Graduating in 2010, Victoria first worked in Paris before relocating to the San Francisco Bay area. Predominately working in the field of learning and development, she shared what led her in this direction.
"Early in my career, I realised the impact that a job has on other aspects of your life, particularly when it’s not going well. I also recognised that not all managers have training to become good managers and that not all trainers get training to build resilience or handle difficult situations at work. This has really set the tone for my career as I was determined to fix it!"
Moving into learning and development roles in 2014, she became a certified coach a year later. Since then, she has worked with some of the big tech firms (including Meta, Uber, PayPal and Amazon), coaching directors and managers on how to be better managers, and conducting training on emotional intelligence and career development.
Victoria focused her talk to students on three aspects of navigating career and growth.
Firstly, she shared her experience of cultural differences, having worked both in France and the US, and the importance of cultural adaptability. She touched on the benefits of diversity and its importance in enhancing creativity and problem solving.
Diversity is your power and don’t be afraid to be your authentic self.Victoria Feldman
Secondly, she spoke about the power of human (or soft) skills. She highlighted the research by the Carnegie Institute of Technology that found that 85 per cent of financial success is due to skills in ‘human engineering’, personality and the ability to communicate and lead, with only 15 per cent being attributed to technical knowledge.
In particular, she emphasised the importance of emotional intelligence, including the ability to have empathy, to communicate well, and to be able to handle change.
Coaching is a tool to foster emotional intelligence and she shared examples of coaching programmes she has designed and led which have had huge business benefits. She told us: “360 degree feedback and surveys have shown the power of coaching, with real business benefits including building trust, increasing communication and employee satisfaction at work.”
Finally, she shared career development advice with the students. Having changed roles and companies herself and having experienced redundancy (from Uber in 2020), she reminded them not to expect a linear career path but instead to adapt a growth mindset, follow their curiosity and see failure as an opportunity to grow.
Don’t let setbacks stop you from achieving your goals. Your career can take many turns. It’s normal to change and do something different.Victoria Feldman
With many interested students and staff attending the talk, Victoria then took the time to answer a range of questions, covering everything from networking and preventing burnout, to the role of AI in the practice of coaching. Victoria is also very happy to connect with students and alumni following her visit.
Learn more about Victoria's experience of being laid off by Uber in 2020, and her advice for others.