How to Overcome Rejection

“Getting rejected is awesome… trust me.”
– Gary Vaynerchuk

Going through the job search process, the likelihood that you’ll experience rejection in some capacity is likely.
There’s a choice that you can make when confronted with rejection. Either you empower yourself and gain strength and resilience from the experience, or you allow the experience to overcome you.

We suggest the former.

We’ve compiled a list of our most valuable tips to aid you in your journey when rejection during the job search arises:

1. Take full responsibility

When you consciously accept the outcome, the negative charge almost instantly loses its power over you. You’re no longer resisting it or looking to place blame onto others. Yes, feelings of upset or frustration may still be present but at least you’re in a position where you can have a more objective look at why the rejection arose in the first place, without seeking out how you can shift the blame elsewhere.

2. Be kind to yourself

Being a high achiever means that there is a tendency to beat yourself up if you haven’t achieved what you set out to. Change the context for how you look at the situation and recognise failure is an indication that you’re pushing your barriers and placing yourself in situations in which you can learn and grow.

Someone going after their ambitious goals will never have it easy, so take a moment to appreciate yourself for being courageous and doing things that push you outside your comfort zone.

3. Be open to the feedback

Always ask for as much feedback as possible. If something isn’t clear – ask the hiring manager or the recruiter to elaborate. Be present but don’t allow negative emotions to be present as this may act as a barrier for these stakeholders to feel comfortable when sharing the honest truth with you. 

4. Take positive action to ameliorate the areas of weakness

Having great insights is beneficial but remember, “knowledge isn’t power, it’s only potential power”. To make positive improvements in your professional life, take on the feedback and reflect on what you were missing or weren’t doing to a high enough standard. Then from there, like everything in life, take consistent action toward improving upon that. This may mean you reflect on your intended trajectory and understand where there could be potential to pivot yourself to better capitalise on your strengths. This may also mean you set aside 30 mins each morning or night to better inform yourself on a practice area or certain skillset.

Whatever the action may be, remember, no one else is going to do it for you. You have to create that feeling of drive and motivation within yourself and remain connected to the bigger vision that you’re working toward.

5. Try, try, try again!

Rejection doesn’t mean there’s a slammed door with no possibility of it being re-opened. It’s an opportunity to reflect, recalibrate and come back stronger than ever! In the face of adversity, don’t battle it out on your own. As specialised legal recruiters, we have an intimate understanding of the legal markets and place candidates in firms in Australia, UK, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, New York City, Singapore and Tokyo. So, opportunities that you may not have been aware of may be open to you!

There’s also the benefit of Sonder Consultants having unique insights about hiring within these jurisdictions that may make you feel a lot more confident during the entire job search process. The list of benefits of speaking with a legal recruitment go on – but remember, even the best athletes rely on someone else to guide them toward success – you don’t need to do all the hard work on your own!

For more information on career advice or opportunities in your respective field. Contact Matt for a confidential discussion on: email matthew.hart@sonderconsultants.com or give him a call on 02 8249 1958