What are the most effective ways to deal with rejection during a career change?

I changed jobs early in my Federal HR career to expand my experience in personnel operations. Good idea. But the transition did not go smoothly. I hated the largely mechanical processing personnel actions, and never got the hang of it. Eventually, the boss and I came to a mutual agreement that it was time for me to move on. Since it was "no fault" he gave me the best reference he could, and I got a new position in a different agency doing HR policy. I found my niche doing policy and ultimately was promoted three times more in that capacity. I always said if I was better at processing HR documents, I would never have found what I was really good at. Basically, my advice is to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them.

● go for a walk ● play with your dog ● have beers with a friend ● play some pickleball (or fill-in-the-blank) ● watch Caddyshack or Animal House, with some wings and pizza In other words, get out of your own head. Rejection is meh...you are not.

A key finding from my research into career reinvention is that transitioning is a 'dance with fear and confidence'. A dynamic experience where sometimes fear is in the lead, other times it's confidence. You can even have several fears at the same time, then they can flip - from fear of change to fear of not changing for example. Pausing to notice and make sense of your emotions can really help. Many people use a journal during transitions to help with this, or maybe a career coach. But, just remember it's normal.

Stay Positive, Learn from Rejections, Be Resilient, Network and Seek Guidance, Learn Self-care and Stress Management, Celebrate Small Wins along the way, and... JUST... KEEP... GOING!!!

Facing rejection during a career change is a common experience. It can be difficult to cope with, but it is important to remember that it is not a reflection of your worth or abilities. Instead of dwelling on the rejection, focus on using it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Reflect on your application and identify areas where you could improve. Take steps to strengthen your skills and network with people in your desired field. With perseverance and resilience, you can overcome rejection and achieve your?career?goals.

A natural consequence of our evolutionary survival is that we tend to devote our attention to the biggest perceived threat in our environment. When we are rejected, the biggest threat to our self image is that it happened because we were unworthy. That means we are more likely to get rejected in the future. Because this threat occupies our attention, it often becomes accepted reality before we've considered other, less threatening, explanations. One approach is to accept the 'big threat' as a possibility but then put it aside for the moment to brainstorm other possible explanations. Then build what-if scenarios for all the explanations.

The best way to deal with rejection is not experience it. That may sound weird, but hear me out. Rejection is an internal experience based on our expectations and perceptions. We can avoid much of the frequency and magnitude of rejection we experience with two mindset shifts. 1. There is no failure, only learning. By rejecting the Success / Failure paradigm and replacing it with a Success / Learning one helps focus on what is positive and manageable. 2. Treat everything new as an experiment. This removes the unnecessary weight and long-term implications we perceive and puts us in a posture to be nimble and adaptable to learn. These two simple mindset shifts can help us avoid experiencing rejection and respond to setbacks like a champion.

Personalizing rejection opens up clients to dangerous cognitive distortions that must be righted in the challenging transition process. Over-personalizing rejection, over-generalizing rejection, and all-or-nothing thinking are enemies of the resilient job-seeker. Helping clients center themselves on facts, truth, and challenging cognitive distortions are an essential part of the career coaching relationship.

Rejection is indeed a part of continuous improvement. It's a valuable lesson that helps us refine our path towards success. Keep pushing forward with that mindset!

Rejection builds confidence, if you haven’t ever been rejected you’ll assume you’ll get every role you apply for. It creates a false reality, rejection is just as important as acceptance. It’s the yin & yang to the job search process.

In the throes of career transition, rejection isn't just a possibility—it's an almost certainty. It's a good idea to lean on your professional network. Reconnect with mentors, reach out to peers, even those distant contacts may offer unexpected wisdom. They've likely faced their own setbacks and can provide the perspective you need. It's ok to share with them that you're looking for a career change, because you never know what conversation might give you the best lead or help you formulate the best strategy. And while your career is important, balance is key. Stay healthy, stay connected, but also give yourself permission to step away from the career grind. Sometimes, the best insights come when you're not actively seeking them out.

Getting rejected can be a tough experience, and one mistakes people make is seeking advice or support from those who have never gone through similar situations. It's like asking someone about a place they've never visited. They might have formed their opinion through hearsay or internet articles. Instead, reflecting on your feelings and seeking guidance from individuals who have faced similar situations and successfully coped with rejection while applying for new jobs or roles is important. When your car is broken, you take it to a mechanic, not to a grocery store. Similarly, seek advice from an expert rather than your close friends, even if their intentions are good. Compassion is what you should look for in your friends, not advice.

