What is Career Resilience?

The most accurate technical definition of career resilience (CR) is: “effective vocational functioning under disabling circumstances” (source).

This is useful, because it emphasizes the ability to continue doing well, even when faced with significant obstacles like economic downturns or industry disruptions – like the ones we are experiencing right now…

More colloquially, career resilience is “the ability to cope and persevere in times of stress and change”. What’s useful about this definition is how CR is framed – it’s not an innate trait, but a skill that can be learned and developed over time (source).

Our definition sets a higher bar (since our students are typically in the top 10% of the workforce) and goes a step further: career resilience is maintaining a stable and growing career regardless of market conditions.

It’s a cliche… But… If you have career resilience, you don’t just survive economic uncertainty – you thrive, finding ways to continuously advance your career while others stagnate.

Why Does Career Resilience Matter?

In the past, many companies offered lifetime employment. Or at least, they had that attitude…

The social contract was clear: you work for us, we take care of you.

In fact, corporations viewed themselves as part of a community, with responsibilities that extended beyond just profit. Some even boasted about the taxes they paid, which they considered a reflection of their commitment to society at large.

But then, in the early 70s, something changed – society adopted the Friedman Doctrine. According to this philosophy, the sole responsibility of a corporation is to its shareholders. Employees are no longer seen as partners; they are now treated as expendable resources (Hint: HR means human resources for a reason…)

This dramatic change means that to survive – and to thrive – in today’s corporate world, you need to embrace a set of principles that was entirely absent from our current culture and education system.

The core problem is that our education system and culture at large, still trains people with the ethos of the 1950s and 60s (think that glorious protestant work ethic), for a world where corporations were trustworthy and took care of their employees.

In reality, this is no longer the case.

Current Times Demand Career Resilience

Today, you must actively, and aggressively, look out for yourself. And this begins with your attitude…

Of course, there are some hints of growing awareness of these problems in mainstream institutions and even some recommendations for change. For instance, you can find articles and books with words like: “…companies will have to be much more open with them [employees] than most have traditionally been. Management must maintain a continuing dialogue about the company’s business direction and what is happening in its markets. How else can employees determine which skills the company will need down the road? How else can they decide whether they want to develop those skills – or prepare to leave? Managers have an obligation to give employees as much time as possible to prepare for the future…” (source).

Unfortunately, such sentiments, although nice, are doomed to be trapped in the world of lip service.

You see…

As long as the fundamental legal framework of the Friedman Doctrine remains unchanged, corporations will continue to be legally bound to prioritize shareholder interests, not employee well-being.

And remember: it’s more profitable to keep totalitarian control over your workforce, keeping them in the dark about your strategic plans and squeezing every ounce of labor from them even if it destroys the future prospects of that employee. Companies will never drop the Friedman Doctrine and give you a secure, stable work environment where career resilience is unnecessary.

Meaning: expecting better behavior from employers is a losing game. Current times demand self-directed, self-empowering, and self-centered career resilience.

How to do “Career Resilience”: Your Foundation

First of all, recognize this truth: your company, your manager, and your supervisor are not on your side.

In fact, as the literature highlights, when it comes to career resilience, individuals and corporations often have conflicting agendas. While individuals may view resilience as job security or personal growth – including psychological or even spiritual growth – corporations define “career resilience” as a tool to protect their bottom line (source).

Therefore, to succeed in this environment and develop the kind of career resilience that serves your interest, your approach to career resilience must be based on a self-serving, rational, and egoistic outlook.

Or in simpler terms…

When in Rome, Do As The Romans Do…

You need to learn how to think like a corporation.

This is not just a suggestion – it’s an absolute necessity.

The corporate world operates on the principles of egoism and rational self-interest. If you assume otherwise, you’re setting yourself up to be exploited.

While our culture promotes altruistic values in many aspects of life, it’s critical to compartmentalize when it comes to your career. When it’s business, you need to learn how to mean business…

Keep in mind, you are not at work to “give back” or be loyal to any organization beyond what is directly beneficial to you. Any other approach opens the door to being taken advantage of.

