As 2022 ended, many in our community were impacted by layoffs. When I learned of the job losses at companies such asPluralsight,Podium, andRoute, it reminded me of my own layoff experience years ago. Even though nearly two decades have passed, I still remember the range of emotions I felt—upset, angry, betrayed, worried, and uncertain about the future. I was so disappointed; I loved that job. Some have said that you can’t connect the dots of your life looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. And that has certainly been true for me. Looking back, I can see that layoff prompted me to return to school to finish my degree. That layoff set me on a trajectory where I met some of the most impactful mentors in my life. That layoff expanded my thinking on where I might leverage my interests and skills, eventually transitioning from industry to higher education. And as an academic, that layoff has kept me interested in following research on career shocks, setbacks, and resilience. From that, I now know there are things we can dotodayto buffer the impact of negative career shocks that may come in the future and navigate setbacks effectively.

A career shock is a distinct and impactful event that triggers deliberation about potential career transitions, such as acquiring new skills, searching for a new job, changing occupations, relocating, or retiring. While career shocks can be positive (e.g., an unexpected promotion), negative career shocks (e.g., a poor performance review, a demotion, or job loss) tend to be more salient. These often intersect with our personal lives and can put us in a state where we find more questions than answers. We are more prepared for adverse career shocks and can navigate them more effectively when we employ psychological and behavioral strategies.

Psychologically, building resilience, fostering a growth mindset, and thinking deeply about what we want and need from our careers are critical. My colleague,Angela Schill,recently wrote a piece about ways tobuild resilience through self-compassion. Other sources of resilience include:

• Managing emotions (e.g., expressive writing and labeling thoughts and feelings),
• Engaging in physical activities, and
• Tapping into psychological characteristics associated with a strong leader character (e.g., ability to forgive and courage to face the unknown).

As we build our resilience, we can likewisecultivate a growth mindset, for example, by reflecting on what we can learn from our experiences and by focusing on things we can change. It is also valuable to periodically reflect on what we want and need from our careers, as these change over time. Compared to focusing on narrow career outcomes, pursuing goals that deliver multiple career outcomes (e.g., opportunity for impact, financial outcomes, learning and development, work-life balance) can enable us to bounce back from career shocks more effectively.

Behavioral strategies, such as fostering meaningful connections and building a strong network, can also buffer the adverse impacts of career shocks. The power of connections and social support was illustrated recently by the tech industry job fair organized bySilicon Slopeson just a few days’ notice. When considering career success and performance, social capital (i.e., resources available to us through our networks) is a multiplier of human capital (i.e., knowledge, skills, and experience). The best time to build effective networks is before we need them, and we should attend to developmental, operational,andstrategic networks. This is particularly important for women, as research has shown that, compared to men, women develop less effective networks in terms of the size, quality, and power of their networks.

Utah Valley Universityoffers expansive opportunities to help individuals develop the characteristics and strategies discussed here. For example, theUVU Women in Business Impact LabatWoodbury School of Businesshosts the Impact Development and Engagement Network (D.E.N.), a monthly gathering where community members can join with industry and academic leaders for a learn-and-network breakfast event. The WBIL team would love to see you at our January 18th event, featuringNikki Walker, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion atDomoNikki will share lessons learned from Domo's extensive work in advancing gender equality and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion more broadly.To attend the event, register here by January 10th.UVU Professional Educationis another great resource with diverse types of transformationalprogramsthat facilitate skill, network, and character development. For instance, theWomen's Leadership Certificate Programis grounded in research on leader character, which has been empirically linked to individual, team, and organizational performance and has become increasingly important to corporate board governance. And for those contemplating a return to school to finish a degree like I once was, know that nearly 30% of UVU’s student body are nontraditional students. We have a wealth of resources to help students of all backgrounds succeed, including theUVU Women's Intercultural Engagement Program, which works with students to remove barriers to graduation and navigate the landscape of higher education.