How to Deal With Rejection During a Job Search

The job search process can be lonely and full of rejection. And rejection can be difficult to take on a continued basis, regardless of how far you get in the interview process.

Yet, rejection comes with the territory of looking for a new job and many times job seekers do not even get an opportunity for an interview.

So, how do we deal with all this rejection? Here are five ways to deal with rejection during the job search.

Understand what it means that you didn’t get the job and what it doesn’t mean. There are many reasons an applicant might not get a call for an interview or might not get the job after the interview. The company could have been looking for someone with a specific skill or experience managing a particular kind of team. Just because you didn’t have the desired skill set for one position does not mean you were not a good candidate for the job, despite how discouraging the rejection can be. It’s important to avoid reading too much into things when you do not get that job offer.

Build a network of support. Surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in your skills and strengths. This is not the time to deal with negative people. Find your team of supporters and consult with them during your job search.

Use the experience to build resilience. This is primarily about your mindset. Of course, many times in life we have to face rejection and hardship and we can use difficult times to develop the skills and resources necessary to build resilience in our lives.

Focus on what you can control. Consider the aspects of your job search that you can control: the jobs you apply to, the presentation of your resume, your cover letter, and improving your interviewing skills. Let go of the things you have no control of, such as if the company chooses to interview you for the job or offers you the position.

Keep at it (and perhaps take a risk). Don’t give up. Stay after it and the right fit between your skills and what the company needs will come along. Or perhaps this is the time to take a risk and start your own company. Maybe the boss you need to offer you a job is you!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Landing a Job After a Parenting Gap

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Landing a Job after a Parenting Gap: "As much as you may want to believe that quitting your job to parent won’t affect your career long term, the unfortunate reality is that landing a job after a gap can be a challenge."

• How to Keep Learning: "Remember that learning new things isn’t always about getting a raise or earning a promotion. Learning in all forms is inherently beneficial."

• How to Redesign Your Workspace to Be More Productive: "The second step for improving productivity is paying attention to how the environment affects your comfort level. People perform a lot better when they’re comfortable, and several elements have an impact."

• How to Plan Your Own Networking Event: "if you’re interested in organizing your own networking gathering, here are five strategies you can use to curate your attendees and bring a fascinating mix of people together."
• 10 Secrets to Finding a Job You Love:"If you don’t know what you want to do, try as many experiences as possible. Don’t play it safe; do things that make you uncomfortable."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Build a Million Dollar Side Hustle While Working a Full-Time Job

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Build a Million Dollar Side Hustle While Working a Full-Time Job:"Part of this success was due to a good product choice in a vibrant market. An even bigger chunk was because of the habits, disciplines and mindsets I adopted along the way."

• The 5 People You Must Have in Your Network: "These different views and perspectives should challenge your assumptions and question your drivers in ways that stretch you beyond a traditional same-industry mentor."

• 6 Books to Make the Best Decisions for Your Mind, Body & Soul: "This is not a guide to turning your life around, just the inspiring story of someone who did. But it might spur you to make changes of your own, for the good of those around you."

• The Essential Tools for All Freelancers & Micro-Businesses: "All these services are a reaction to the shift to self-employment and micro business ownership that has taken place over the last decade."
• 10 Motivation Tips for Freelancers Who Work from Home: "Each employee has a toy frog on their desk and it represents that one, dreaded task. Complete it and the frog can leave your desk. You can then get on with the work you actually want to be doing."

5 Ways to Get Unstuck in Your Career

The alarm goes off and you lie there. Perhaps you reach for the snooze button, once, twice. Again? Your job has lost its luster and you have little desire to go into work. Perhaps you’re feeling stuck.

It’s not uncommon to feel stuck at various times in our career and you’ve likely implemented various strategies to get unstuck at those times.

But there’s something interesting about when we’re stuck. We tend to forget what we’ve done in the past and our ability to think creatively is hampered. Try the following five ways to get unstuck and that snooze button might become a thing of the past.

Take on a new project. When we’re stuck we tend to hide. We might spend more time hunkered down in our cubicle or keep our head low, but these avoidance strategies just reinforce our feelings of being stuck. Instead, volunteer for a new project, or to lead a cross-functional team effort, or to test out a new product. Getting out of your comfort zone and doing something new can be a first step in getting unstuck. 

  

Brainstorm your ideal job. What do you want to do? If you could do anything, what would you choose? Take some time today and write down every job or career path that would be interesting to you. Don’t think too much about it and don’t judge your responses. Just write and then read your responses. You just might find a path forward there, either through an opportunity at your current job or you might come to realize that it’s time to move on.

Upgrade your image. Sometimes when we feel unmotivated we let some things slide, such as our appearance. We might not take care of ourselves the way we have in the past. Consider how you look and feel. If you’re low on energy perhaps you need to start a new fitness regime. Grab a quick bike ride or swim in the morning before work. Or change up your image by making some strategic new additions to your wardrobe. Who knows? Perhaps a new hairstyle will do the trick. The point here is to make an effort to look and feel your best and even a minor change to our lifestyle can make a big difference.

Travel. If you’ve been driving the same route to work every day and staring at the same four walls for months or even years, it’s time to change things up. Take the scenic route to work. Switch up the décor in your office or workplace. And then request a vacation and travel to somewhere new.  Experiencing a new place can help you gain a new perspective.

