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Building Career Resilience During the Pandemic with Susanne Tedrick
17:03 with TreehouseWhen pandemics and recessions hit, the job market is affected. However, there are ways to build your own career resilience and windows of opportunity for employment. In this session, Susanne Tedrick breaks down where opportunity lies in the tech industry, soft skills that will set you apart, and the importance of self care.
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So let's go ahead and
0:04
just talk about what the effects have
been since the pandemic started.
0:05
Unfortunately, every industry
has been impacted by COVID-19.
0:10
Some industries were
impacted more than others.
0:17
So thinking about retail, hospitality,
thinking about manufacturing or
0:21
anything that requires a lot of
human touch and human interaction.
0:27
Those businesses, unfortunately,
have felt more of
0:32
the brunt of what has happened
in the course of COVID-19.
0:37
The tech industry isn't immune.
0:42
You've probably seen a number of
different things in the news or
0:44
online about companies,
big tech companies,
0:49
that are doing layoffs and hiring freezes.
0:53
All of that being said, the tech
companies are actually still hiring and
0:57
perhaps hiring more so than any other
industries that are out there currently.
1:03
One of the visuals I was going
to show was from canva.com.
1:10
And of the 40 or so
different industries and companies,
1:13
it is the only industry that is
focused primarily on hiring.
1:19
And the reason that hiring is such
a big thing is that we've all kind of
1:25
changed how we do business
with one another.
1:30
What is our new normal.
1:33
For example, many companies instead
of doing things face-to-face,
1:35
having client meetings face-to-face, are
now just trying to interact over WebExs,
1:41
over Slack,
over other means of communication,
1:48
in order to advance their operations,
their jobs and to keep teams afloat.
1:51
And because this reliance on
technology is becoming more and
1:57
more prevalent, the tech companies,
in kind, have been trying to
2:02
make sure that essential workers
are there to meet this demand.
2:07
So you'll have things for
cybersecurity, DevOps,
2:12
things that require making
sure that websites and
2:17
services that are mission critical
are available to people to use 24/7.
2:21
So it's becoming more crucial for
2:27
technology companies to be able
to meet this rising demand.
2:30
And so with that framing the conversation,
2:35
let's talk a little bit
about career resilience.
2:39
So when we talk about resilience,
we talk about being able to withstand
2:44
the stress and anxiety of things that are
going on in the world and in your life.
2:49
Career resilience is
a little bit more specific.
2:54
It's talking about, how do you adjust
to career change when it happens?
2:59
How do you adapt to the market when
the market is telling you that these
3:05
are the skills that we need now versus
the ones that you currently have?
3:10
And then taking that further,
3:15
it's not only just endearing
what's going on with you.
3:17
It's also talking about
adopting healthy behaviors and
3:22
abilities and mindsets, so
that when things inevitably do happen,
3:27
that you're able to address them
rather quickly and be more efficient.
3:32
So it's important to kind of learn
those three elements of adapting,
3:38
being able to recover, and
address things as they come up.
3:44
And so we'll talk about that
in a little bit more detail.
3:50
Before the pandemic,
it was really important for
3:53
people to stay relevant in terms of
their career goals and career choices.
3:58
It is no longer the case that
you'll be able to have just
4:05
one job until you retire.
4:10
In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
has said that most people in the course
4:12
of their lifetime will have anywhere
from 11 to 12 jobs on average.
4:18
And those jobs are between
two to seven careers.
4:23
So clearly it's going to be much,
much different for
4:27
you than it probably was in the past.
4:32
But when you add in that added
stressor of the pandemic,
4:35
it takes things a little further.
4:39
For the pandemic, you have to focus on
the fact that there is no normal anymore.
4:42
It's different.
4:48
Most of you are probably going
to be working from home for
4:49
the foreseeable future or
having different types of orientation or
4:54
meetings at home versus
being in the office.
5:00
And a lot of tech company leaders
have indicated that their
5:04
intention is not to bring
some of these workers back.
5:10
They've realized so many benefits and
gains from doing things this way.
5:15
It really doesn't make sense to
kind of change the status quo.
5:20
So now that we know this,
how do we make sure that we're
5:23
being ready and being prepared for
all of this change?
