PEPPER YOUR TALK ARTICLE - BUILDING RESILIENCE: HOW TO BOUNCE BACK FROM CAREER KNOCKBACKS

The fashion industry is notoriously cutthroat. As they say on Project Runway ‘One minute you’re in, the next you’re out. Take the once lauded industry darling – Hedi Slimane – who, as Creative Director of Dior Homme, inspired the late Karl Lagerfeld to slim down several sizes in order to fit into his collections. Fast-forward to September 2018, and Paris Fashion Week where his much-awaited debut for Celine was, to put it politely, slated. So, how do you bounce back after a week of unending critique? Well, if you’re Hedi you shake it off, stick to your vision and come back with a collection that sets the trend for the coming Fall ’19 season – that’s the New Bourgeois – in case you were wondering. With this and your own career in mind, how do you learn to build resilience along your journey, so you can come back fighting after any setback, rejection, or bad review? Take it from someone who has had to pivot her career 3 times, resiliency is key and it’s the only thing – alongside your talent – that will set you up for your future. So how can you learn how to harness it? I aim to outline the 3 key ways in which you can anticipate, challenge, and move through the main obstacles that you may face in your career. RESILIENCY FOR WHEN YOU LEVEL UP ENTRY LEVEL – Going from fashion graduate to entry-level employee will be a time when you will probably work the hardest for the least recognition. Even after you have been sent out for the boss’ millionth Starbucks and you find yourself questioning your own sanity. Try to remember that in doing these small tasks with a smile and willing attitude, you are making yourself indispensable to the team. This is your growth phase where you should be constantly listening and learning. Steaming gowns for a photo-shoot? Pay attention to how the stylist is putting together their looks. Fact checking for an Editor? Read and re-read her copy to absorb her tone and how she connects with her readers. Use every task that you are set, however mundane, as an opportunity to grow your skills base, to help you work towards your goals. Always keep the bigger picture of where you want to be in the future, front and centre, so on the day you’re running all over London delivering 100 opening night invitations for the V&A, you’ll remember that one day it may be you writing the guest list. To read the full article on the Pepper Your Talk platform, click on the link below https://www.pepperyourtalk.co.uk/how-to-bounce-back-from-career-knockbacks/ Image Credit - @anaharddesign