This post was written by senior Joe Laliberte, a Hatchet columnist.
Earlier this week, I was notified of my first (of what I’m sure will be many) job rejection. I soon went through the typical progression of taking it personally, to feeling anger, which soon succumbed to grief. But I guess I can take solace in the fact that I’m graduating in the worst economy since breadlines.
According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, a fundamental human motivation is the need to belong. Other theorists have found that a majority of human anxieties appear to reflect concerns over rejection, and that a fear of rejection leads to conformity.
A job rejection is similar to being dumped, which appears to trigger intense emotional responses in an area known as the caudate nucleus of the brain. Don’t ask me what that means; I just know how it feels.
Graduating seniors should start getting used to this. The nationwide unemployment rate has reached 7.2 percent, and according to most economists, it could hit 10 percent this year.
In this week of self refection, I’ve learned several things. First, you can’t take a job rejection personally. Much like a relationship, sometimes it’s just not a good match. “They don’t know what they’re missing,” has been a common theme in the comforting words of my friends, echoing the swan song of a tattered relationship.
Second, start applying for new jobs. My roommates and I have all begun applying for jobs we are wholly unqualified for, such as a securities investment manager and a United Nations policy analyst. I’m not sure if this is helping, but oddly it feels better to have your friends experience the perils of rejection right beside you.
Lastly, suck it up. At least we are all young and can ride out this tsunami of an economic meltdown. I would be in serious trouble if I had just lost my job after I purchased a pristine suburban house for my family at a sub-prime rate.
If all else fails and not even $200,000 worth of education can land jobs, move to Costa Rica. I hear they are hiring surf bums.