Again: If you fail to embody self-serving, egoistic values in your professional life, you will be exploited. Period.

The corporate machine has no regard for any values beyond the bottom line, and neither should you when it comes to managing your career.

Assuming you start from this foundation – the values of rational self-interest and egoism – here’s how you build career resilience…

The 4 Pillars of Career Resilience

There are four pillars and a cherry on top…

Pillar 1: Expect Setbacks, Don’t React to Them

The first pillar of career resilience is to expect setbacks and, crucially, not react to them.

This requires deliberate control over your attitude…

When you expect setbacks, you can observe them objectively without being drawn into emotional responses or reactions.

This approach, of course, is easier said than done, but our students typically do well in this area, precisely because we cultivate a mindset of expecting setbacks. When you know they are coming, you can start seeing them coming from a mile away. This not only gives you ample time to prepare, but it also mitigates the shock and horror of the setback – especially for the worst kinds of setbacks that plague the corporate world.

Let us assure you too: setbacks are always coming – sometimes you can dodge them, other times, you need to manage them. But you need to be always ready for them.

We also flat out tell our students: it’s a jungle out there, and it’s best to assume that they are after you. (No, of course, objectively they are not – but act as if and you’ll do better.)

Assume that when you stumble, they will push you down. When you fall down, expect the kick. In fact, if they could, they would incarcerate you and get you working for free (and in many states, they literally do, and they get away with it – look into prison labor if you’re curious.)

In summary, here’s the attitude we recommend: Expect the worst. Be ready for the worst. But navigate toward the best with a smile.

That’s the first pillar of career resilience.

By the way… We don’t recommend this “non-reaction with a smile” attitude for moral reasons or to make you into a nicer professional. Far from it…

We recommend it for entirely practical reasons: your attitude should be under your control and serve your interests, not manipulated by external forces or driven by your inherited evolutionary baggage (hint: the human animal has a need to belong and will bend over backwards to do so – and your need to belong to your corporation is one of the biggest weapons in HR’s arsenal.)

Equipoise, or At The Very Least, Gratitude

Remember: Reacting emotionally disempowers you, making you vulnerable to manipulation.

Maintaining an attitude of equipoise – calm in the face of adversity – is ideal. And if calm isn’t possible, at the very least, cultivate gratitude. Research shows that gratitude influences career success by enhancing resilience. In fact, traits like conscientiousness and extraversion amplify the positive effect of gratitude on career resilience, which then directly helps career success (source).

In short, mastering your emotional responses and expecting setbacks gives you a tactical advantage. It positions you as a resilient, level-headed professional who can navigate the unpredictable job market of today.

Pillar 2: Personal Ecosystem of Support

The second pillar of career resilience is building and maintaining a personal ecosystem of support. This is about surrounding yourself with individuals who genuinely support you, both inside and outside of work.

Your support system can take many forms:

  • Friends at work, who understand the frustrating, even infuriating situations you face pretty much daily (many professionals do), and can relate to the specifics of your environment.
  • Friends outside of work, offering you a fresh perspective and emotional distance from your job.
  • Friends in real life or online – whether they’re in chat rooms, online games, or even anonymous forums – are all valuable. Even the troll you argue with over Reddit comments can be of benefit, by becoming a focus of your negative emotion and a tool for catharsis.
  • Friends who listen and allow you to talk through your troubles, whether or not they have solutions to offer.
  • Friends who help you decompress and take your mind off of work.

As you can see, the keyword of the second pillar is “friends”. If we want career resilience, we need friends.

Having people you can talk to – who understand what you’re going through and provide a space to decompress – gives you a secret power. They keep you grounded and able to maintain perspective.

Perspective is power. Perspective is resilience.

Pillar 3: Expanding Your Professional Network

The third pillar of career resilience is having an expanding professional network.

This, of course, is critical because one of the most important components of career resilience is the ability to leave your job if necessary. Moreover, relying solely on your current employer for career growth is a recipe for stagnation or worse – career derailment.

