What do you do if your career is derailed by failure?

Please avoid an angry reply to a rejection letter, it serves no purpose except to show lack of character and reinforce their decision not to move forward with an offer.

Here's your comeback plan: 1. Feel it, then Fuel Up: Acknowledge the setback, but don't get stuck. Take time to process, then shift to a positive mindset. 2. Turn Failure into Fertilizer: Analyze what went wrong. Identify areas for improvement to prevent future derailments. 3. Revamp Your Rep: Update your resume to shine a light on your strengths. Reconnect with old contacts and build new bridges. 4. Level Up Your Skills: Take courses, workshops, or volunteer to gain new skills and stay relevant. This demonstrates initiative and a commitment to growth. 5. New Track, New Possibilities: Maybe this is a sign to explore a new path. Consider a career shift that aligns better with your current goals and aspirations.

In order to "accept reality", you first need to understand 2 things: 1. If you go into an interview with an expectation of something in return, you'll invariably be disappointed. 2. The decision whether you proceed or not is 100% out of your hands. Chances are, if you're a "no" then it's terminal. If you can access some feedback to practice for next time then great - always ask for it. And remember: make sure you send a thank you note even if you're rejected. It shows a ton of class and maturity, and might just put you front of mind if the person they hire doesn't work out.

Accepting the reality of a career setback is a crucial resilience-building step. It allows for a mental shift from a fixed to a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning and growth. By moving past denial and anger, you can start to dissect the situation for valuable insights, which is essential for professional development. This acceptance is the foundation for strategic planning and taking actionable steps towards career recovery and future success.

Acknowledge the Situation: Accept the reality of the situation. It’s okay to fail, and it’s an integral part of the learning process. Self-Assessment: Reflect on what led to the failure. This can provide valuable insights into what went wrong and how to avoid similar mistakes in the future. Resilience: Use this as an opportunity to build resilience. Remember, failure is often a stepping stone to success. Plan Ahead: Develop a plan to get your career back on track. This could involve setting new goals, acquiring new skills, or seeking mentorship.

Before we get into a reactive mode of immediately trying to "fix" the failure, it’s important to take a pause to objectively identify what the possible derailers were, and to learn from mis-steps. Seek feedback from a trusted source whom you have worked with in a professional setting, and 360 degree feedback if you are in a position to do so. This will be a humbling experience but an important diagnostic exercise.

When failure derails your career, seek feedback to understand what went wrong and identify areas for improvement. Always ask for constructive criticism. Take time to reflect: Before seeking feedback, take some time to reflect on your own performance and identify potential areas for improvement. Be specific: When asking for feedback, be specific about the areas you want feedback on. Be open-minded: Be willing to consider different perspectives and suggestions. Use feedback to grow: Use feedback to develop a plan for improving your skills and knowledge. Failure is not the end. It's an opportunity to learn, grow, and rebuild your career. With the right mindset and effort, you can overcome setbacks and achieve your goals.

Constructive Criticism: Seek feedback from mentors, peers, or superiors. Their perspectives can provide valuable insights into areas for improvement. Open-Mindedness: Be open to criticism. It can be tough to hear, but it’s often the most effective way to learn and grow. Actionable Steps: Use the feedback to create actionable steps for improvement. This turns a setback into a learning opportunity.

Introspection: Spend time in deep reflection to understand the root cause of the failure. This can help identify patterns and behaviors that led to the setback. Lessons Learned: Identify the lessons learned from the failure. Understanding these lessons can provide valuable insights for future actions. Future Strategy: Use this deep reflection to strategize your next steps. This can help you make more informed decisions and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Failure is only fatal when we fail to learn from the experience. As you reflect on the experience notice any sensations in your body - tightness, tension, anxiety, fidgeting etc, - notice what emotion comes up and the feelings and thoughts that you use to identify and understand the emotion. Getting to the root of the experience or challenge is key to learning and growing!

Failure is not a defeat ? it is just a setback. What you need to do is to go back to your drawing board and check your plans, and come up with a better goals and plan. It might not be easy though.

So you’ve stalled or gone off track. At this juncture, its time to decide if you desire to continue on the journey or take a different route altogether. I have witnessed clients who have deeply reflected on what went wrong, owned it and gained a lot of clarity on the way forward. It will be helpful to work with coach who can support you in your personal values assessment, risk assessment and co-create the next steps. Understand and accept that what got you here may not get you there.

As a Career Coach, this is the most common issue my clients face. Often good people stay in a career for many years, thinking this is what they should be doing but often become stale and tired and do not achieve their goals. The most difficult decision is jumping off that career track and stepping back and revisiting your passions and what makes you happy in your career. I have worked with many great people who have become disillusioned with the situation of their potential future continuing in the same career. It takes bravery and confidence to jump into something else but once your skills are unpacked it can be the answer to following another path and moving into a more satisfying career.

Being flexible is crucial. Adapt to the new reality, set new goals, and make sure your goals are SMART: S: specific M: measurable A: achievable R: relevant T: time-bound This approach will help you commit to your new goals smoothly.

Failure is needed for success. That sounds counterintuitive, and in the thick of it can be very frustrating to hear. However, failure is an opportunity to grow, pivot, and forge on. Your mindset and desire to be better also plays a part. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. So stay focused, and don’t let the failures define you. You got this!

Commit to professional development. Look back and identify the gaps - chances are that it is a competency gap or an interpersonal or personality issue. If you are still employed, enquire with HR if they can connect you to the right training provider, and better still, sponser the course. Otherwise, the onus is on you to source and get yourself enrolled. Beyond skill building, consciously work on a behaviour change based on the wisdom gleaned from your self-assessment and reflection. Finally, work with someone who can be your accountability partner and help you stay on track as you rebuild your confidence.

As well as derailing your career you could also be trying to start in a new career for personal reasons. Leveraging existing networks, joining new industry groups, and working on projects in your new area are what i've found effective

If your career is derailed by failure, follow these steps: Network Actively: Attend events, join groups, and reach out to your network. Seek Feedback: Ask trusted individuals for constructive criticism and use it to improve. Rebrand Yourself: Update your resume, LinkedIn profile, and gain new skills. Be Persistent: Don't give up on your job search and follow up with potential employers. Stay Positive: Remember that failure is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Career derailment can happen to anyone and it's so important to build career resilience. In this VUCA world, we can find ourselves in vulnerable situations where our careers can get derailed. These can be attributed to factors involving self/ internal factors, or the external environment. Eg, inability or unwillingness to adapt to change, naively relying on strengths which may not serve you well going forward, the inability to inspire and lead teams or a lack of big picture thinking. External factors could refer to market disruptions, curveballs and evolving situations with no playbook to refer to. And ultimately, when business results are not delivered, this can lead to a career derailment and potentially reputation loss.

In my 14yrs IT exp, currently I lead 100+ member team. yes, I have gone through such phases, whre i felt lost. and negative thoughts of quiting and moving out, where ciriling the mind. However this is what i realized. during low times of failure.. boht mentally & physically you would feel low. below worked for me: 1. Wake up 1hr early in morning, & take a jog in nature. 2. Listen to motivation & inspiring 3. Listen to success audio book. 4. take cold shower. 5. Focus on first step you should take to get your career back on tracking. 6. Dont think of long road ahead. Just focu on next step. 7. daily take actions on it. With time, day by day you would overcome your situation. Hope that helps.