Facing Rejection
Rejection. It’s not spoken about enough. We’re keen to celebrate our wins, which is obviously important, but we often don’t see the amount of times someone has failed in order to get there. The worst thing about rejection is it’s ability to stop us from trying. This guide will cover some key things to think about, which should help you apply yourself to more opportunities.
The first ‘no’ is always the hardest.
If you haven’t been rejected much in the past it can feel absolutely terrifying for someone to say ‘no’ when applying for an opportunity/job/contract.
I can tell you from experience, it does get easier.
The first couple of times are horrible and feel personal. But after you start going into the double digits of rejections you get the mentality of ‘meh, well onto the next one’. That’s not to say that some don’t still sting. If you’re really passionate about the opportunity and you feel like you’d be a great fit, then being rejected from that does hurt.
It can knock your confidence and prevent you from putting yourself out there again.
Set up your expectations.
I’ve found that the rejections that sting the most are the ones that I ‘expected’ to have been accepted.
When applying for things we can start to fantasise about the outcome of getting it. It could be better pay, provide us with opportunity to boost our career, work with a client we’ve always admired.
If we work on separating our emotions from the outcome it can prevent us from getting hurt if we get rejected.
This is easier said than done of course. Some helpful strategies I implement are:
• Avoid telling loads of people that you’re applying for said thing.
• Once you’ve applied, close all tabs on your computer relating to the project/client/organisation. You want to try your best to forget about it, you’ve done all you can, so obsessing over the outcome isn’t helpful.
• Keep applying for other things too. Don’t put your calendar on holt in hopes that this one opportunity will come through. You can always withdraw your application from other opportunities if the initial one does come through.
What to do after a rejection?
I have such mixed feelings about getting feedback from a rejected opportunity. Sometimes it can be really helpful and constructive. Other times it can just make you feel worse.
Some feedback I received for an Assistant Curator Role I applied for a while ago was that I needed to, “work on my confidence”. I’ll be honest, I thought they had sent that email to the wrong person. It made me question everything that I was doing. It took me weeks to build up the courage to apply for the next thing. Which I got another rejection from. But I’m glad I got those rejections because it led me down a path of where I am today, which I never would have thought of going down on my own.
So yeah, my point is. You can take or leave feedback. I think it looks good to ask for some as it shows a proactive approach to improvement and growth.
The important thing is to be kind and patient with yourself. If you need some space to regather, then give yourself that time.
A ‘no’ doesn’t mean the end.
Just because you have faced a ‘no’ to this specific opportunity it doesn’t mean that you’ll never work with them in the future.
This is why it’s so beneficial to apply for as many opportunities as you think aligns with what you do.
Let’s say you get an interview, but don’t get the position.
You’re now on that company’s/client’s radar. They know your name, your face, what you do and what you’re good at. If they have other work and they think you’ll be a good fit, you’ll be one of the first people they could reach out to for it.
For this reason, it’s important to be professional and not cut ties if they do say ‘no’.
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