Keep in mind, for most people, job hunting is an unpleasant and often frustrating process. Which is yet another reason why having a network that can get you jobs is essential. Even better is a network that can get you access to high-value jobs…

Remember, the best opportunities are often part of the hidden job market – jobs that are never posted publicly. These jobs are filled through personal referrals and industry insiders.

To access this market, you need to go beyond your personal support system of friends. What you need is a second circle of weak connections, professional contacts and positive acquaintances (Hint: positive means they think well of you.) These individuals may not be close friends, but they have the potential to connect you to gatekeepers and decision makers.

An expanding network increases your access to new roles and career paths, ultimately building and reinforcing your career, giving you career resilience regardless of how uncertain the job market becomes.

Pillar 4: Continuous Learning

In today’s corporate world, you are only as good as your last accomplishment…

Which is why, the fourth and final pillar of career resilience is continuous learning.

(Sidenote: In the corporate world, theoretical knowledge is not valuable. Only practical application of a skill – or an accomplishment – is valuable. When we say “continuous learning”, we mean continuously expanding your marketable accomplishments. It’s not just reading books or watching videos. It’s building your Instant Track Record.)

In today’s hyper-competitive job market, your skills must evolve constantly. This means learning and applying that which you learn, on a recurring basis.

And given that not every skill is equally valuable, what exactly should you be learning and practicing?

The Five Core Skills and Seven High-Value Disciplines, of course!

These skills and disciplines are in high-demand, and will remain so for at least the next two decades (see World Economic Forum – The Future of Jobs Report), because employers are desperate for talent in these areas. Cultivating them gives you a disproportionate advantage, positioning you as a top-tier candidate in any industry.

When you focus on these essential skills, you not only keep up with industry trends but become indispensable.

Being indispensable is the key to career resilience.

This is truly worth reiterating: The importance of continuous learning can’t be overstated!

The professionals who thrive during economic uncertainty are those who actively pursue new knowledge, new credentials, and new demonstrations of expertise (i.e. track record).

This strategy keeps you relevant and in control, no matter how the market shifts.

The Roof of Your Temple: Learn the Language of Value

Having the skill is only half the equation.

Equally important is your ability to communicate that you possess these skills and experiences employers are hungry for. How you get in front of decision makers, how you catch their attention, and how you convey your value matters significantly.

And the devil is truly in the details…

There are countless popular yet genuinely terrible ways to advertise yourself, many of which can short-sell your capabilities or misrepresent your expertise. Conversely, there are a handful of effective strategies for demonstrating your expertise in a way that resonates with the expectations and biases of the job market.

In today’s hyper-competitive world, you need to understand what HR professionals, hiring managers, decision-makers, and top executives actually want – but will not say due to political or cultural pressures…

What do they see as truly valuable? What catches their attention? What compels them to view you as an asset? What gets them to reach out to you and even chase you? What makes you irreplaceable?

The answer is simpler than you might think: It’s an idea you create in their mind…

And that idea is created through your usage of the Language of Value.

This language goes beyond mere qualifications; it involves articulating your skills in a way that aligns with what employers – or more accurately, their brains – are seeking. It’s about getting their brain on your side.

It’s about creating a compelling narrative around your capabilities, leading to positions reserved for only the most sought-after candidates.

Conclusion

The four pillars of career resilience we’ve discussed – expecting but not reacting to setbacks, cultivating a personal ecosystem of support, expanding your professional network, and committing to continuous learning – are essential for navigating the unpredictable landscape of today’s job market.

However, merely implementing these pillars is not always enough. To truly master your career, and turn the tables with the corporate world, you also need to master the Language of Value.

This mastery grants you true optionality – the freedom to choose where you work, regardless of market conditions.

Remember: In any market, some sectors grow. Some companies excel. And some roles take a lion’s share of salaries.

Real career resilience – if we stop mincing words and get to the bottom of it – comes from becoming one of the rare individuals who have the power to rise, and become entitled to that lion’s share.

In other words, career resilience is the result of empowering yourself.

Anything anyone says otherwise – is a cope.