What are the most effective strategies for building resilience in the face of rejection?

Job search is an emotional rollercoaster, without a doubt. It's a full-time job looking for a job, so spend 37-1/2 hours a week networking and applying and 2-1/2 hours per week getting some physical activity to clear the cobwebs in your brain. Nothing gets sold sitting on a couch, so make a pact with yourself and give yourself points for your accomplishments and getting tasks completed towards a reward. Remember that each NO is one step closer to a YES. Don't go it alone! Join networking groups and job clubs to network with others. You never know who you will meet. Just don't be a curmudgeon or Debbie Downer or Negative Nate with people you don't know. Stay optimistic with strangers and commiserate with family and friends to release.

Finding a new job (especially when you need it) can be really tough, and facing rejection (or worse - no news) can rattle the most confident of us. My best advice? Don't spend all day in job search mode. A lot of people that I work with aren't leaning into the emotion around it - it's ok to feel let down when it doesn't go well. The difference is what you do with your emotions.

Reframing rejection as an opportunity for growth and learning helps develop a more positive perspective. Cultivate self-compassion, understanding that rejection is a part of life and doesn't define your worth. Seek feedback to understand areas for improvement. Maintain a support network to provide encouragement. Set new goals and maintain a forward-looking attitude. By focusing on personal growth and bouncing back from setbacks, you can develop resilience in the face of rejection.

It is so important not to take rejection personally. There could be all number of reasons that you didn't get the job. Simply accept that for whatever reason this opportunity wasn't meant for you. You could explore the reasons that this was the case i.e. were you late, did you do enough research, did you present yourself well, did you follow the instructions that you were given if applicable? So yes, there is always stuff you can learn from everything - so take the learning and move on. DO NOT hassle the organisation and demand further information unless of course you have a specific battle to fight.

The process of career change is equally physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding. Typically, many clients spend all their time in "job search mode"; however, I encourage individuals to spend their time on an activity that is not related to their job search at all (and often takes them away from screens). The most successful are making progress in other areas of their lives which builds resilience in the job search. Commonly most individuals sign up for races or marathons.

When embarking on a journey of multiple interviews, particularly during a transition to a new domain or industry, it's not uncommon to invest up to 14 hours on platforms like LinkedIn for research and preparation. However, amid this rigorous process, it's crucial to prioritize mental health, maintain motivation, and build self-confidence. Staying focused, even in the face of challenges, is a testament to one's resilience and leadership potential. Embracing rejection with a positive outlook, constantly seeking feedback, and adapting accordingly are key ingredients for personal growth and future success in the professional world.

Consider approaching the job search/promotion request/project proposal as a skills training and as a QA/QC process of testing your resume/presentation skills. It really is one! Consider each rejection as charge free coaching session! Set some time to reflect after each rejection and think what could you have done better. Ask for feedback and (important!) accept the feedback (rather than argue with it) using it as a learning opportunity.

Social Pressures have created FOMO, you have to get outcomes right every time. This binary thinking of success/failure is obtuse and takes away from the real deal. A 'Right fit' mindset that focuses on core fundamentals, value fit creates the right frame for guaranteed success. As a coach I work with clients to build this mindset.

Every experience is a learning experience no matter if it is positive or negative. This allows you to acknowledge what worked, what didn't work, and what can be changed next time. This is where getting an outside perspective is key in helping you reframe the experience. Most importantly, just because it is a "no" initially doesn't mean it is a "no" forever. Just keep moving forward.

Approaching the job search, promotion requests, or project proposals as a skills training and quality assurance process is a wise perspective. Each rejection can indeed be viewed as a valuable, no-cost coaching session. Taking time to reflect after setbacks, focusing on self-improvement, and proactively seeking and accepting feedback is not only a growth strategy but a demonstration of a commitment to personal and professional development.

Constant rejections will start to erode your confidence and motivation, but there's a lot of valuable information to gather from the rejection. It will tell you where the gaps are. From this feedback, you can gauge how to re-strategise. Always utilise it as an information-gathering exercise instead of a rejection. Use it to sharpen your performance at the next interview.

Talking through the rejections with your mentors, coaches and fellow colleagues may surface different perspectives, something you haven't thought of or open up a way of looking at things for you that you haven't considered before. You may find that rejection is not really personal and actually may be connected to a certain trend/current reality of the market or company. You may find that a wider community may have valuable insights and advice on the topic!

