And Ride Again!

My mom used to say, ‘if you fall off the horse, brush yourself off, get back on and ride again!”

Well, my horseback riding days are long gone and sadly so is my mom, but I hear her words in my ears every time I have to tell someone that they are not the successful candidate in a search.  It’s not a pleasant thing to tell someone, especially knowing that the candidate is talented and committed to the mission and has a strong history of success in their career. Nonetheless, in every search, one candidate is chosen, and the others are not.  

Dealing with rejection is part of the life of a nonprofit executive.  Even the very best executives who work on major gifts strategies for their solicitations for months, sometimes come back with a “no”.  It isn’t easy, but it happens. And as a professional, we use those rejections to learn. We graciously move on to a next well-cultivated solicitation, be it grant proposal, individual, or corporation.  It is rejection of a sort, but it isn’t personal. It‘s business.

But not being chosen for a job feels very personal.  I’m here to tell you that it almost never is. In the past thirty years the business of being a nonprofit executive has come a long way.  It is now a profession for which you can study, earn a degree or certificate and even gain recognition from your peers. The talent pool is strong - competition is stiff, and more times than not, it is simply a matter of one extra piece of experience the successful candidate has, that made the difference between their getting the job versus you. 

 So, do yourself a favor, and try not to beat yourself up.  Learn from the experience – the interview, the meeting, the people, the organization, and the process, just as you would from a “no” at a donor meeting.  And remember to say thank you to those with whom you met – just like a donor meeting, an interview, even one that doesn’t end with a new job, is a contact, a relationship, a connection.  Believe me, we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but hopefully, you can learn from the experience, make some new contacts, brush yourself off and get back on the horse.