What Ben Affleck Can Teach You About Career Rejection
Ben Affleck: One of Hollywood’s hottest actors, winner of multiple Academy Awards, and jack of many trades. He’s living the life, one hit at a time. He has earnings of $25 million as of June 2013. He’s a family man with three kids in tow. What could he possibly know about rejection, especially when it comes to his career? Quite a lot, apparently.
Affleck was recently chosen to star as the new Batman, a highly coveted role that has been played by stars like Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, and George Clooney. Though this was a win for Affleck, fans of the popular superhero were not impressed. Tidal waves of tweets were sent out, #Batfleck became the hashtag of the hour, and everyone seemed to have an opinion — a negative one, that is. People were overwhelmingly rejecting this decision, and it takes some thick skin to deal with that — even if you’re a millionaire movie star.
The same goes for your career. Situations like Ben Affleck’s can teach you a thing or two about perseverance. Here’s how you can get back on your feet after dealing with career rejection:
Assess the root of the rejection
Affleck has been snubbed for a number of reasons, from his public relationships to his accusations that he piggybacked his way to success. Though these claims and viewpoints may or may not be valid, understanding where they come from is an important lesson in insight.
Similarly, in your career you need to understand why you’ve been rejected from an organization or position. Maybe your cover letter was too long. Perhaps you don’t have the right qualifications, or you didn’t make eye contact during the interview. Or is your lack of attention to social networking killing your prospects? Do some digging, as well as some soul searching, in order to assess what the problem is.
Don’t listen to the haters
Affleck recently admitted that while he did take a peek at the interwebs regarding Batman, he quickly learned this wasn’t the way to go. He decided other people’s opinions aren’t important in this case.
The same goes for your career. Your parents could be getting on your case, or maybe your friends and colleagues continuously voice their opinion and what you’re doing wrong. The pressure may get to you, but In the end, it’s all about tuning out the haters and going down your own path. Though all advice should be welcomed and analyzed, your own goals should come first and foremost in order to create a more authentic and successful job search.
Create success on your own accord
This isn’t the first time Affleck has been rejected. His films have bombed. He’s been the butt of tabloid jokes. He wasn’t nominated for awards. But, this didn’t stop Affleck from creating success on his own accord. For example, even though he wasn’t nominated for an Emmy, he won the Best Director Oscar for “Argo.” He created success on his own accord.
Your career is much the same. Sometimes, you just have to go at it alone and make it happen. This may mean being more creative in your application materials, being bold in your follow-ups, or even making your own position. Whatever direction you decide to go down, you have to believe in your strengths and use them to create your own success.
Ben Affleck may have had his fair share of career rejection, but like him, you can rise above the snubs and get on with your search. After all, these lessons can translate into many aspects of your career, not just a job hunt. Not only will you be more well-rounded, you’ll be a better candidate and employee because of it.
What do you think? What are some other things Ben Affleck can teach you about career rejection?
Photo courtesy of Erin Lassahn Photography; Flickr