Inevitably things will get hard because that is the nature of career change. Thus you can build an "inevitable plan for success" by planning who will be on your support team (and who will not). Within that plan, you can determine, who you will reach out to, when/how you'll out to them, and in what circumstances you'll reach out to them. People want you to succeed so you have to enable them to help you.

Reframing is a great technique to develop a growth mindset and enables you to review things positively. Work with a mentor or coach who can professionally guide you to navigate these scenarios. While family and friends are great support systems, a neutral non- biased approach can help discern learnings, opportunities for growth and more.

The power of reframing is a valuable tool for cultivating a growth mindset and embracing challenges with a positive outlook. Engaging with a mentor or coach is essential for professional guidance in navigating such situations. While the support of family and friends is invaluable, seeking a neutral and unbiased perspective can aid in discerning valuable lessons, identifying growth opportunities, and gaining fresh insights that might otherwise be missed. This approach fosters personal and professional development in a structured and objective manner.

Understand that a rejection may actually have nothing to do with your ability to do the job, there may be so many other reasons for a "no" at that particular time! And always treat every rejection is one step closer to a YES. Celebrate the "NO"-s as milestones on the way to a YES! More NO-s = closer to a YES! Celebrate insights, learnings, feedback received.

This is often overlooked by most individuals. Collect your wins along the way and find ways to celebrate your achievements. Most minimize the hard work and "wins" along the way and disregard the growth they've had on the journey to changing careers.

Many individuals tend to overlook the importance of acknowledging their accomplishments. It's crucial to collect and celebrate your wins throughout your journey. Often, people downplay their hard work and achievements while transitioning careers, failing to recognize the significant growth they've experienced. By actively valuing and celebrating these milestones, individuals can boost their confidence, maintain motivation, and appreciate the progress they've made, ultimately contributing to a more successful and fulfilling career change.

Growth mindset sees abilities and skills as malleable and that they can be developed through effort and learning. Those with a growth mindset tend to achieve more because they are willing to take risks, embrace challenges, and put in the effort to improve. People with a growth mindset understand that effort is a path to mastery and that setbacks (rejections) are opportunities for learning and growth.

A growth mindset is rooted in the belief that abilities and skills can be molded and expanded through dedication and learning. Those who embrace this mindset tend to excel, as they are unafraid of taking risks, confronting challenges, and committing to self-improvement. They recognize that effort is the road to mastery, and rejections are seen as valuable opportunities for gaining insights and evolving. This perspective not only fosters personal growth but also paves the way for lasting success in various aspects of life, including one's career.

Focusing on being of service instead of serving others is key insight here. Most individuals that are seeking out support and utilizing tools like coaching, LinkedIn, etc. are hard-working individuals and will always find a job. However, it takes the extra steps to go above and beyond in finding meaningful work that they will enjoy. This too shall pass and you MUST keep moving forward.

Develop a sense of humor and smell the roses. Taking things personally will only increase anxiety, and stress and create blocks for you, which will prevent you from looking beyond the current narratives. Revisit your personal core values, life goals and use these to cultivate a positive outlook to move forward.

Ensure that you have hobbies or other contribution opportunities outside of work (volunteering, passion projects, etc). You'll be able to see progress and achievement in those areas which helps to remind you that your skills are valuable.

Give yourself time. I often see people jump into something before they've had the chance to process what's happened. By not pausing, you take away the golden chance to observe/ reflect and learn. This also creates a space for rebuilding your energies.

When actively applying for jobs I like to track my applications in excel so I can track my "Job Application Metrics". Seeing the numbers can help! It also gives you and tangible way to measure progress.

Accept the fact that rejection is part of the process. Rejection is just a redirection although I know how it feels when it happens. I was rejected from 10+ companies after interviewing with them before finding my role at Amazon.

This general advice given by everyone is pretty on point - so, follow this advice BUT remember that often the rejection wasn't about you. You can do everything right, and still not get interviewed. Some companies have biased hiring practices - yes, illegal but they happen. Sometimes they want to hire an internal candidate, but have to 'prove' they 'considered' all candidates by posting an ad. While an ideal hiring process is about merit, that's not always reality. So, keep asking for feedback on how to improve. If you aren't getting any feedback, seek out an objective mentor like a psychologist, or just someone who has your best interests in mind, rather than someone who has to legally 'defend' their hiring practices. 😉