Didn’t get the job? Coping with disappointment.
Disappointment is never a pleasant feeling – but all of us are bound to experience it at some point in our lives.
Whether you’ve not been successful on this attempt with your Firefighter application, or have missed out on a much sought-after promotion, it’s all too easy to let the feeling of disappointment overcome you.
But what if there was a way to see the positive in a negative situation?
In fact there is – coping with disappointment and learning how to flip the negative into the positive (and how to use your experience as rocket fuel for your next attempt!) is a valuable life skill you CAN learn.
What went wrong? Coping with disappointment.
Think about what went wrong, but don’t dwell on it. Sometimes it helps to write it down – getting things out of your head and on to paper can be surprisingly therapeutic!
Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback if you haven’t been successful after interview – this can be really helpful. A polite email or phone call is the best way. Often you’ll find that the majority of the feedback is positive and that the recruitment panel was impressed with your performance.
Not getting the job (or not making the interview after the assessment process and testing) doesn’t automatically mean you’re a failure – it just means that on this occasion there was someone slightly more suited to the job.
What can you learn from the experience?
Use your thoughts and any feedback to make a plan of action and prepare for your next attempt, and learn from the experiences you’ve had in the application and assessment process so far.
If you didn’t make it through the psychometric ability tests plan to find out more about them and see what resources are available to help you study for your next attempt.
The same goes for the assessment day – do some research and think about what you could do differently or improve on in assessment exercises such as group tasks next time. Again you can ask for feedback on your performance here for advice and constructive criticism.
Perhaps you didn’t make it through the physical tests this time – at least you know what to expect now though! Make a workout plan to improve your fitness so you’ll breeze through them second time around.
It can be devastating to make it all the way through to the final interview stage and then find out you haven’t been selected. However remember how exceptionally well you’ve done to get that far in the process – hundreds of applicants don’t!
Prepare for your next interview by practicing your answers, and thinking about the different types of interview questions you could be asked. Forearmed is forewarned, and you can’t be too prepared!
It’s not what happens to you that matters, but how you respond to the disappointments that life throws your way.
When you consider the sheer volume of applications for entry firefighter positions even getting through to the assessment stages is a massive achievement! It’s difficult, but try not to take it personally if you’re not selected on this attempt.
Similarly promotion within the fire service can also be competitive, and it can be frustrating when someone else is selected over you. Again if your promotion application doesn’t go as you’d hoped try to get some feedback. You can then use this to see what you could do differently next time round.
Coping with disappointment isn’t easy, but it is possible. Don’t let it affect your confidence!
You can also contact our friendly team, who will be happy to advise you on any resources or products that might be helpful!
