Right.

Hello and welcome to the Choosing Happy Podcast.

I'm Heather Masters and it's Fail Forward Friday.

I need to tell you about the time I was rejected four times for the same job.

Each time I had the highest score on every test they gave me.

And each time they told me there were better applicants.

The kicker.

I only found that out when I finally got hired on the fifth attempt.

Sometimes what looks like failure is just the universe getting you ready for the moment when everything changes.

So stay tuned for today's Choosing Happy podcast.

Picture the mid-80s Northeast England unemployment was at an all time high.

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.

That tells you everything about the job market expectations.

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.

But my passion, my absolute burning desire, was to become a computer programmer.

The problem was I didn't have the qualifications for university.

I didn't get high enough scores on my A levels, so I had to get creative.

Now I realized I could get into IT by working for the head office of a financial organization.

So I started as a temp admin clerk.

But I kept my eyes firmly on the goal, on the prize.

So every time an IT role came up, I applied.

The first rejection.

Honestly, it wasn't a massive shock.

I didn't have the qualifications and I stepped back and I thought, right, what can I do to improve my chances?

So I decided to get a Practical City and Guilds coding certificate.

Fair enough, I thought, I'll show them that I'm actually serious about this, serious enough to put the effort in.

Now the second rejection, that one really disappointed me because I was genuinely confused.

Why wasn't I getting passed the aptitude test?

Because I wasn't even getting to interview.

But I didn't think my aptitude tests were that bad and the doubts started creeping in.

So I took up logic puzzles as a hobby.

Proper nerdy stuff.

But I was determined to sharpen my thinking and get through these aptitude tests.

The third rejection, I was gutted.

Absolutely gutted.

All this effort, all this studying, and I still wasn't getting anywhere.

I wasn't even getting the interview.

But worse than the rejection itself was my work colleagues were starting to get sarcastic.

You know, the lovely British way of suggesting you're punching above your weight.

There was I temping as an admin clerk and they're making it clear they think I should know my place.

And the fourth rejection.

By now I was really confused and frankly, a bit angry.

I'd completed the coding course.

I knew my logic skills were sharp, but they wouldn't give me the test results.

They wouldn't even let me know what my scores were.

They just kept feeding me the line that there were better applicants.

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.

Then came the fifth opportunity.

I wasn't even going to apply, but there was a new HR team.

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.

Because according to the records, I'd had the highest score on all the tests for the previous four attempts.

That was the part that really stung.

Not the rejections themselves, but finding out I'd been the best candidate every single time and somehow overlooked.

Didn't even get an interview.

I filed that little gem in what I call the be aware of the BS section of my brain.

But I was in.

Finally.

Finally I was accepted.

And as a trainee programmer and honestly, my life changed completely from that moment on.

So what are the lessons?

Absolute clarity creates unstoppable momentum.

That's my lesson number one.

I knew, not hoped, not thought, but knew that I was meant to be a programmer.

That rock solid certainty carried me through four rejections because it was never a question of if, only when.

When you know your path that deeply, setbacks become stepping stones.

And lesson two, use rejection as information, not identity.

So each rejection told me something useful.

Get certified, improve logic skills, be patient with broken systems.

I didn't let no define me.

I let it educate me.

Rejection wasn't about my worth.

It was about what I needed to learn or what needed to change in the system.

Perfect timing includes the preparation period.

Those four rejections weren't delays, they were preparation.

I needed that coding certificate, those logic skills, and honestly, I needed to develop the resilience that would serve me throughout my IT career.

Because it was a tough world, especially as a woman in it in the 80s.

The universe was getting me ready for success by building exactly the qualities I needed.

So this week's takeaway.

Think about something you absolutely know you're meant to do.

That calling that won't leave you alone, despite the obstacles.

And this week, take one specific action towards it.

Send one application, make one phone call, research one company, or take one course.

And remember, if you're getting feedback, but no opportunities.

That's information about their system, not about your potential.

I would love to hear your stories of persistence paying off.

Or maybe you're in the middle of your own four rejections journey right now.

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.

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.

The timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't feel like it.

Keep going.

Your breakthrough might be only one application away.

Speak soon thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode.

If you enjoyed it or think it would be valuable to others, please do share.

And if you really enjoyed it, please leave me a review.

It really helps the podcast.

All of the links are in the show notes and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Choosing Happy Podcast.