Why rejection hits harder at mid-career levels

Mid-senior level job seekers are in a strange phase- they aren’t junior anymore, where opportunities are plentiful and rejection is routine, but they also aren’t senior enough to be courted by executive search firms who are pitching them to companies. These job seekers need to advocate for themselves and they don’t always have someone to turn to for support in the hiring process. 

The reasons rejection hits harder at this level are many, but ultimately, it comes down to the fact that the stakes are higher and the rejections feel more personal. For better or for worse, rejection feels routine for more junior professionals. Although it stings, they often consider it the result of a numbers game and they move on to the next opportunity. For experienced professionals though, there are simply less seats at the table. Scarcity makes the stakes feel higher as it might be months before they find another opportunity that aligns with their goals. 

Rejections at more junior levels are also usually for more concrete reasons like a lack of experience or a missing skill. For mid-senior level roles though, candidates are being evaluated on more than their technical skills. Personality, leadership style, industry reputation, public persona and more are considerations. It can feel like a company isn’t rejecting a resume, but you personally. 

If this all sounds familiar- you’re probably job searching right now. Here is what you can do to lessen the sting of rejection.

First of all, understand that you’re only observing a piece of the process. You never know what drives a final hiring decision and that decision is almost always entirely out of your control. Internal politics, board pressure, changing business priorities, internal candidates, timing, and much more can impact hiring decisions. The reasons for rejection are far more often structural than it is personal. In a market like this one, companies are feeling as uncertain about the future as job seekers are and they don’t always know what they want. Many roles start out as an ideal “unicorn” job description and companies start to adjust their requirements as they meet talent. The role you interviewed for might be completely different from the one they hired for.

Try to avoid the new job daydream. When an opportunity excites us, it can be easy to start to reimagine your life around it. You picture yourself leaving your current role and what you would do in your new role. This is especially true in long hiring processes, as ones for mid-senior level jobs tend to be. Don’t let yourself get too caught up in the daydream, staying grounded in your current reality will help you avoid getting emotionally overinvested.

Recenter yourself and your job search after a rejection. If it feels like you just invested a lot of time and effort into something, you did. So many people make the mistake of immediately jumping into another hiring process to avoid feeling any loss of momentum, but this can be a mistake. Don’t pursue another role just for the sake of it, make sure your next move is intentional. Instead, take time to recenter yourself before you jump directly into something new. Collect information from the last process- has it changed your goals for your next role at all? Does it impact the kinds of companies you’re going after or the strategy you’re bringing to interviews?

Lastly, go back to the basics. Double down on networking, reconnect with peers, previous colleagues and mentors. Do regular research on movers in your industry so you have a good idea of who is hiring people with your skillset. Go back to your resume and your LinkedIn and decide if your narrative is serving you. How are you positioning yourself? Is this story consistent with the roles you’re applying for? Going back to basics will help you redirect frustration into action and allow more opportunities to come your way.

Rejection is always hard, but it is a part of the process. Remember that a job search at your level can easily take many months. Keep at it and remember to focus on what you can control.