Four things I’ve learned from interviewing successful early-career professionals in my network
Patience, compromise and grind at the start to reap the rewards
I’m grateful to have a network of very ambitious, hardworking and successful women in my network who inspire me to aim high and challenge the status quo. I lean on my network heavily for guidance, mentoring and advice and offer the same to my coachees.
Recently, I interviewed some inspirational women in my network about their careers. In particular, I asked them about how they ended up in their current role, the challenges they’ve come across in the workplace, and how they’re taking those learnings and applying them in the future. Here are the pearls of wisdom they shared…
1. Be open to the opportunities that come your way, even if it’s not your dream role
Unfortunately, the days of completing your degree and walking into your dream role are numbered, if not over already for your chosen field. With ever-increasing tertiary education completion rates and increasing competition for entry-level roles, the role that gets you into an organisation may not look like the one you imagined.
It’s not always fair, however, this is one of those instances where taking a more junior role than you’d like for a little while (like a year or two) may serve you well in the long run. Taking on a less-than-ideal role in an organisation that aligns with your values and purpose, and provides you with learning opportunities might be a great way to build networks and demonstrate your capability to open up doors in the future.
Of course, each situation is unique and you shouldn’t apply the “beggars can’t be choosers” logic to all circumstances. Don’t compromise on your values and gauge both the development opportunities and potential for mobility within the company to inform your decision to take the job.
2. Workplace politics is a given; learn how to co-exist with it without contributing to the negativity
Politics will be present wherever there are people who must interact with each other. Just because it exists, however, does not mean you need to fuel it and contribute. It does mean, however, that you need to learn to exist in that environment without letting it burn you out. Then, get yourself to a position where you have enough influence to change the politics or create the positive work environment you envisage.
Here’s a piece of wisdom from US Vice President Kamala Harris…
“In every work environment, there will be politics. If you really want to rise to the top, you need to figure out what those politics in your workplace are. Then, you hook it in. You decide what conforms and what does not conform to your personal code.” — “The Lenny Interview: Kamala Harris, the Senate Hopeful, Going After Revenge Porn”. Interview with Doreen St. Félix, www.elle.com. October 23, 2015.
Please note learning to coexist with workplace politics is not the same as putting up with bullying or harassment. If the latter is happening to you, please speak up, reach out to your HR department, mentor, boss, friend, or someone else in your network for support.
3. The days of the linear career path are over
The idea of sticking to one linear career path where you may join a company as a junior and spend your working life rising up through the ranks is also becoming less relevant to today’s working world. In fact, it is far more likely that individuals will have roles in a diverse range of industries and sectors, involving career pivots along the way. This study estimates Australians will make 17 changes in employers across 5 different careers. This opens up a discussion about the importance of proactively building transferable skills.
This piece by the Foundation for Young Australians discusses career clusters and the idea that experience gained from one job should give you transferable skills that could be applied to 13 other jobs. Being able to use your skills despite changes in roles is imperative given the changing nature of work as a result of automation and globalisation.
4. Be generous with your learnings and build strong relationships
In addition to being savvy about the changing nature of work and working hard to build a range of transferable skills throughout your career, building strong relationships and assisting others is critical to your success and the success of your network. Every student you mentor, every coffee catch-up you organise and every resume you review for a peer will help you strengthen the relationships in your network whilst also helping another person work towards their goals.
Being generous with one’s own learnings and assisting others was a common theme that came up in the interviews I conducted with my own network. Most of the interviewees had mentored another and had received mentoring, support and sponsorship from others in their network in order to progress in their careers.
Of course, networking and building relationships can be daunting and ineffective if not approached with the right intentions. If you’d like to learn more about the strategy I use to network effectively, check out my article below.
What is the most useful piece of career advice you’ve received from your network?
Eresha is a health and wellbeing consultant who is passionate about professional development and improvement. She recognises the inter-relatedness of self-improvement and wellbeing and is constantly looking for new ways to save time, learn, develop, and improve her overall health, wellbeing, and quality of life.
Eresha also offers 1-on-1 virtual professional development coaching for early career professionals, enquire by emailing Eresha.Abenayake@chiefexecutivegirls.com.au
The views expressed in this article are my own and do not reflect any organisation for which I work or volunteer.
You can find more professional development inspiration from Eresha on Instagram (@chief_executive_girls).
