Journalist shares five crucial questions to ask when facing rejection in workplaces

At a certain point in life, we all have had to deal with rejection. While we can face rejection in many aspects of life, the most common among them is the one we face at work. It is the absolute worst. An Emmy-award-winning journalist and TEDx speaker, Jessica Chen—who goes by @jessicachenpage on TikTok—talked about how to deal with rejection at work better and the aftermath of the same.

Chen begins her video by mentioning that getting rejected at work isn't a good feeling, which surely hurts. However, to be successful at work, she says that one needs to figure out how to deal with rejection better. However, in a workspace, we often have to continuously put ourselves out there. The only assured way to get opportunities to grow at a workplace is to constantly take initiative and be proactive. She adds, "So if you find yourself constantly dwelling in rejection and ruminating over it, follow my five W framework." She then goes on to explain what is it.

Basically, her given W framework involves asking ourselves questions, which allows us to deal with rejection better. She says the first W is asking yourself, "Who else can I reach out to, to help me with this idea or this pitch that I have?" It allows you to do two things. One, it gives you the chance to have someone with a different perspective look at your pitch, which can provide you with additional insights. Secondly, it will also boost your confidence concerning your idea.

The next W on her list was, "What can I include next time to improve my chances and make a stronger ask?" The main aim for asking this is to understand what else and more one can do in order to not be rejected.

The third W on her list was, "When can I start making these changes? Is it now or maybe next week?" And this is a very valid question. Rejection should not slow you down. Instead, it should cause a fire that pushes you to do better and get better. It brings us to her fourth W, which is, "Where else can I go to find maybe the same opportunity if this one is not working?" If you really want the same opportunity you get rejected for, it is never unwise to keep looking for similar roles until you find one that fits you. Knowing what you want and going for it is never a bad idea when it comes to the workplace.

Lastly, she reached the last W of the list. It is, "Why do I think it didn't work out this time?" It is the most important question of them all. The reason is it is introspective. Asking yourself exactly where you faltered can allow you to work on your problem areas better, which in case increases the probability of your growth. Chen says that if one follows the Five W framework, one can take a proactive approach to put oneself out there. She ends her video by asking viewers not to dwell on their rejection and instead try this Five W framework the next time. After all, trying out new things for growth is never a bad idea.