Don't be demoralized when an employer turns you down. The reasons behind a rejection¹ usually have more to do with the company than with you

当一位雇主拒绝你的时候，不要因此而消沉。拒绝背后的原因通常更多在于公司而不是你。

By Jeff Schmitt

So when your fruitless search fills you with angst and self-doubt, always remember the following truths about job hunting: 所以当你毫无结果的搜索让你充满焦虑和怀疑自己，一定得记住下面有关求职的事实:

• Job Hunting is Unfair 找工作是不公平的

The best person isn't always picked—and the playing field is rarely even. The cliché, "it's not what you know, but who you know" is extremely relevant. 公司选择的并不总是最优秀的人——而且，求职之路也极少平坦。那句“你知道什么不要紧，你认识谁才要紧”用在这里再合适不过。

There are so many ways to get passed over—and many reasons for it. A company may already have a candidate in mind, such as a proven internal applicant² who represents little risk. They may hire someone who struck a chord, whose pop and polish masked his deficits³. It could come down to a gut⁴ feeling. There could be political, considerations too. 被忽略掉的情况简直太多了——而且背后有许多原因。公司心中也许已有人选，比如一位已经确定、不存在多少风险的内部申请者。他们雇佣的也许是一位意气相投，极好地掩饰了自己缺陷的人。可能最终还是凭感觉，还可能存在政治、报偿考虑。

Bottom line: Companies want to deal with people they know. They want to hire people they like and implicitly⁵ trust. Like all of us, their judgment⁶ is sometimes faulty. Don't view it as an indictment⁷ of you as a person. 结论：公司希望与自己了解的人相处。他们希望聘用自己喜欢、并且信任的人。和我们每个人一样，他们的评判有时是错误的。不要把它看成是对你本人的评判。

• Decision-Makers Aren't Always on Target 决策人眼光不准

Many times, screeners are far removed from the front lines. Don't assume they are aware of industry developments. Don't assume they study what works outside their company. Most important, don't assume they are well-versed in a position's daily responsibilities and requirements. 许多时候，筛选人与一线人员相差很大。不要认为他们了解行业的发展。不要认为他们研究过企业外部的情况。最重要的一点是，不要认为他们精通某个职位的日常责任和要求。

Even more, employers don't always apply the right formula in hiring decisions. They may apply a successful organization's methodology without taking underlying⁸ variables like stage of growth into account. They may mine the company history for specific traits and success stories, without examining how positions evolve. Worst of all, they may evaluate candidates based on the values they preach, not the ones they actually practice (or vice⁹ versa). 更有甚者，雇主在做出招聘决定的时候不会使用正确的程序。他们可能会使用一个成功组织的方法，而不将潜在的变化——比如成长阶段——考虑在内。他们也许根据公司历史情况寻找特定品质或成功故事，而没有审视职位演变的情况。最糟糕的是，他们也许根据自己鼓吹的而不是实际身体力行的（反之亦然）价值观来评估候选人。

Sometimes, hiring efforts get off track. Often, it is the candidates themselves who expose flawed suppositions during the interview process. In the end, all you can do is research, network, and be yourself. The rest takes care of itself. 有时候，招聘过程会“脱轨”。经常是候选人本人在面试过程中揭露出了那些缺陷假设。最终，你能做的一切就是去调查、建立人际网络、做你自己。让其它事情顺其自然吧。