Rejections are never expected but they happen; while there may be various reasons for it, it does not define your value or potential. It is possible to overthink it when you don’t get accepted into a role, scholarship, or work-from-home opportunity. However, it is important not to internalize rejection or spend too much time brooding so that you can find it easy to move on to the next thing.

What is Rejection?

Rejection can come in different forms but career-wise, the term is usually referred to as a negative response or outcome received after applying for a job, promotion, project, or any other professional opportunities. This typically means that an employer has gone through your application and decided not to select you for that particular role. Sometimes, rejections can come via email, other times, a letter can be sent. Whichever way it comes, you need to know that it is a common experience in the job market and is not just peculiar to you alone.

Causes of Rejection

Organizations and employers do not just reject candidates. It is usually due to certain reasons that can not be overlooked and some of them include the following:

Skills and Qualifications

When a job is listed, the description comes with certain skills and qualifications that candidates should possess to be considered for the job. If you do not regard the criteria, then you go ahead to apply for the job, chances are you may not get it.

Interview Performance

If your CV has done such good work and you are invited for an interview, it is important to put your best foot forward. The interviewer or employer has to be Impressed by your answers and contributions during the interview.

Overqualification

As funny as this may sound, in some cases, that may be the reason. If an employer sees that you are too overqualified, then they feel that you may not fit into the role like they would want.

Competition

Sometimes, your application is not bad but other applicants may be a little qualified for the role or have richer experience and the employer will prefer to hire these candidates instead.

Poor Resume/CV

Your resume/cv is the first document that goes to your employer’s table, representing you and what you do. If your CV/resume is not good enough or doesn’t contain the necessary keywords, it may come off as though you can’t do the job.

What to do when faced with project/job application rejection?

While you are trying to nurse the pain of being rejected for a job or project, here are simple tips that can help you overcome the moment:

Utilize Feedback and Improvement

You can leverage social media to ask people who may have the same interests as you or are professionals in the field for constructive feedback. They may see what you don’t see and this can give you an answer to why you were not selected. You can go ahead to share your rejected application for them to see as they may be able to offer valuable suggestions for improvement.

Don’t spend so much time blaming yourself

One of the best ways to get over a rejection is to not blame yourself for too long. Spending so much time to count where you went wrong can be counterproductive and distracting. Instead, be kind to yourself, and accept the rejections are normal and not something extraordinary. Take your time if you want and shift your focus towards doing better and staying positive.

Try Words of Affirmation

It may be quite hard not to beat yourself up when you receive a rejection mail or letter. So, if you need help, words of affirmation can be the hack. Remind yourself of how very good you are, how you are trying your best, and how many goals you are looking to achieve. Leveraging words of affirmation for career purposes helps you to stay confident and resilient even in the face of adversity.

Analyze and filter all suggestion

During the process of seeking feedback and suggestions from colleagues, friends, and superiors, it is most likely that you will get a truckload of suggestions. This, however, doesn’t require you to put your creativity on pause. Go over the feedback one after the other, analyze, and filter. Pick the ones that appear really brilliant and doable. Work with what you have, put in your best again, and if you have to do something differently, get to it because you don’t have so much time till you apply for the next job or project.

Bag a new and relevant certificate if need be

Some people may have been rejected for a job/project because they don’t have the necessary skills. If you identify this as the reason for your rejection, then you need to upskill. Go online, and look for a course that can raise your level in that particular skill. Not only are you taking your time to learn a new skill but you are also getting your mind off what happened and focusing on the most important things.

Go again!

You may not quickly get over a particular rejection if you don’t move on to the next thing. So, if you are looking to overcome the lingering effects of rejection, take up a new project, apply to a new job, start something new, go again! It keeps your perspective refreshed and you can channel your energy into new possibilities. When something doesn’t work, it’s best to re-strategize and try again. You keep trying and trying until you win.

How to handle rejection as a professional