AIChE Conference Highlight – Persistence and the Art of Managing Rejection
June 15, 2021
“Every rejection, challenge, loss and failure is a gift to make me stronger and more persistent, agile, efficient, creative, productive, and aware.”
– Alaina Levine
“Persistence and the Art of Managing Rejection” was presented by Alaina Levine of Quantum Success Solutions at the 2020 AIChE Annual Student Conference. After making the summary statement highlighted above, Ms. Levine clarified that people are the sum of moments, not just one moment. Each rejection is a chance to solve the next problem and can help or prevent future challenges. Rejections are not always bad – they can be learning experiences to help prevent future rejections. Rejection does not equal failure: it means that you may have to solve the problem in a different way than others have solved the problem. Rejections do NOT mean that you do not have value, are not skilled, are not talented, are not brilliant, will get a “no” next time, or are not needed/wanted by other people. A rejection does mean that there may not be enough time, space, money, and/or opportunities to solve a problem at the current moment. Rejections mean that you may need to change your marketing approach (e.g., how you answer questions during an interview) and/or communication materials (e.g., the format of and information on your resume). Rejections also allow you to reflect on why you want the job or similar opportunities and to build your persistence.
By: Bradley Winters