From grads to professionals: Does this advice also apply to you?
Quite often at this time of year, I get emails for fantastically talented and very well educated Graduates who now need to make the first jump into their career. I’ll reply and offer advice that I hope will help them. It occurred to me that perhaps there are senior professionals feeling stuck or frustrated with their career, who might see some value in that advice themselves.
Experimentation: Finding the best career path and getting it right the first time is difficult
A little experimentation at the outset of a career may be no bad thing. This was a point made by Patrice Louvet, CEO of Ralph Lauren, in a recent interview about his career choices.
But also, beware. It can be easy to be fooled into thinking that the firm you joined with the horrible culture, weak leadership and poor standards means that you’ve chosen the wrong path. In fact, you may well have found the right thing for your career, but you’re just in the wrong environment.
Remember the big questions
Consider the following questions:
What do I enjoy doing and what am I good at?
How will a particular role or profession meet my emotional, practical and financial needs and ambitions?
What skills that are in demand now and will also be in the future do I need to acquire? Bear in mind that you may not enjoy learning these skills until you are good at them.
What values do I hold in life and in the context of a career, and therefore, what are the values held by the firm that I might join and of the people who will become my future colleagues?
What dent do I want to make in the universe that I’ll find fulfilling?
Keep developing your ability to add value to a business - forever
It’s important to build and sincerely nurture a professional network of meaningful relationships in your field. Master your ability to market yourself both internally and externally. This includes being able to articulate the ways in which you can add value in a compelling manner and optimising your LinkedIn Profile and activity.
In your work context, do more than deliver on the tasks and goals that you’ve been set by your leadership. Doing a great job in a role and at a firm that you love and aligns with your values, progressing and building your career and giving yourself optionality and choice is a great way to go.
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I hope you’ve found this short blog useful. If you’d like to have a chat about any of these issues, please do get in touch. You can book a free, no-strings-attached call here.