The Beeline Broadcast, #2

The Bitter Taste of Rejection

Several weeks ago I applied and interviewed for an admissions position at a local community college. On Tuesday I received my rejection email from the HR department. It went a little something like this:

Rejection emails are the worst. I fondly remember receiving my rejection email from UConn's HESA program back in the day. I spent the following afternoon weeping over my failure and inevitable homelessness. (In my defense, it was a very abrupt email.)

I'll admit that I was pretty disappointed about not getting the job. I was hoping to have an easy time of it. I wanted a life that involved a guaranteed job with minimal effort! I wanted to breeze through my last semester of graduate school with a job securely in place.

Yeah, so that bubble has burst.

I am relieved that the waiting is over. This job application was pretty awkward for me, since I applied for a position that was within the department I'm currently interning for. I've walked on eggshells these past weeks, feeling uncertain whether or not my stay would be permanent. I felt it would be inappropriate to talk to anyone in the office about the interview. The Dean of Admissions, whom I would have loved to discuss this experience with, was on the search committee and therefore couldn't really chat about it. My rejection now means that I can talk to her again! Talk about a silver lining.

Needless to say, I'm not taking this rejection too personally. I think my optimism stems from recognizing that it’s very early in the job search. I haven't even started my last semester of grad school yet! Also, this was my first rejection. Maybe once I have a string of rejection emails I'll complain a little more about my dreaded future as a paralegal. Until then, I’ve found two positions to apply for over the weekend. Time to move on.