If you are looking for a new career or interviewing for a new role, here’s a great idea I recently came across in Joanne Lipman’s book, "Next": write a failure résumé
It may sound odd, even self-defeating, to list the failures and mistakes you made during your career, but hang on and keep reading. It actually makes sense!
OK, so why is listing setbacks actually a positive thing?
That is because listing failures will force you to elevate your self-awareness. You’ll start noticing patterns and habits.
Indeed, the first internal ping may incur a sense of shame, but if you move past the knee-jerk defense, real learning and reflection begin.
If you keep this exercise and revisit the list, the emotional sting will start to fade. You start viewing setbacks as experiments rather than defeats. That builds resilience and helps you show up authentically in interviews, especially when asked about challenges and what you learned from them. You’ll show that you evolve and learn.
How to create your résumé of setbacks and failures:
List setbacks without skipping any. The setbacks that sting most hide a lesson you really need to uncover.
When you’re done with the list, notice the patterns. What recurs? What was common among them?
Name the learning. What will you do differently next time?
Another great use - this idea works for dating and looking for a mate, too. Same process: track patterns, learn, adjust.
In Essence: Failures → Patterns → Learning → Resilience → Better Interviews (and better choices).
#CareerTransition #Interviews #FailureResume #GrowthMindset #SelfAwareness #NextChapter #LearningLoop