In the current generation, several people with a predetermined perspective see rejection as a bad thing that causes them to be adversely affected in their life. They see it as a situation that is preventing them from fulfilling their life’s aspirations and mission, and they believe that if they continue to be rejected, they will eventually give up on the very thing they have set out to do.
But for Rama Praba, REJECTION is not a negative thing, in fact it’s a positive thing because you will eventually get to learn from the experience and grow as a human being.
Rama Praba, the Co-Founder, Executive Editor and Technology Strategist at The Fast Mode has turned rejection into something positive.
Image Credit: Rama Praba’s Facebook Page
Hailing form Kedah, the First Class Honours in Bachelors of Accounting and Finance, gradually learnt how to deal with rejections well, turning them into a powerful energy that helped shape her life for the better. Rama recalls a job interview that she attended at a well-known MNC headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. She earned a scholarship interview worth RM200k for an Accountancy Degree in University Malaya.
Image Credit: Rama Praba’s Facebook Page
Things didn’t get smooth for her after the senior management or decision maker asked her some oddball questions.
“You achieved an A in your A-Level Maths. This paper is hard, isn’t it?”
Without being rude or sounding arrogant, Rama answered the question in a good manner. However, he questioned her with a sense of sarcasm.
“I know if a candidate has what it takes to be our scholar the moment he or she walks through that door. You know that right?”
“We prefer certain people to be in our company!”
Rama felt that the world wasn’t so right.
In particular, I felt that capitalism was not heading where it was supposed to. Unchecked development, people heaping up in crowded cities and the rat-race lifestyles, all of these I felt were not in the best interest of the human race.
An unexpected twist happened when the man told her in such a way. Rama questioned him back by asking:
‘What do you do with your waste? This factory, right here, what do you do with the waste?’
For a moment, the man who interviewed her was shocked. His answer was, you may get the answer from the production side.
‘Yes, but you are the ambassador of your company today. What do you do with the waste? How do you ensure that your operations do not create social costs for others. Do you calculate your social costs?’ she asked further.
The boss admitted that he doesn’t know the procedures. Guess what was Rama’s next take for this answer?
‘It’s corporate responsibility. It is not sufficient you deliver profits, because profits are private earnings, social costs are not. There are implications to all…. And I also have another question. I came twice for this interview. Since I am not selected, I want you to reimburse my expenses. Do you reimburse our expenses?’ I demanded, again, as stern as a twenty-year old can sound.
The question was a tight slap for him I guess, and all he could do was to change his face expression. After having a discussion with the Human Resource team, he decided to give the transportation expenses to Rama.
Sometimes, we get rejected for the wrong reasons, but every time this happens, we scale To much greater heights.
Image Credit: Rama Praba’s Facebook Page
When you learn from the experience of rejection, you will know what you should do better next time and you’re more mentally prepared when you face the situation again. Rama’s story has definitely inspired me and surely it will inspire you too!
