Fail Forward Friday: Why Four Rejections Didn't Stop Me
Ready to dive into the wild world of “Fail Forward Friday”? This week, I’m spilling the beans on my epic journey through job rejection land—where I got turned down not once, not twice, but a whopping four times for the same job! You’d think after acing all the tests, I’d be the golden child, but nope! Turns out, sometimes the universe has a funny way of preparing us for the big moments, and I finally cracked the code on the fifth try. Join me as I dish out some juicy lessons on resilience, turning rejection into motivation, and how clarity can catapult you towards your goals faster than you can say “job interview”! So grab your cuppa, and let’s get this party started!
The Details:
What happens when you know exactly what you're meant to do, but the world seems determined to tell you otherwise?
In this powerful Fail Forward Friday episode, Heather shares her raw journey through four job rejections in 1980's Britain—a time when unemployment was so high that career training included lessons on applying for social security.
With burning determination to become a computer programmer despite lacking university qualifications, she applied for the same IT role four times, getting rejected each time despite having the highest test scores.
This isn't just a story about persistence—it's about the difference between knowing your path and hoping for it, and how sometimes what looks like failure is just the universe preparing you for perfect timing.
What's Inside:
- Heather's emotional journey from an 18-year-old temp clerk to trainee programmer in 1980's northeast England
- The brutal reality of economic hardship and limited opportunities that shaped her generation
- A detailed breakdown of each rejection: from initial disappointment to colleagues' sarcasm to genuine anger
- The shocking revelation that she'd scored highest on every test but was somehow "overlooked" for four attempts
- How she used each setback as information: getting coding certificates, sharpening logic skills, building resilience
- Three transformational lessons about clarity, using rejection as education, and trusting perfect timing
- The moment everything changed when a new HR team asked the right question
The Uncomfortable Truth:
Sometimes the system is broken, but your vision isn't. When you absolutely know what you're meant to do, rejection becomes information rather than identity—data about what needs to change, not proof that you're not enough.
Key Takeaways:
- Absolute clarity about your path creates unstoppable momentum—when you know (not hope) you're meant for something, setbacks become stepping stones
- Use rejection as information, not identity—each "no" can educate you about what to improve or what's wrong with the system
- Perfect timing includes the preparation period—those delays aren't punishment, they're the universe building exactly the qualities you'll need for success
- If you're excelling but not getting opportunities, that's information about their system, not your potential
Chapters:
- 00:08 - Facing Rejection: A Personal Story
- 02:02 - Overcoming Rejection on the Path to IT
- 03:52 - The Turning Point: Discovering My True Potential
- 04:46 - Lessons from Rejection
- 06:25 - Taking Action Towards Your Calling
This Week's Persistence Practice:
Identify something you absolutely know you're meant to do—that calling that won't leave you alone despite obstacles. Take one specific action this week: send one application, make one phone call, research one company, or enroll in one course. Remember: your breakthrough might be just one application away.
Perfect For:
- Anyone facing repeated rejection while pursuing their calling
- Career changers who feel like they're "punching above their weight"
- People dealing with systemic barriers or broken hiring processes
- Those who need permission to trust their inner knowing despite external validation
- Anyone questioning whether persistence really pays off
Connect & Share:
- Share your own "five rejections" story or current persistence journey with us @ChoosingHappyPodcast or heather@heathervmasters.com
- Tag someone who's facing repeated setbacks but shouldn't give up on their calling
- Leave a review sharing how this episode inspired your next step forward
- Visit www.choosinghappypodcast.com for more stories of failing forward to success
- Subscribe for weekly episodes that prove setbacks are setups for comebacks
Remember: Sometimes what looks like a closed door is just the universe making sure you're ready for what's on the other side. The timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't feel like it.
How You Can Support This Independent Podcast:
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Check out the Pattern Breaker Coaching Program: www.choosinghappy.co.uk/pattern-breaker
Want to dive deeper? Drop me an email: heather@heathervmasters.com
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Transcript
Right.
Speaker A:Hello and welcome to the Choosing Happy Podcast.
Speaker A:I'm Heather Masters and it's Fail Forward Friday.
Speaker A:I need to tell you about the time I was rejected four times for the same job.
Speaker A:Each time I had the highest score on every test they gave me.
Speaker A:And each time they told me there were better applicants.
Speaker A:The kicker.
Speaker A:I only found that out when I finally got hired on the fifth attempt.
Speaker A:Sometimes what looks like failure is just the universe getting you ready for the moment when everything changes.
Speaker A:So stay tuned for today's Choosing Happy podcast.
Speaker A:Picture the mid-80s Northeast England unemployment was at an all time high.
Speaker A:It was so brutal that our careers training literally included lessons on how to fill out the Social Security applications, or the UB40 as it was known at the time.
Speaker A:That tells you everything about the job market expectations.
Speaker A:Now, I got offered a job and moved to Leeds at 18 because the salary was so good and I couldn't get a job locally.
Speaker A:But my passion, my absolute burning desire, was to become a computer programmer.
Speaker A:The problem was I didn't have the qualifications for university.
Speaker A:I didn't get high enough scores on my A levels, so I had to get creative.
Speaker A:Now I realized I could get into IT by working for the head office of a financial organization.
