School Leaver Blog: How to deal with rejection

Welcome to this week’s AllAboutSchoolLeavers’ blog! This week, we’re talking about rejection, media apprenticeships and Hannah Daly’s experiences as an editorial apprentice at The Daily Telegraph.

Career insight of the week: dealing with rejection

Applying for jobs, apprenticeships or universities? Unless you’re extremely lucky, odds are sooner or later you’ll have to deal with rejection. Unfortunately, it’s a rather difficult part of the process—but it’s important to know how to move on and make the most of it.

Pretty much everyone receives a rejection letter eventually, no matter how qualified they are. Sometimes you’ll have the right skills and a flawless CV, but you might not give the best interview or just not be the best fit for your employer’s culture. Other times, you might have applied for a job that you don’t have the qualifications for yet, and it’s simply a matter of finding a job that matches your level of experience.

Try to get over the rejection as quickly as possible, and once you do, use it as a springboard for future applications. Get feedback on your application from the company or university, or get someone more experienced to read over your CV and cover letter or personal statement. Use your rejection as a learning experience and find ways to improve your future applications—don’t be discouraged!

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” —George Bernard Shaw

Weird and wonderful apprenticeships: junior journalist

Not as weird as they are wonderful, journalism apprenticeships can be an excellent way to step foot in a field that can be notoriously difficult to get into. The 18-month junior journalist advanced apprenticeship provides you with all of the skills and experience you’ll need to enter the world of journalism. 

Teaching everything from knowing how to research a good story to the ethical issues of the field, this apprenticeship covers all of the basics of the profession and will also equip you with the highly valued NCTJ Level 3 Diploma in Journalism. Journalism apprenticeships can be a great option, but don’t take it from us—read about Hannah Daly’s experience below!

Spotlight on: Hannah Daly, apprentice journalist at The Daily Telegraph

Choosing an apprenticeship over university, Hannah Daly will soon be completing her two-year journalism apprenticeship at The Daily Telegraph. As an editorial apprentice, Daly has worked primarily in digital publishing and search engine optimisation (SEO) and is hoping to secure a job in the field as soon as she finishes her apprenticeship. 

Although some people still assume she chose an apprenticeship because she was unable to secure a place at university, Daly left sixth form with an A* and two A’s, and frequently discusses her real reasons for bypassing university. Daly chose an apprenticeship not only because she could earn money while learning and avoid student debt, but also because she preferred a hands-on learning environment: “I wanted to challenge myself like I had never done before at school, gain practical skills and learn more about a specific industry.”

Now almost at the end of her programme, Daly believes “more young people should be considering apprenticeships and the benefits that they can bring”. Looking back, she said: “I just wish my 18-year-old self could have seen what I would go on to achieve in such a short period of time.”

Recommended reading

1. A new UN report paints a rather bleak picture of global temperature rises, which may pass “the 1.5°C point of no return”.
2. A recent study looking at attitudes towards different accents suggests that British employers still judge candidates based on them.
3. With the general elections inching closer and closer, Noah Keate analyses how political discourse became so toxic.
4. If you’re a university student or in the process of applying, you might have heard about the university strikes this week. Here’s why they’re happening and all you need to know about them.
5. Finally, Jack Edwards, an English student at Durham, discusses how to find your dream university in this Youtube video.

News

• One in Three Drop Out from A-Levels
• Exam Officers Warn GCSE and A-level Results May be Lower This Year
• A school leaver started an apprenticeship…& then his dad started the same one
• The five people you’ll find in every office, guaranteed
• School could be damaging your eyesight
• Creative GCSEs are on the decrease
• Theresa May expands Department for Education to include apprenticeships
• School leaver blog: work shadowing, breweries and more
• New Apprenticeship Launched as Pub and Bar Sector Seeks New Talent
• Students were so mad at their Maths Exam they got it trending on Twitter