Power skills | Development
Overcoming career setbacks
Whether it is failing an exam, missing out on a promotion or making a mistake at work, such moments can feel overwhelming. But it’s not the setback that matters as much as the way you respond to it
Words Sophie Cross Illustration iStock
When something goes wrong, your first instinct might be to panic or assume you are not cut out for the profession. But setbacks are not personal failures – they’re valuable experiences and lessons to take forward.
Failing an exam doesn’t mean you can’t be an accountant, but it might mean your revision technique needs adjusting or that you are trying to memorise concepts rather than understanding them. And missing out on a promotion doesn’t reflect your self-worth, but it could indicate you need to make your achievements more visible or that you need to develop specific skills that the role requires.
The skill is to reframe what has happened, so instead of asking “Why did this happen to me?”, try “What is this telling me?” This shift moves you from feeling like a victim to feeling empowered.
Resilience through reflection
Resilience can be built upon and improved with practice, like any other skill. Having resilience means having a process to work through setbacks and the best way to start is with honest reflection.
Give yourself 24 hours to feel disappointed (treat yourself kindly and have some rest), then ask yourself three questions:
- What actually happened? Write down the facts without writing down any judgment or how you felt about it: “I didn’t pass my exam” rather than “I’m terrible at exams.” Writing this down instead of just thinking it through will help you process better.
- What factors contributed to this? Consider everything. For example, your preparation time, study methods, external circumstances and areas where your knowledge was weak.
- What can I control going forward? This part is really important because you can only make changes to the things you can control. You can't change exam questions, but you can change how you prepare. You can't control redundancy decisions, but you can control how you present yourself in future interviews.
If you didn’t get offered a promotion you went for, or you face redundancy, you might spend time wondering what you did wrong, but often these decisions reflect broader business circumstances rather than your individual performance. What you can control is your response: updating your CV, reaching out to your network through your AAT connections and staying visible on LinkedIn.
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Celebrate what went right
Even when something goes wrong, rarely does everything go wrong. Perhaps you didn’t pass your exam but you improved your score from last time; maybe you didn’t get the promotion but the interview experience was valuable; or you made a mistake but caught it before it caused serious problems. Being able to find some positives (however small) among what feels like a setback stops you from catastrophising. These small wins provide evidence that you're making progress, even when the overall outcome has caused initial disappointment.
“The skill is to reframe what has happened, so instead of asking ‘Why did this happen to me?’, try ‘What is this telling me?”
Develop problem-solving skills
Another way that you can reframe a setback is as a problem waiting to be solved. You can choose whether you'll solve it reactively or strategically. Try following these steps:
- Break the problem down into manageable parts. If you've made a client work error, fix the immediate mistake but also analyse why it happened. Was it time pressure? Unclear instructions? A gap in your technical knowledge? The cause will determine the type of solution you’ll need to prevent it from happening again.
- Gain some perspective. Talk to your manager, a mentor, or fellow AAT members through the Knowledge Hub or local branch networks. People who've experienced similar setbacks can often offer answers you might not have considered.
- Create an action plan. Make sure it has specific steps that feel manageable. Vague intentions such as “I’ll work harder” rarely make a difference, but concrete tasks such as “I’ll complete three practice papers each week and review any incorrect answers with my tutor” give you something solid to work with.
Create your development plan
Get creative – it’s your action plan. Make it visually appealing, in a format you will use and put it somewhere you’ll look at it.
Prioritise two or three skills to address over the next six months rather than attempting to tackle everything simultaneously. For each skill, think about what you think will be the most effective development method – courses, on-the-job learning, reading or shadowing colleagues.
Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, actionable goals with realistic timelines). Instead of the vague “improve Excel skills”, use the clearer and more concrete “complete advanced Excel training and use pivot tables confidently in monthly reporting by December”.
Regularly review your plan to ensure your development stays on track, remains relevant as your circumstances change and celebrate your achievements.
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Move forward with confidence
Once you've rested, recovered, reflected, problem-solved and created an action plan, the final skill is to move forward without carrying the setback around with you like baggage. Set a small, achievable goal to rebuild your momentum, such as mastering one topic for an exam completely before tackling the next, applying for one job or successfully handling one difficult client conversation.
You can acknowledge your progress by keeping a record of what you're doing differently and your small wins along the way. Use this as evidence to yourself when doubt creeps back in.
Hold your head high and remember that the people who achieve the most have all faced setbacks. It means that you are challenging yourself and that can only be a good thing. Sometimes, even better opportunities can come from things that seem to have gone wrong (think about when a restaurant has messed up your order but then gives you an even better experience than you would’ve had if it hadn’t).
The difference between those who advance and those who don’t comes down to the willingness to work through obstacles rather than avoid them. It’s not what’s gone wrong that counts but what you do next.
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Overcoming career setbacks
Whether it is failing an exam, missing out on a promotion or making a mistake at work, such moments can feel overwhelming. But it’s not the setback that matters as much as the way you respond to it
Words Sophie Cross Illustration iStock