5:28
And so
I focus on three very specific things.
5:33
The first is making sure that your
technical skill is up to par with
5:36
what's being asked.
5:41
And technical skill is anything that
can be measured in some way and
5:43
taught in some way,
kind of through exams or certifications.
5:48
So because of the pandemic, we're
noticing that there's an increase for
5:53
people to have cybersecurity skills
as well as agile frameworks for
5:59
developing software.
6:04
So thinking about Scrum, and
thinking about how do we improve
6:06
processes in the business so
that you can get things to market faster.
6:10
So thinking specifically about DevOps and
how we get both the operations and
6:15
development teams working
together to get code out faster.
6:20
So these are just some of the things
that were highlighted from dice.com,
6:25
which is a resource that I recommend in
terms of getting a pulse on what's going
6:29
on in the industry.
6:34
Then the second thing is soft skills.
6:35
Obviously, communication is going to be
more important since you're not in person.
6:38
But there's also something
to be said about networking.
6:43
Networking is going to be incredibly
important now more than ever, because
6:46
you're going to need people to tell
you what the pulse of the industry is.
6:52
And you're also going to need to know
how to uncover opportunities that
6:57
are not necessarily advertised.
7:01
So it's really important to kind of
continue to build your networks if
7:04
you haven't already done so, or start
building your network if you need to.
7:08
I also focus on future thinking.
7:13
Future thinking is incredibly important
because while you're focusing
7:16
on the skills that are necessary for
you now, you do need to think about,
7:22
well, what's going to be important for
me to know as things go on.
7:27
So for example, ThoughtWorks,
which is a consultancy
7:31
company publishes a semiyearly
publication on technology and
7:36
other related things that they
believe are on their up and
7:42
up, or you should be having focus, or
7:47
where you probably don't want
to spend as much of your time.
7:50
And so it's important not only to
see what's on the horizon, but
7:55
to get a better understanding of what
your skill sets are going to have to
8:00
be once you get to that point to make
sure that you're competitive and
8:05
that you're someone that's going to
be able to compete on that level.
8:09
And then finally, digital collaboration.
8:14
As we move more towards remote work,
8:18
having access to digital collaboration
tools is going to be key.
8:21
But knowing how to leverage them and
8:26
to utilize them is also going
to be incredibly important.
8:28
So you'll see things like Zoom,
and WebEx and, Slack,
8:33
all these different ways that we
can kind of talk to one another.
8:36
And the key will be remembering
what tool will work best for
8:40
your particular situation.
8:45
So if it's a matter of sharing a question
or just asking something really simple,
8:48
you can send a Slack message,
you could send an email.
8:55
If you're thinking about something
that is a little bit more complex,
8:59
something that requires a little bit
more discussion, it's going to be
9:04
really important to think about, well,
how do I wanna convey that message?
9:09
So in this case WebEx might be better,
or having a phone call might be better.
9:14
So just understanding
the tools that are out there,
9:20
getting to understand how
the platforms work, and
9:23
then making sure that you're using
the right tool for what you're doing.
9:27
And then finally, in the interest of time,
9:31
I did take some time to talk
a little bit about self care.
9:35
And self care is probably
the most important part of
9:40
building your career resiliency.
9:44
You're not going to be good at your job,
you're not gonna be
9:47
effective at learning,
you're not gonna be your best self for
9:52
other people if you are exhausted or
tired.
9:57
And it really is important that
you take that time to recharge,
10:00
to refresh, to take breaks.
10:06
It's really incumbent on you to do that.
10:08
And even I have to remind myself very
often that I need to stop and just rest.
10:12
So whenever possible, make sure that
you're spending time taking breaks,
10:18
as well as getting
an adequate amount of sleep.
10:24
You'll also wanna make sure that you
are okay from both a physical and
10:28
a mental health point.
10:33
Not so much just getting exercise and
proper nutrition, and rest,
10:35
then making sure that you're addressing
your mental health needs as possible.
10:40
So depression and anxiety,
unfortunately, are on the rise because
10:46
of everything that's going on, and
those things do need to be addressed.
10:51
So whether it's through a professional or
a loved one, or family member,
10:57
it's really important to make sure that
you're addressing those mental health
11:01
needs as much as possible.
