A first among the three-part career panel webinar series at Asian Institute of Management, the AIM Career Services Office (CSO) hosted the virtual event entitled, “Moving Up and Building on Career Resilience in the Time of COVID-19” last 17 March 2021. AIM continues to provide learning opportunities for students and the community to help everyone deal with complexity and nuances in our current situation and to overcome immense feelings of anxiety in matters pertaining to careers. 

The webinar was graced by AIM’s President and Dean Jikyeong Kang who gave the opening remarks and AIM Associate Professor Richard Cruz as the facilitator. Distinguished panelists include Zaida Lazaro, Head of Internal Audit and Special Investigations of AXA Philippines; Wilson Toh, Offline to Online Adoption Lead of FairPrice Singapore; Hiyasmin Neri-Soyao, Managing Director of Shoppertainment Philippines; Martin Moron, Staff Leadership and Development Manager at World Vision Philippines; and Carlos Aboitiz, HEDCOR President and COO of Aboitiz Power.  

The panelists’ stories provided insights into their multiple vantage points as individuals and part of enterprises that turned things around during the pandemic. The impactful stories of senior leaders building resilient workforces and organizations, HR front liners ensuring the safety and wellbeing of staff and leaders nationwide, and career shifters transitioning from “pandemic-stricken” to “growth-area” industries all highlighted the advantages of networking and building core strengths such as discipline, high-adaptability, and self-mastery. 

Here are the Top 15 Tips on Career Resilience during COVID-19: 

1.     1. Keep a strong value system and use it as your true north. 
2.     2. Use past successes and confidence to motivate you forward. 
3.     3. Show compassion, work with your communities, and embrace empathy towards others. 
4.     4. Focus on your passion and don’t settle. 
5.     5. Desire and hustle can bring you further than you expect. 
6.     6. Open mind + Openness to help = Open doors 
7.     7. Observe, listen, and structure. Turn mistakes into useful learnings. 
8.     8. Companies hire according to purpose, core skills, and a person’s ability to learn and adapt quickly. 
9.     9. The moment you stop learning, you become obsolete. 
10.     10. Engage and be open. Ask questions through career conversations at any stage of your work life. 
11.     11. Adapt and continue to learn new things leveraging on digital technology and on people. 
12.     12. Be mindful that career overall is a full integration of your aspirations, family, and wellbeing. 
13.     13. Be empowered, learn more, and expand your vantage point. 
14.     14. Be responsive more frequently, create strong bonds, and lean on communities. 
15.     15. Focus on starting and taking small actionable steps. But above all, take that first step. 

 As Carlo Aboitiz quips, “We have to train our minds to focus our limited energy and time on what we can control. Surround yourself with people who love you.” Wilson Toh adds, “Create habits intentionally—doing things consistently both when things are good and when things are bad.” Difficult times like these shape us. Only by never giving up, looking ahead with a clear purpose, and acting quickly in the face of crisis can we bounce back and restore health, economies, and societies together.