The latest articles on DEV Community by Nadukuru Sai Rekha (@sairekhanadukuru). https://dev.to/sairekhanadukuru https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3993518%2F844ff244-ec5f-4f9b-834b-c4251ca8d89c.png https://dev.to/sairekhanadukuru en Nadukuru Sai Rekha Sat, 20 Jun 2026 05:52:18 +0000 https://dev.to/sairekhanadukuru/handle-your-rejection-199i https://dev.to/sairekhanadukuru/handle-your-rejection-199i <p>Nobody really prepares you for your first rejection.</p> <p>We all talk about staying optimistic and visualizing success, which is important but in reality, things don’t always go as planned. And that’s exactly where your mindset gets tested.</p> <p>On 17th March 2026, I faced my first job rejection. After clearing almost 5 rounds and making it to the top 15 out of thousands, I genuinely thought I had it.</p> <p>All the interviews went really well. I answered everything, I was confident, and I truly felt like I had cracked it. But things still went wrong. I didn’t know what went wrong or how everything changed so quickly.</p> <p>It wasn’t easy to process. But it made me realize something important, we spend a lot of time preparing for success, but almost none preparing for failure. And in tech (or any field), rejection is part of the process.</p> <p>For a moment, it feels confusing, you replay every question, every answer, trying to figure out what you could have done differently. But sometimes, there isn’t a clear answer.</p> <p>What matters is how you respond. Analyze your performance, identify gaps, improve your skills, and keep moving forward.<br> Sometimes, things not working out is just redirection to something better.</p> <p>At the end of the day, one rejection doesn’t define your capability it just becomes part of the process that shapes it.</p> career interview rejection interviewexperience