Dealing with Professional Rejection

There are going to be days when you show up, put your hand up, offer yourself to stand in to help, apply for that job that they seem to desperately need filling and you are deemed unqualified, inadequately trained, or unsuitably experienced to perform the role. Professional rejection is an inevitable reality in this corporate world and you can choose to react impetuosly or respond intelligently.

It will hurt. It will make you question your abilities and judgement given that you thought you were eligible.

But there is an opportunity to learn something if you refuse to allow your frustrated ego to waste that chance.

Just remember this.

• It's ok to grieve the feeling of loss and the pain of rejection. Find a safe, private outlet to express those sentiments. Don't vent in public.

• No one is obligated to accept your offer of help or your application for a job or contract; No matter how desperate they appear. I know this sounds like stating the obvious, but that little sense of entitlement that we feel about an opportunity with "our name on it", is an illusion. The right perspective is to think of yourself as a prospect, one that someone else has the privilege to evaluate your suitability for their needs.

• Don't overreact. Don't draw conclusions from your first cluster of frustrated thoughts. Find your mature, reflective voice that grounds you, helping you grasp the opportunity to shine in what might feel initially like an embarrassingly hopeless encounter.

• Professional rejection doesn't make you unprofessional. How you respond is where you can make your professionalism shine or unravel.

• Thank your prospective employer for considering your proposal or application. Genuinely wish them the best going forward without malice. They could be your future employer or colleague so don't burn bridges with a bad attitude.

• Professional rejection doesn't mean you are inadequate. Even if you didn't get that opportunity, or they didn't want your help. it doesn't mean there's isn't another similar role out there for you to shine.

• You could have been saved from pursuing something you weren't quite ready for. Even if you got the metrics wrong, and you didn't quite measure up for that role, formulate a plan for what it would take to get there at a pace that works for you.

I have experience my fair share of professional rejection. I have reacted at times in ways that weren't as helpful but I have learned from personal experience to see rejection as a bridge to better understand myself and to ultimately grow and guide my career more judiciously.