Going Through a Major Career Failure? Here’s How You Can Overcome It!

So, you just got fired from your job. Or perhaps you’ve been working independently, but now that times are hard, it’s not turning out the way you expected. Despite our best efforts to avoid career failure, it nevertheless happens occasionally. Even the most successful persons in the world experienced challenges and failures. The fact is – no one likes to fail but failure, however, is inevitable.

It’s important to realise that how you respond to failure and move on is more significant than the failure itself. If you live long enough, you probably will experience setbacks and misfortunes a couple of times. 

Therefore, it’s crucial to keep in mind that failure is a necessary component of life. Consider it simply as a chance to gain new knowledge and as the first step on the path to achievement.

Here are some suggestions on how to move past a professional setback.

Don’t let a career failure break you

It might be simple to concentrate on the bad things that happen in both your professional and personal life while allowing the good things pass you by. And as a result of that attitude, it may seem normal to let a single failure totally change the course of your project or career.

When you have a setback, make an effort to look at the bright side of your circumstances. For instance, even if a risk was taken and it was unsuccessful, at least you took the risk in the first place! Even though things may not have gone according to plan, you shouldn’t let one slip-up, setback, or piece of negative criticism keep you from achieving your desired outcome.

Analyse the Causes For Your Failure

You can evaluate your professional failure critically by setting up a debrief with yourself. Set aside at least a two or three-hour period of time to sit down and write out the sequence of events that led to the failure.

Recognize the underlying reason for your failure. Think about the errors in the process with an aim to analyse thoroughly. Figure out as many events that contributed to your failure as you can. This will then enable you to organise your check list for the next step.

Take Control and Own Up to the Mistakes you Made

Take control of your predicament by accepting responsibility to it so it doesn’t control you. Accept that it happened and that it hurt, but realise that you cannot undo the past. 

Instead of accusing external factors like bad management and poor timings, own up to the role you played in it. Admit that you need to change yourself to succeed in your career and move on.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Experiment.

Try to re-frame your mistakes so that you can see them as career turning points. It might be time to attempt something new and risky if consistently doing things in the same way hasn’t generated any results. Explore new paths to see where they take you.

Learn From Those that Made it Through 

From Steve Jobs to Jennifer Lopez, almost every accomplished person has overcome some type of setback. However, for the majority of them, what once seemed to be huge, career-ending failures have now almost entirely been forgotten—surpassed by  spectacular successes.

So, when you have your own job setback, it can be helpful to consult with someone who can offer advice on how they overcame challenges to become stronger as a result. Seek advice from a passionate and determined friend. This not only helps you to refocus on your ultimate goal but also effectively cope with your feelings of defeat.

Make Your Next Career Move

In the end, you won’t be able to move on from your professional failure until you’ve started your next job, made the decision to devote yourself totally to freelancing, or launched a new firm.

Utilise your current networks, establish new contacts, begin applying for jobs, and when asked about a recent professional setback, thoughtfully explain what you’ve learned and how you’ve made the effort to make the most of the situation.

Show people that you can still give your best to make them believe that you have the ability to overcome your shortcomings, no matter how big.

Mentoria is Here to Help you Get Through Your Career Failure!

We’re here to provide you with all the help! Kick-start your career discovery journey with Mentoria and discover the right career fit for you. Feel free to call us to speak to our career mentors and choose the right career guidance plan that suits your needs.

Mentoria’s career guidance programme enables you to choose your perfect fit from 3 streams, 850+ courses, and 12,000+ careers, and discover what will bring out the best in you.