This New York Times simulation got me thinking. The Summer Olympics come just once every four years. Because of that, there's a lot of pressure on the athletes to hold nothing back as they attempt to win a gold medal in their event. The difference between glory and despair is often measured in thousandths of a second or mere millimeters in length.
Failing to earn a medal does not, however, mean that an athlete should feel bad about their abilities. Just by making it to the Olympics, they have proven themselves to be among the elite at their craft. The harder pill to swallow is that they have to wait another four years in order to get a second shot at achieving their ultimate goal.
Now let's take a look at the job seeker who makes it all the way to the interview round of the process only to hear the news that the company has decided to go in another direction. It can be disheartening to get so close to earning a job that you really want and yet fall short at the end, but much like the Olympic athlete, it doesn't mean you are a failure.
It is quite the achievement to make it through the resume evaluation phase of the job search process, a phone interview and any number of in-person interviews. With only one open position to be handed out, many perfectly qualified candidates are going to end up disappointed in the end. There is only one gold medal.
But here's the good news. If you end up getting passed over for a job in 2016, you don't have to wait until 2020 in order to try again. You can get right back on that horse and send out your resume once again. And this time, you can do so with the confidence that if the last company was willing to interview you based on your resume, the next company will also be able to see your talent.
Remember, even the person who finishes last in a race at the Olympics is a better athlete than over 95 percent of the world's population. To call them a loser would be ridiculous. While it certainly doesn't feel good to have a job you wanted go to somebody else, that doesn't make you a loser either. Keep your chin up and continue to pursue your goal.
Eventually, you'll be the one standing on the podium with that gold medal around your neck. Have a little faith in yourself!
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