Expand your network. Similar to the change in perspective you can gain from travel and experiencing a new place, is the benefit that comes from meeting new people, developing additional contacts, and expanding your network. Check out some local business meetups or conferences coming up and register.  Perhaps someone you meet can help put you on the path to the ideal job you brainstormed earlier.

Feeling stuck is not fun but there are steps you can take to get unstuck every day. Try one or more of the above, or come up with some strategies that work best for you, but make the effort today.

5 Practices to Support Our Mental Health at Work

During stressful times on the job or if you’re an entrepreneur and feeling the heat it is critically important to take care of your mental health. Neglecting our mental state leads to fatigue, emotional outbursts, bad decision-making, and more.

But don’t wait until something is wrong before you think about your mental health. By then the damage to your job or career can be done, and in some situations, irreparable.

Implement the following practices to maintain your mental health and to enable you to effectively manage the stresses that will inevitably come.

Develop connections. It is vital to our mental health to engage with others. We are social beings and gain support and energy from our friendships and relationships with colleagues. Schedule regular time to meet with friends, develop new relationships with co-workers, attend networking events, and seek out meet-ups with others who have similar interests. 

Manage expectations. It’s easy to compare our work performance with others and get down on ourselves for failing to measure up but it is important for our mental health to be realistic and focus on our own strengths and weaknesses.

Take vacation time. In addition to ensuring that we get adequate sleep each night, we need to take advantage of our vacation time to allow ourselves to reset and focus anew on the big picture. Stepping away and getting a change of scenery can do wonders for the soul and help a frustrating or cloudy situation become clearer.

Work with a coach or therapist. Sometimes it is necessary to work with a coach to maintain our mental health. A coach or therapist can provide a different perspective and can help us be more effective in our work. Talk to friends or colleagues to get a referral or recommendation.

Find other sources of joy, fun, and satisfaction. Our lives should not just be about the office. We need hobbies and other interests to better enjoy life and to help us maintain our appreciation for the work we do. Often, by engaging with our curiosity for the world outside the office we can gain new insights that we can apply to our working lives and bring new enthusiasm and purpose to our career.

Paying attention to our mental health and applying practices that support us will reduce the stresses in our job, help us manage the inevitable surprises that accompany change, and help us bring consistent energy and intention to our working lives.

5 Ways Attending a Conference Can Benefit Your Career

Attending an industry conference is a great way to move forward in your career and it should be something you plan on every year.

If it’s not part of your repertoire of career-enhancing tools, consider the following five ways that attending a conference can boost your career. 

   

Learn what’s new in your industry. This is obvious but should not be taken for granted. Attending a conference often provides opportunities to learn about the cutting-edge technologies, theories, and practices that will impact your job and industry in the coming months and years. Understanding what the trends are will help you as you take on a more active leadership role at your work place.

Meet and learn from industry game-changers. Large, national conferences usually offer the chance the hear from well-known (and sometimes, famous) experts in your field or industry. Be brave and ask questions or seek out opportunities to speak with these experts one-on-one. The speakers and presenters at conferences are usually approachable and enjoy sharing their knowledge and expertise with attendees.

Expand your professional network. Of course, attending a conference allows you to network and expand your contacts nationally (and even globally, depending on the conference). Come prepared with business cards and curiosity about the others in attendance. Prepare some discussion questions in advance, research individuals you are interested in meeting, and consider contacting them ahead of the conference to set up conversations over coffee or lunch.

Discover job openings in your field. At some conferences there are opportunities to meet with prospective employers and interview for open positions. If that’s not the case at the conference you attend, it is still possible to learn about available jobs through conversations with other attendees and from company representatives. You might even discover a job board and notifications made on social media

Recharge the batteries. Struggling with motivation? Feeling uninspired or burned out? Considering a job change? Many times, attending a conference can provide a needed boost—from an inspiring keynote address, to the new technology that will save your business time and money, to the interesting new colleagues you connect with. You might just find a renewed enthusiasm for your job, along with some new ideas to apply to the office, when you return.

Research the key conferences in your field or industry and make plans to attend at least one event this year. 

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Tell Your Boss That You're Not Engaged at Work

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Tell Your Boss That You're Not Engaged at Work: "He noticed that organizations tended to overlook the influence that everyday experiences have on people’s work motivation, focusing instead on their talents, skills, and expertise."

• 7 Keys to Success for Women Starting Their Own Business: "If you want to take it seriously you need clarity and passion. Without passion, our dreams become a burden, and burdens get abandoned."

• How the People in My Life Help Me Succeed: "It all starts with who you find to share your life with and who you let in. At work, you want people who are driven, competent, honest and who share similar goals to yours."

• 6 Science-Backed Ways to Make Your Office More Productive: "workplaces with 'positive and virtuous practices' such as mutual care, support and kindness -- and workplaces that inspire and emphasize the meaningfulness of work, as well as emphasize respect and gratitude -- enjoyed greater productivity, performance and customer satisfaction."
• Why Being a Morning Person Will Make You Better at Your Job: "When we make the time to collect ourselves in the morning, we have clarity for the rest of the day, because when we bring a more relaxed presence into our morning hours, it makes everything that happens from there much more manageable."