Speaker A:So I started as a temp admin clerk.
Speaker A:But I kept my eyes firmly on the goal, on the prize.
Speaker A:So every time an IT role came up, I applied.
Speaker A:The first rejection.
Speaker A:Honestly, it wasn't a massive shock.
Speaker A:I didn't have the qualifications and I stepped back and I thought, right, what can I do to improve my chances?
Speaker A:So I decided to get a Practical City and Guilds coding certificate.
Speaker A:Fair enough, I thought, I'll show them that I'm actually serious about this, serious enough to put the effort in.
Speaker A:Now the second rejection, that one really disappointed me because I was genuinely confused.
Speaker A:Why wasn't I getting passed the aptitude test?
Speaker A:Because I wasn't even getting to interview.
Speaker A:But I didn't think my aptitude tests were that bad and the doubts started creeping in.
Speaker A:So I took up logic puzzles as a hobby.
Speaker A:Proper nerdy stuff.
Speaker A:But I was determined to sharpen my thinking and get through these aptitude tests.
Speaker A:The third rejection, I was gutted.
Speaker A:Absolutely gutted.
Speaker A:All this effort, all this studying, and I still wasn't getting anywhere.
Speaker A:I wasn't even getting the interview.
Speaker A:But worse than the rejection itself was my work colleagues were starting to get sarcastic.
Speaker A:You know, the lovely British way of suggesting you're punching above your weight.
Speaker A:There was I temping as an admin clerk and they're making it clear they think I should know my place.
Speaker A:And the fourth rejection.
Speaker A:By now I was really confused and frankly, a bit angry.
Speaker A:I'd completed the coding course.
Speaker A:I knew my logic skills were sharp, but they wouldn't give me the test results.
Speaker A:They wouldn't even let me know what my scores were.
Speaker A:They just kept feeding me the line that there were better applicants.
Speaker A:Yeah, I knew, I absolutely knew that this was what I was meant to do and this was the clearest path to get to a trainee post.
Speaker A:Then came the fifth opportunity.
Speaker A:I wasn't even going to apply, but there was a new HR team.
Speaker A:And that's where it gets interesting, because when I applied, I got the interview and they asked me straight out why I hadn't been chosen before.
Speaker A:Because according to the records, I'd had the highest score on all the tests for the previous four attempts.
Speaker A:That was the part that really stung.
Speaker A:Not the rejections themselves, but finding out I'd been the best candidate every single time and somehow overlooked.
Speaker A:Didn't even get an interview.
Speaker A:I filed that little gem in what I call the be aware of the BS section of my brain.
Speaker A:But I was in.
Speaker A:Finally.
Speaker A:Finally I was accepted.
Speaker A:And as a trainee programmer and honestly, my life changed completely from that moment on.
Speaker A:So what are the lessons?
Speaker A:Absolute clarity creates unstoppable momentum.
Speaker A:That's my lesson number one.
Speaker A:I knew, not hoped, not thought, but knew that I was meant to be a programmer.
Speaker A:That rock solid certainty carried me through four rejections because it was never a question of if, only when.
Speaker A:When you know your path that deeply, setbacks become stepping stones.
Speaker A:And lesson two, use rejection as information, not identity.
Speaker A:So each rejection told me something useful.
Speaker A:Get certified, improve logic skills, be patient with broken systems.
Speaker A:I didn't let no define me.
Speaker A:I let it educate me.
Speaker A:Rejection wasn't about my worth.
Speaker A:It was about what I needed to learn or what needed to change in the system.
Speaker A:Perfect timing includes the preparation period.
Speaker A:Those four rejections weren't delays, they were preparation.
Speaker A:I needed that coding certificate, those logic skills, and honestly, I needed to develop the resilience that would serve me throughout my IT career.
Speaker A:Because it was a tough world, especially as a woman in it in the 80s.
Speaker A:The universe was getting me ready for success by building exactly the qualities I needed.
Speaker A:So this week's takeaway.
Speaker A:Think about something you absolutely know you're meant to do.
Speaker A:That calling that won't leave you alone, despite the obstacles.
Speaker A:And this week, take one specific action towards it.
Speaker A:Send one application, make one phone call, research one company, or take one course.
Speaker A:And remember, if you're getting feedback, but no opportunities.
Speaker A:That's information about their system, not about your potential.
Speaker A:I would love to hear your stories of persistence paying off.
Speaker A:Or maybe you're in the middle of your own four rejections journey right now.
Speaker A:Share them with us at Choosing Happypodcast or email me@heathervmasters.com Sometimes we need to remind each other that the fifth time isn't just lucky, it's when you were always meant to succeed.
Speaker A:And remember, sometimes what looks like a closed door is just the universe making sure you're ready for what's on the other side.
Speaker A:The timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't feel like it.
Speaker A:Keep going.
Speaker A:Your breakthrough might be only one application away.
Speaker A:Speak soon thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode.
Speaker A:If you enjoyed it or think it would be valuable to others, please do share.
Speaker A:And if you really enjoyed it, please leave me a review.
Speaker A:It really helps the podcast.
Speaker A:All of the links are in the show notes and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Choosing Happy Podcast.
