Professional Rejection in a Professional Life
You may have received rejections in your professional life; I think it is a common occurrence among people. Examples of professional rejection in my own life have been:
- Job application rejections
- Business selling rejections
- Voice–over auditions rejections
- Writing submissions rejections
Rejection can be a common occurrence that many people will share.
Rejections can be a common trend people may have in their professional careers.
Here are some ideas on how to deal with professional rejections.
Try not to take professional rejections personally
Attempt not to take a professional rejection personally.
People may have personal feelings when they receive a professional rejection from time to time; I think people are more likely to have personal feelings if the professional rejection surprised them.
Act professionally towards others when you receive a professional rejection. Not acting professionally towards others can create more problems for you and others involved.
As best as you can, try not to take the rejection personally and attempt to (if possible) learn from the rejection. You may find it valuable to work with a professional counselor. Or get support from a friend, family, or social group to help you deal with your personal feelings towards a professional rejection. You may learn something from the rejection to help you achieve your next professional opportunity.
Multiple Many
(a) Multiple Many–If possible, try to have many multiple opportunities in professional life–so if you receive rejection in one area–you may find opportunities in another area.
Having alternatives can be helpful to professional life–having choices helps give people hope for their professional lives. For example, a person may benefit from having two career options rather than just one. For instance, in job hunting land to keep hope alive, Richard Bolles, the author of a best-selling book series called What Color Is Your Parachute? Wrote in a 2013 edition:
“Hope depends upon taking care that we have at least two alternatives, in every situation we find ourselves, and with every task confronting us…To have only one plan, one option, in any situation, is a sure recipe for despair…. In order to never become hopeless, you want to be sure that in every situation you find yourself, you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket. You must determine to always have at least two alternatives; in every challenge you are facing” (Page 1-2; published by Ten Speed Press) (Richard Bolles described a paragraph of alternatives in unique features to a job hunt on pages 1-2)
Feedback
(b) Feedback – you may find the feedback helpful when facing rejection. Feedback from others may help you find areas to improve. For example, you may find a career expert who can offer valuable feedback on the job search. You may find a writing coach who can improve your writing as another example. A writer coach may discover areas you can use to improve your writing. Reading your writing, you may not find all of your errors. Feedback can be a way to improve. You may achieve success in your next professional opportunity with feedback.
Try to find accomplishments outside of your professional life
(c) Try to find accomplishments outside of your professional life–if you are able, see if you can find achievements outside your professional life and activities. You may have other areas of life where you can find achievements. For example, you may find accomplishments through:
- Connections with social groups
- Connections with friends
- Connections with family
- Hobbies
- Volunteer activities
You may deal with rejections in a professional life easier when you can find other sources in your life where you can discover accomplishments. These different areas of life may fulfill you with a sense of accomplishment when you are facing rejections in your professional life.
Know your odds
(d) Know your odds – professional life in some areas can be very competitive, for example, professional acting. If you are going into a very competitive professional field, at least be aware of the odds so that you know rejections are likely to occur as you pursue your professional goals in those competitive areas. In the more competitive areas of professional life, you can know rejections are standard, and rejections are a part of professional life in those competitive areas.
Find Support in Social Connections
(e) Find Support in Social Connections–If you are feeling stress from rejections in your professional life, I would recommend (if possible) finding support through social connections. You may find your friend or family members may comfort you. Dealing with professional rejections alone may make it more challenging to deal with the stress.
You also may find social groups that can support you in a particular professional area. If you are job searching, for example, you may deal with the job search stress better by having support from a job support group.
Professional help from a professional counselor
(f) Professional help from a professional counselor–if you feel professional rejections are creating a lot of stress for you, you may benefit from seeing a professional counselor who may help you deal with the stress.
Often rejections are not final
(g) Often rejections are not final–Think of the “No” as one step closer to a “yes”–you may think of the No as one step closer to a yes. Seeing rejection as a process rather than the final destination may help you have the energy for your next professional opportunity.
Rejections can be a part of professional life; the ideas described above may help you deal with rejections and help you achieve your professional goals in your professional life.