Gerard McNeill, operations engineer, Logica
Rejection experience: After completing my masters in computing and information systems five years ago, I applied for quite a few jobs in IT, one of which was with IBM. I got to second interview stage and, unfortunately, had one of those off days. Some of my answers were off the point, I could have elaborated more, and I wasn't mentally prepared. It was no real surprise to me when I found out that I wasn't to progress to the next stage.

The lessons I learned: As I'd been expecting it, the rejection didn't really affect me that much. What it did do, though, was make me realise that preparation is key. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail as they say. So when I went for the interview with my current employer, I made sure that I had done my homework and that I was in the right frame of mind. Needless to say, it went much better and I got the job. Everyone has their bad days and setbacks - the key is to grow a thick skin, learn from them and move on.

Olof Holmquist, Java developer, Royal Bank of Scotland
Rejection experience: Prior to finding my present job, I had applied for a post with Goldman Sachs, and had four separate interviews - two technical and two with HR - and thought I had performed well. When I found out I hadn't got the job, I was really disappointed - not just because I had spent roughly two days in interviews, but because it was a great job and an amazing chance to work with a leading company.

Lessons learned: I suppose I became swept up in it all. You can start to convince yourself that you are working there already, but the reality is that it doesn't matter how many interviews you go for, you don't have the job until it is offered. I also got good feedback, and so I read up on the areas in which I was lacking, made a note of the questions I had been asked, and I improved after that. The more rejections you get, the easier it is to brush them off and to be more relaxed in interviews. You do have to take rejection the right way though. Tell yourself that you weren't right for this position but, by heeding feedback and getting interview practice, you have a good chance of getting the next one.

Rob Blackmore, assistant bank manager, Natwest
Rejection experience: When I was a small business adviser at Natwest, and was made aware of assistant manager vacancies in two of the bank's busiest branches, I decided to apply and was invited to interview for both. The first one went OK, but I wasn't surprised when I found out I had been unsuccessful. I had been quite nervous and could have performed better. What really rattled was the feedback I received over the phone. While I can appreciate now that it was constructive, it seemed completely negative at the time, and I came off the phone feeling deflated and slightly angry.

At the interview for the second assistant manager job, I felt much more relaxed. Since I had just experienced rejection, it didn't hold the same fear for me, and the stinging feedback had actually equipped me well. Although I didn't get the job (someone who had worked in the branch for years did), the interviewer told me that I had really given him something to think about, and his feedback was extremely positive.

Lessons learned: If I hadn't have gone for the second interview, I think that I could have felt really dejected and bitter about the whole affair, and that my performance and motivation at work could have suffered, because I took the initial feedback too negatively. As it turns out, the experience helped me to land my current role, and has stood me in good stead for any future interviews.

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