Job Rejection Recovery Guide

You've poured your heart and brain into something—hung all your hopes on it, thought it was a sure thing—and then at the last minute, the prize goes to someone else. Sound familiar? (Hello, job applications.)

Everything falls apart, you’re left staring at the ceiling, and if your bank balance is running low, you might even find yourself howling - aloud or in your head. After seven interviews and a 90-slide strategy deck, you have to pick yourself up and start again. But all you want is to crawl into bed, feel sorry for yourself, and tell the world to go to hell.

So, what to do then?

1. Remember: this is freedom.

Yes, you’d trade freedom for a fat paycheck and security in a heartbeat—but here you are, free as a bird. And what if you had landed that role? A bunch of other, equally interesting doors would have slammed shut for you. That means more options now, not fewer! 🥳

Plus, you save yourself from fresh headaches—snarky colleagues, timid bosses, chaotic org-charts, zero clarity, to name just a few. Right now? You’ve got options up the wazoo and fewer problems.

2. Where to find strength.
   

2.1. Move your body. Our favourite free medicine. Exercise balances your chemistry, knocks down anxiety, blasts away negativity and clears the window through which you view the world. Walk, jog, hit a fitness class—anything works. And please: no headphones. Be fully present in your body.

2.2. Embrace safe discomfort. To extinguish one pain, light a different (safe) fire. Cold showers, gruelling workouts, and honest physical labour. Remember Levin from Anna Karenina, who mowed to the countryside to hay at dawn ’til dusk to cure a broken heart? Worked like a charm.

2.3. Use your hands. Interacting with the physical world is an antidote to panic. Cook a complex meal, organise that chaotic closet, pick radishes from your garden like David Beckham did on Instagram last week (pardon the distraction).

3. Am I worthless?
   

Inevitably, these thoughts creep in: if they rejected me, I must be garbage—and it’s all downhill from here, forever. 3.1. Laser-focus on one task. When your mind is bouncing everywhere, the worst thing you can do is indulge it. Close all tabs and pick a single, simple task. Slow down your runaway thoughts, zero in on that one thing, and finish it. Once you complete it, your brain will grudgingly admit, “Okay, maybe I’m not totally useless,” and suddenly a bunch of other tasks feel doable. A focused, prolonged work also switches off the panic mode while promoting a much calmer System II thinking. 3.2. Meditation & breathing work. I’m still learning this myself, but it’s a proven way to slow down. If it’s your thing, dive in. 3.3. It’s not you—it’s fit. In roles above junior level, “chemistry” matters as much as skill. You’ll never know exactly why they passed—but chances are it was a mismatch: too loud/quiet, too seasoned/not seasoned enough, too independent/not enough. It’s not absolute—you just weren’t the perfect puzzle piece for that company culture. You’re not garbage.

4. The Universe has other plans for you.
   

Yes, I’m going mystical here—but hey, we’re using all the tricks. This mindset doesn’t just soothe; it sparks questions like: “What are the universe’s plans for me?” “What am I best at, so I can nail my destiny?” “Did I even want that job, or was I afraid to leap into the unknown?” It’s good stuff.

5. Yes, they still love you.

Reach out to people who will sit next to you when you're feeling low (wine is optional). Emotional warmth and good company are priceless when you feel rejected. And if you’re feeling up to it, volunteer to help someone in a tougher spot. Nothing zaps self-pity and temporary setbacks faster than lifting someone else.