Building Career Resilience During the Pandemic with Susanne Tedrick

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