Learning to be resilient

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even significant sources of risk -  American Psychological Association.

It's the ability to bounce back when something goes wrong rather than crack under pressure.

Resilience can be learned. It is like a muscle - you can’t exercise it unless you have a stressful event to react to.

So the more you get knocked down and get back up, the stronger and more fearless you become.

Having an effective network can help buffer you from potentially adverse career events. 

This means nurturing your existing network and establishing new connections over time. Remember to focus on building relationships, not contacts.

A personal brand is how you present yourself to the world. 

Be sure to clearly communicate who you are and what you do. Set short and long-term career goals for yourself and continuously reevaluate them over time.

Anything you can do to develop your expertise will help to increase your self-confidence and resiliency.

Continuous learning is a key component of career resilience. Stay up to date on the latest technology, take online courses and attend industry conferences. 

The next time you experience a career setback, just think back to a time in your life when you were able to persevere. You are more resilient than you realize.

Think of J.K. Rowling for example. The first Harry Potter manuscript was rejected by 12 major publishers before being accepted.