I did this TEDx on resilience a few years ago because I found resilience to be such a useful skill in my life. Once I recognized that resilience is actually a skill that can be learned, I became super interested in it and really dove into the research. And, as you probably already know, finding and landing the job that’s right for you is hard and requires a TON of resilience. I often get asked why I chose resilience as a topic and here are my top 5 reasons which may also apply to you…

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1. My career has not been linear

This is actually a *strength* – not a weakness – as long as I can package it well. I chose a topic that I knew would always be in line with any job I pursued (this was way before I started my career and salary negotiation coaching full-time 4.5 years ago).

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2. Since we’ll all change jobs many times in our careers, we need to learn how to figure out our next step…again and again

I was working as a Director at a tech company at the time I did my TEDx on resilience but I knew that I would eventually move on (most of us will change jobs many times through our careers). I didn’t know what my next step would be after my Director role. I actually wasn’t even thinking about it at that point. What I DID know was that I would probably change jobs within 2-3 years (and I was right btw). I strategically chose a topic that I new would be important to me beyond the job I was in at the time and that I could leverage for my personal branding.

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3. Things can live on the internet forever – use that to your advantage.

I knew that this video – even if it only got 3 views – would show up on the first page of my Google results search whenever potential employers (or nowadays, potential clients) were doing a Google search. It’s still one of the first things that show up in my search results.

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4. Resilience is necessary to figure out the next step in your career – especially if you’re dealing with career grief.

Working with 500+ clients in 13 countries has showed me that resilience is one of the most useful skills to develop in careers (and life). Resilience is also super useful to me, personally. Doing this TEDx was in itself an exercise of resilience. And when 100,000+ end up watching a TEDx about resilience, it tells me that this is a skill that people want. Building your resilience skill can be especially helpful if you’re dealing with career grief.

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5. Efficiency!

I’ve shared this research and strategies with so many people over the years that I knew that if I created a video, I could just send people the link. I’m such a nerd, I know.

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HOWEVER If I could do this TEDx again…

There’s so much that I would add. Since I can’t update my TEDx, please read the points below before you watch it:

• I now take more of a systemic view of resilience. At the time, I didn’t fully recognize factors like power, privilege, and systemic racism that can contribute to how easy or how hard it can be for you to build resilience. As a result, this is a big gap in my TEDx because I didn’t raise these issues.
• Yes, we are all responsible for our own actions AND I believe it’s also important to acknowledge that we exist within an inequitable system.
• I also now recognize how community and genuine support and encouragement can help us build resilience. It’s easier to figure out your next step when you have someone – or many people – supporting your process (this can also a form of privilege that not everyone has access to).

Please keep these things in mind as you watch.

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Thinking about the next step in your career?

I’d love to help you find and land the job (and workplace) that’s right for you with Guidance Counselling for Adults.

In Guidance Counselling for Adults, we’ll work together for 2 weeks (with 6 mths support) to figure out your priorities, frame your experience (even if you’ve had a non-linear career), and use the NEW way to job search and explore careers/orgs simultaneously. All without resumes or gross networking ♥️

GCA is the same process that has helped my clients land their ideal jobs with salary increases of over $50,000.

Click here for more details.

PS: I only facilitate Guidance Counselling for Adults 4-5 times a year so if you want to get working on your next step, check out GCA now.