From a professional perspective, one of the toughest events with which we have to cope is job rejection. When (if) this happens to us, we need to get past our feelings of rejection, anger, and inadequacy — and take a proactive approach to “get back in the game.”

Mary Sherwood Sevinsky, a career consultant, writing for Careerealism offers eight tips to follow when dealing with job rejection:

1. Set Realistic Goals

“Long-term goals give you something to look forward to. Short-term goals ensure you are moving in the right direction and moving to your long term goals. Daily goals will get you out of bed in the morning.”

2. Do Your Best

“Take the time to try to match your resume or application details to what the employer is looking for. That way, you will be one of the few selected for an interview (and hired!). The extra effort and time has value, and they can help you will feel like you are really doing something meaningful.”

3. Change the Things You Do Each Day

“Search for jobs one day, follow up another, identify companies to cold call once a week, network one day, visit companies in person periodically. Don’t forget to eat, sleep, get dressed, exercise, and go outside every day. Make your own schedule and stick to it!”

4. Make Sure You Have the Necessary Skills

“Read blogs, articles, and/or books about career planning and job searching. Explore your field or potential occupations to determine if you need more skills to be competitive. Read articles related to your desired job or about job searching and interviewing every day.”

5. Have a Support Group

“You can’t do it alone. Ask for help outside of the family if need be. Reach out friends, ex-coworkers, and church or community members. You need someone to listen to your ideas and give you feedback.”

6. Network

“You probably know how to network, but maybe you are too dispirited or you don’t see the value in it. Nonetheless, it is a necessity and can result in your next job if you make the time and effort to contact and maintain connection with others. Join a civic group or one at your local career placement office, or volunteer. It is most important to start and continue to get out there and meet people – maintain your connections!”

7. Get Creative

“If you feel that you MUST have a specific position or salary before considering a job, you may be missing out on some great prospects! Purchase a real newspaper (or look at every job board posting within a 20 mile area or less) and look at every job. If you do this intermittently, you will have a better indication of what jobs are offered and you may discover a new direction that is perfect for you!”

8. Be Realistic

“You may want to think about moving to where there are jobs. Think about places in that you would like to live or parts of the country where people you know currently live. Search for jobs in those areas periodically to see if it makes sense to start a job search in another area in addition to your current one.”

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