Taking Rejection in a New Direction

HOW ONE RECENT GRAD SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE JOB SEARCH PROCESS AND LANDED THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY!

After years of studying and information cramming, many new grads excitedly dive into the workforce eager to start their first career! However, instead of hitting the ground running, it’s common for new grads to hit a few roadblocks and hurdles in their search for the perfect job opportunity. 

One of the biggest and most common hurdles is rejection. Let’s face it, no one heads off to an interview thinking “I hope I get rejected today!” However, it’s important to know that it’s an inevitable part of the job-hunting process and information gained during the interview process, even when the answer is “no” can be extremely helpful to landing the ultimate “yes!” 

Sierra Garrido, a recent graduate from UC Santa Barbara, experienced the rejection hurdle first-hand. She earned her degree in communication (with an emphasis on business) through UCSB’s Technology Management Program. She originally planned to pursue a marketing career, but her job hunt after college didn’t go as planned. 

“I applied to hundreds of different marketing agencies in entry-level positions and found the most popular response to be no response at all,” shares Sierra. Rejection came in many forms, and no response was just as frustrating as the standard “no.” Sierra found that many positions required 3-5 years of full-time work experience and companies did not always consider the multitude of part-time experiences she gained in college. 

When she finally did get her foot in the door for interviews, she was elated. She thought things were finally going to go her way but instead, more rejection loomed. In one instance, Sierra saw a post on Facebook from an alumni of her sorority regarding an opportunity in merchandising at Williams Sonoma. “This was a company I was familiar with and interested in, so the alumni put me in touch with a recruiter,” says Sierra. This was the first position Sierra looked at beyond her pursuits in marketing but since she hadn’t landed an opportunity in marketing yet when she was invited for an interview, she took the opportunity as a chance to showcase her creative side and be open to a different field. 

She studied up on the company, donned her best professional wear and eagerly met with members of the interview teams. after interviewing with six different teams and building relationships with people at the company, she was cautiously optimistic about getting an offer. Instead, she got the dreaded call informing her they decided to move forward with different applicants, noting while she was a strong applicant, they were hesitant to hire her because she had expressed that her intended career path was in marketing, not merchandising. 

This rejection left her feeling especially deflated. She had been so close to landing a job she felt passionate about, only to be transported back to square one. However, in moving forward, 

Sierra decided to take the feedback they gave her to heart and open herself up to opportunities beyond marketing. 

With the help of a new recruiter, Sierra eventually landed a position as a merchandise coordinator at Pottery Barn Kids in San Francisco (which is ironically owned by Williams Sonoma!). 

Although this position deviated from her original plan, Sierra has no regrets. “In my job search, I realized there are various realms to marketing and different industries that incorporate marketing in their business,” she says. As a merchandise coordinator, she is able to get experience in corporate retail and maintains a new focus on pursuing content marketing and has found that the business classes she too at UCSB made the transition easier and helped her ease into the corporate environment. 

Sierra now feels confident when considering future opportunities in merchandising...“I get to work with so many different teams right now and I now feel confident I can make a wise decision about which team I would thrive in best when it comes to the next steps in my career.” 

None of Sierra’s success would have been possible without her patience and optimism. The job search is all about timing and sometimes persistence is the only way to land the perfect fit. 

Taking every experience, including rejection, was key and although challenging, to keep moving forward, she kept networking, reaching out to companies and learning from her experiences. As Sierra says, “You never know who someone knows who can potentially connect you to someone hiring and if you take the time to reach out personally, this could often get your name moved up to the top of the list.” 

One of the most comforting things she was told that helped her stay determined was that “almost EVERYONE struggles with the job hunt post-graduation and very rarely do people land their dream job immediately out of college.” She advises anyone starting the job search to take every application, every rejection and every interview as lessons to prepare for the future and opportunities for self-reflection. According to Sierra, “there is an opportunity out there with your name on it if you keep hustling, improving, and putting your name out there!” 

By Off the Curb Featured Writer, Paige Holloway