Step #1:         

Give the other person the benefit of the doubt and avoid jumping to conclusions. Sometimes what looks and feels very much like discrimination is something else entirely.

Everyone has challenges, and some folks wear their emotions on their sleeve. An interviewer may scowl because they recently discovered their child has a severe illness. Or perhaps it’s something else entirely, but still, nothing to do with you personally.

Step #2:

We don’t have to like it or approve of it, but we do need to realize that discrimination is a fact of life. It’s bound to happen at some point in your career – whether it’s ageism against older or younger candidates, sexism, bias against regional accents, xenophobia, prejudice against what school you went to, bias against your name, outright racism, or even “you-remind-me-of-someone-I-don’t-like-ism.”

The point is, nobody is immune, and nearly everyone has a bias of some kind. So experiencing it, in some form or another, is almost inevitable.

Step #3:

This is the most important. You can choose not to be, or remain, a victim. You don’t have to let discrimination prevent you from taking action, putting more irons in the fire, and landing your dream job.
Success is indeed the best revenge.

When you feel the sting of discrimination, instead of letting it control you, your emotions, or your future, redirect the energy of any anger you might feel into developing the ability to clearly communicate your worth. That way, you move forward and leave your discriminators behind to stew in their own negativity.

If you’d like help communicating your worth and finding ways to put more irons in the fire, Dream Job Formula shows you how to do that.