do not get a position but somebody you know does. Your first instinct will be to resent them a little. But remind yourself of what we learned in principle one. It was not meant to be for you. There are other options for you. It takes more energy to hate on a person than it does to love on a person. Be happy for others; at the end of the day we are all human and an internship is just an internship.
I am not writing this article because I think I have mastered the game of rejection. I am writing it because it is still a constant struggle for me. As a business major, I am constantly competing against other bright individuals for the newest internships. Life is competitive, and you can choose to be hard on yourself for things you have no control over, or give yourself a break!