Handling a Loss

Hall of Fame coach Rick Patino and his very good Louisville squad ended another chapter of UNI basketball yesterday. It’s always disappointing to lose, but looking back there’s a lot of positives to the past season and some great things to look forward to in coming seasons.

·         They won 30 games (THIRTY!) gaining them the highest NCAA tournament seed in school history.

·         They split the season with arch-rival (and new KU nemesis) Wichita State and finished just one game behind the Shockers in the regular season.

·         They won the Valley tournament on a 20+ point come from behind victory over a very tough Illinois State team.

·         They won another NCAA tournament game – convincingly.

·         Senior Seth Tuttle earned a spot on the All American team, the first Panther in history to be selected.

·         Matt Bohanan, Jeremy Morgan, and Wes Washpun will anchor a new starting five that will include several strong forwards to replace Seniors Tuttle & Buss.

·         There’s six years left on Coach Jake’s contract.

You just walked out of your interview and nailed it. The job is right up your alley. You answered all their questions effortlessly and had some great questions of your own. They were exhibiting all the “buying signs.” The job is yours – all you’re doing is waiting for the call. Two days later you find out you’re the bridesmaid.

It’s always disappointing to lose, but rather than focus on the loss focus on the positives.

·         You beat out a lot of qualified candidates to get to the final stage – obviously you know how to stand out in the marketplace and demonstrate value to an employer.

·         You have a new contact that knows you well inside a company that will have other jobs. Take advantage of that situation.

·         You have more experience to draw from in your next interview.

·         You have 3 other appointments and a list of 8 people to call this week.

·         There are 4 networking events before the end of the month that sound interesting.

·         There is another interview with feedback still pending.

If those last 3 bullets ring a little hollow be a little more engaged with the community. Look to your right and find a networking event, a workshop, and a job club to visit this week. Join one of the webinars listed.

Unlike the NCAA Tournament, your job search is not a “one and done” situation. Look toward the future and build on the success of getting the interview, regardless of the outcome.