If I could go back to the first 5 years of my professional career, here are the 5 things I would tell myself!
1) Takes notes and detail successes
When you feel like you had a "win" or a success story or felt you truly made an impact, write it down. Reflect extremely hard as to why you were successful and what you did to make it a success, what your approach was, etc. Writing these down will likely show you patterns that led to success. Once you realize some of those patterns, you can utilize them in the future.
2) Do not underestimate your "non-reference page" people
Hiring managers will find mutual connections, people, and organizations. You better hope you are making good impressions at all times. I have had multiple people vouch for me when they were not even on my reference page, they just happened to be a mutual connection in some way.
3) Make as many genuine connections as possible
In my early career, I made 100s of connections. Nearly all of them were within my own workplace. These were good connections and they were helpful as I progressed up the corporate ladder at my company. However, I wish I would have spent more time finding even more connections outside of my workplace. At some point in time, you might have the urge for a new challenge, job, role, career, etc. When that time comes, you are going to want genuine connections that you can lean on and talk to as you make your next job/career move. If your network is limited, you will feel pigeonholed.
4) Find a balance between saying yes to additional work projects to gain experience, build rapport, and be a team player vs. not being compensated for taking on more work
This one is a slippery slope - Be a team player. Build rapport with as many people as you can and get exposed to working with others. Gain as much experience as you can outside of your job function. If you have opportunities to be on committees, work on side projects, be on task forces, etc. then do it! These are all things that I encourage; however, be aware of continuing to take on more and more and more, especially if these start to change your core work functions, without any added tangible benefit or compensation. Remember, continuing to take on more can also lead to burnout...
5) Have more fun
In the early years of my career, I wish I would have done more fun stuff outside of work. I wish I would have visited friends more often. Even if I was tired, I wish I would have grabbed a beer with my friends on a random Tuesday night instead of staying in. I had nearly zero responsibility at that time beyond doing good at my job, cleaning my apartment, and being a good boyfriend. Responsibilities only increase in your personal and professional life as you get older. So, go have more fun!
Week 14 of 52
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