If you are a freelancer you will encounter many rejections especially if you are a beginner. Freelancing takes effort and time to become a career for a freelancer. 

The competitive nature of freelancing has made it a difficult journey. Some have stopped freelancing because of frequent rejection. A freelancer who has sent over 50 proposals to various job boards in a week with no response or a negative response is prone to quit and dump freelancing as a career choice.

If you face constant rejection, how can you cope? What can you do to keep trying? It is pertinent to discuss this topic today in this article.

How To Cope With Rejection As A Freelancer

The following are possible ways to cope with rejections as a freelancer.

1. Accepting Rejection

One way to cope with rejection as a freelancer is to accept that rejection is part of your freelancing journey. When you understand that there are two inevitable responses to any mail, pitch, proposal, and application you send and it can come as either a “yes” or a “no” then that can help you when dealing with any response you get. Accepting that this is a competitive industry and that sometimes it won’t work in your favor will help you deal with rejection as a freelancer.

2. Know Your Limit

Knowing you are limited to a certain job description or skill will help you in filtering the kind of jobs you apply for to reduce the level of rejection you receive from a proposal or a job application. Note that most remote jobs require some level of expertise that may be your skill level or area of expertise. Understanding your limit will help you access a job before applying.

3. Understand How Freelancing Works

Freelancing is a career that must be understood to avoid constant rejection. If you want to become a freelancer, you must study the Industry to fit in properly. Freelancing is a broad industry that requires time and effort to build as a career, it might be faster for some to land their first job while a bit slow for others, either way freelancing is profitable if you understand the Industry, have a high-income skill, have a good portfolio and a good proposal writing strategy.

4. Keep Trying

As freelancers, quitting should not be part of the plan even though the rejection surpasses the acceptance. A successful freelancer is birthed by the ability to keep trying. When you send a proposal or an application and don’t receive an offer, it simply means you should up your freelancing game either in your proposal, portfolio, or skill. 

If you do not send a proposal you are likely not to get a job, consistency is required on the part of every freelancer to get a job.

So never give up.

Tips On How To Get A Dream Job After Rejection

We have heard of the experiences of freelancers who were later accepted after a rejection. These are tips that can help you.

• Send a response to the recruiter that you appreciate their mail and would like to prove them wrong if they give you a chance. You can use this opportunity to highlight certain outstanding qualities that may not be contained in your proposal or CV. This kind of response should be short, less desperate, and specific. Recruiters can easily see you as a goal-getter when you do this.
• Keep an eye on available opportunities next time and reapply more strategically. You can turn on a notification for next time.
• Do proper research on the company and see areas they are lacking, offer to volunteer, intern, or apply directly with handy solutions to the problems.
• Upskill and prepare for the next opportunity. In case you discover why you were rejected before, learn more and try next time even for another organization.

What Recruiters Can Do To Help Applicant Cope

Recruiters have a role to play in making rejection less painful. Consider what recruiters can do

1. Give Reasons For Rejection

No doubt, it is a tedious job selecting the right candidate for a vacant position. In some cases, you might get thousand of applications for an advertised role and may find it difficult to respond to every applicant rape rejected ones but it is very crucial to send this message and point out essential reasons why a particular applicant is rejected. You can outline specific reasons and encourage the applicant to upskill or try again next time as this will give your brand a good name and help the freelancer cope.

2. Use A Subtle Tone

In sending a rejection mail, use a subtle tone in your message body. Include a brief encouragement and give the applicant a possibility of getting hired next time. A rejection letter that tears down the applicant will only give the freelancer a discouraging outlook.

3. Do Not Send A Rejection Message Twice

This can contribute to more grief for a rejected freelancer and might be a constant reminder that they failed. If you care about those who took out time to apply for a role, send a rejection mail once.

4. Delete the Job Posting If Not Vacant Anymore

If a position in your organization is not vacant anymore, delete the job posting to avoid further applications that will not be attended to. Ghosting an applicant is sometimes worse than rejecting them.

Conclusion

The topic discussed in this article is a sensitive topic that every freelancer can relate to. As much as people deal with rejection differently, this article has highlighted coping points that should help you. In all, remember that rejection now doesn’t determine your success in your freelancing career in the future. So do not give up.