11:05
And also make sure that you're
talking to your family and
11:07
your loved ones during this time.
11:12
Connections and communication
are incredibly important and you just
11:15
wanna make sure that you're, [SOUND]
Able to have that kind of discussion.
11:20
So, unfortunately,
I believe that we're running out of time.
11:25
But I thank you for your patience as we
work through the technical issues and
11:30
as I, [LAUGH] Walk through
this particular presentation.
11:36
But I would be more than happy to connect
with anyone that's interested in learning
11:41
more about how to stay resilient in their
careers and in their personal lives.
11:47
You can feel free to reach out to me
at my website on susannetedric.com.
11:53
Thank you.
11:58
It looks like we have a question.
11:59
What is the best way to continue to
network during these times with COVID.
12:03
So just touching briefly on that,
12:08
what you're doing now is
the best way to network.
12:11
So the Threehouse Festival,
there is a networking opportunity so
12:15
I would definitely take advantage and
leverage that as much as possible.
12:18
LinkedIn is always my favorite
way to network with people.
12:22
You can look up their backgrounds, not so
much just for jobs that you're interested
12:28
in now, but ones in the future, and
set up informational interviews.
12:33
If you're part of any professional
organisations, also have ways to connect
12:38
with one another virtually through
virtual happy hours and the like.
12:45
[SOUND] And
how do you deal with imposter syndrome?
12:51
So this is actually something
I deal with all the time.
12:57
And I think the important thing is
when you have that negative thought
13:02
that's coming into your head that
I'm not the right person for this,
13:08
I'm not ready for this,
They should have picked another person.
13:13
It's sometimes helpful to kind
of challenge the thought and
13:18
kind of think about, well, what it is
exactly that is causing this anxiety.
13:24
Is it because I don't feel like
my skill set is up to speed?
13:30
Is it because I don't feel
confident when I talk, or
13:36
confident when I'm in certain situations?
13:40
Or is it just my anxiety and overdrive?
13:43
I found it really helpful to kind of
talk through where I think the sources
13:48
of my anxiety are in terms of having
those imposter syndrome thoughts.
13:53
And then talking with a good colleague,
or mentor, or friend,
13:58
and kind of talking through
that a little further.
14:02
So if it is an issue of I don't feel
like I have the adequate skill,
14:06
how do I make sure that, okay,
I can get that skill if I needed or
14:12
having someone verify it's all in your
head, you have that skill automatically.
14:18
Will the pandemic make it more difficult
for entry level people to get a career?
14:25
I would say that the pandemic in general
is making it difficult for everyone.
14:31
In terms of entry level careers,
14:39
I think it depends on like where
exactly we're talking about.
14:42
As I said, in the tech industry,
there's all kinds of opportunities,
14:48
so it's really more of a matter
of doing that due diligence.
14:53
Finding where the opportunities lie and
opening yourself up to kind of pursuing
14:58
that a little further in some careers
that might be a little harder.
15:05
I think it's just kind of reframing
the challenge a little bit,
15:11
to kind of reframe how we've
typically looked for jobs,
15:15
how we've typically reached out for people
and being creative in our problem solving.
15:19
So again, using more online resources,
looking in new places
15:25
that perhaps you probably didn't look
before, and kind of rolling with that.
15:30
So I don't think that for
entry level careers it's difficult.
15:36
It's just more a matter
of reframing how you've
15:40
typically gone about looking for careers.
15:45
What is the most successful thing you
have experienced in the tech industry?
15:49
I think for myself the most successful
15:53
was helping a colleague
achieve their success.
15:59
And I know that might sound a little
counter, [LAUGH] Counter intuitive,
16:06
but it meant that I had come
to a place where not only
16:13
was I able to transfer my
skills to someone else.
16:18
But I was able to help somebody realize
their own dreams and aspirations.
16:23
And really kind of coach them through and
16:29
handhold as they kind of went through both
the highs and the lows of finding a job,
16:32
having job interviews and then dealing
with stressors of being on the job.
16:38
So for me seeing my colleagues success
16:43
made me feel good because I knew that that
16:48
was a very integral part of my success.
16:53
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