The experience itself can tell you what you like and dislike as well as where your current skill set lines up with employers in the field you are interested in. These learnings can guide you on next steps to take in finding a place that you like and are able to perform well in.

Rejection can be tough, but using it as motivation to improve and persist is a key to success. Keep learning and growing, and each setback can become a stepping stone to your career goals. The key to finally getting to that next step in your career is receiving tips & feedback from the rejection, moving forward to the next role & applying that feedback.

Early on in my career I relied heavily on mass applying to land a role. I look at every opportunity to get an interview was a chance to improve my interviewing skills. Even if I knew I wasn’t qualified for a role, what would I need to compete with other job seekers. If it wasn’t for this I probably wouldn’t have landed the contract I did. Consistency is key, but fear will break you. Constantly improve your skills and always, always, ALWAYS apply to a role you have an interest in even if you don’t meet all of the qualifications.

Unfortunately, many companies don't provide proper feedback, and candidates often fail to ask for it. The feedback you receive can be valuable in determining if your rejection was due to your skillset, inadequate skills, a more robust candidate pool, weaknesses in specific areas, over-qualification, or unrealistic salary expectations. Knowing this can help you position yourself better and make necessary adjustments. If you don't receive feedback, take the time to reassess your CV, motivation letter and whether the jobs and companies you're applying for align with your career goals. But it’s essential to keep chasing your dreams, but actively seeking feedback on your applications.

Rejection may be tough to accept, a hard pill to swallow, but as the adage suggests, when one door closes, another one opens. Embracing rejection as an opportunity for personal growth is key. Consider this: If you face rejection following a job interview, it's wise to seek constructive feedback from the recruiter, enabling you to pinpoint areas that need improvement and ensuring you're better prepared for the next opportunity. Wishing you all the best for your next opportunity. Keep positive and stay focused on your growth !

When we think of celebration, many people immediately associate it with drinks at a bar or throwing a big party. While those are certainly valid ways to celebrate, it's important to remember that celebrations don't have to be grand and showy. Celebrating small steps and small victories is just as important. You can congratulate yourself, acknowledge that you're on the right track, be proud, and let that feeling sink in. Even if your progress isn't where you want it to be, taking small but steady steps will get you closer to your goal. Keep moving forward. Smile to yourself, say “yes” out loud.

Rejection in a career change is common. To handle it effectively, maintain resilience by staying positive and not taking it personally. Use each rejection as a learning opportunity, assess what went wrong, and adapt your approach accordingly. Persistence is key; keep applying, networking, and refining your skills until you secure the desired position.

I found in my career that bosses tend to supervise by exception. That is, to only notice employee performance when it deviates from the norm. Thus, employees may find that their good work seemingly goes unnoticed and the only feedback they get is advice on how to work on their weaknesses. Most of us are a "mixed bag" of strengths and weaknesses. If you "hate" parts of your job that you aren't good at, devoting all your energy to improving may only help you achieve mediocrity. While there is nothing wrong with trying to improve, I would also suggest looking for assignments that work to your strengths. I was always willing to volunteer for special projects. You would be surprised how many careers get jump started that way.

Put in 200% more than others and knock it out of the park. I did a career switch before where my eligibility for the job was being questioned by my colleagues, especially the senior management. I couldn't change their mindset on me so I worked extremely hard to show them what I am made of. It paid off eventually.

As with most things, especially when dealing with challenging situations, it's important to focus on what you can control. And the most vital action of control you can take is to not self-reject. To not self- reject is to remind yourself of your anchors and values in order to stay grounded. Think purpose- why did you decide to go down that path in the first place? and stay open to the different ways you could get to your goal so that you don't spin your wheels, remain stuck and stressed or become unproductively persistent. Top up your learning. Sometimes a capacity gap you may have overlooked may have contributed to the rejection you might experience. Double check that this isn't the case. If it is, take steps to close that gap.

Be Thankful! You can thank God and Garth Brooks for the unanswered prayer. If you are fortunate to have a long career there will be rejection and worse along the way. When you are in the valley, keep walking. The next big win is often after a whole lot of no and disappointment. Nobody gets to retirement unscathed and if you do you don't have any great stories to tell.