Even with the right grades, highly developed skillsets and strong application answers, almost everyone will experience some form of rejection from time to time. However, rejection has been an incredibly important part of my own learning process: learning what not to do can be an essential part of truly understanding what works well. A rejection may just come down to bad luck. 

A graduate recruiter may happen to read yours at the end of a very long day, and failed to pick up on some of the key points. Your application might have popped up right after the greatest application ever written, and simply not read as well in comparison. A firm may be looking for a very specific type of candidate or degree background. Some firms are stricter than others when it comes to your university (or even school) grades. Some will even blanket reject applications if they come across a single typo. You just don’t know. 

I’ve been rejected on dozens (if not hundreds) of occasions over the past decade. I was rejected after my very first phone interview, but the feedback I received helped to transform my approach to boosting my employability (I had only given non-academic examples to back up my skill development, whereas they were looking for a broader mix of experiences). I was rejected by 12 out of 12 investment banks in my first year, but kept with it and finally secured a Spring Week in my second year. I was rejected by law firms for open days, campus ambassador positions, internships and training contracts, but eventually managed to secure a training contract with my first choice firm. I also had barely any luck with consulting firms, but now work as a freelance consultant. 

I couldn’t always clearly identify why I was rejected. It just happens. However, if you are receiving dozens of rejections and having no success, it’s worth having another think about the structure and content of your applications or at least having them proofread by someone else.