The Role of Resilience in the Job Search
We talk like it’s “easy” to be resilient. The reality is quite different.
The path from education to employment or full-time job to promotion has never felt more like finding your way through a dense, tangible fog in a labyrinth of shadows. Speaking to countless college students each year, I’ve observed a consistent pattern: an overwhelming sense of fear, discouragement, and a palpable feeling of uncertainty. And this is not just a casual observation but a cry I hear from the heart of a generation standing at the threshold of the future, daunted by what lies ahead.
The advice we traditionally give them — to persevere, maintain resilience, keep going, and believe that everything will work out in the end — while well-intentioned, usually misses the mark. I liken it to telling someone lost in a forest to simply “enjoy the scenery”.
Sure, the view might be beautiful, but it doesn’t change their reality that they still feel lost.
This article attempts to bridge that gap where I meet you amid your struggle, find you in your forest, and provide hope to combat your real fear of what lies ahead. And no, I won’t bore you with lofty ideals or distant goals but hopefully provide you with understanding, empathy, and a set of guiding principles of resilience…
