Career Management

Being clear about your goals is something that I find people don't do as often as they could. So even just talking to your, finding mentors as much as you can, and even talking to your manager and just saying, "Hey, here's where I wanna be in a year or two years, "like what do I need to do to make this happen, "if I want to be in this position?" and they'll help you, right? They want you to excel and move up in the company as well. (chiming music) The first thing I did was write up a professional development plan. You can find those type of templates online, but I identified areas in the business I want to learn about more, areas that I thought I was drawn to or interested in. And then during my meetings with my supervisor, I've told her, I've been very candid that these are the things I like to do. These are the opportunities I'm seeking. And she's been very receptive to that. She's in fact impressed by the idea that I'm thinking so critically about my longterm career, and my future with the company. A big thing that I'm realizing working at a job is that everyone has a lot of responsibilities. So as a result you have to be the one to be proactive to ask for that feedback. Because no one wants to get their six month or one year review where you realize, "Wow, I had all these things I could have addressed months ago." As the President of this company, I can tell you that the employees that move up and change are the ones that are constantly looking for something else to do. That's the most effective way to be an advocate of yourself. Because if your immediate supervisor sees that you are willing to take on more tasks, you have interesting ideas. You don't really have to advocate for yourself because believe me, your supervisor will be advocating for you. No matter what it is. You want to be promoted to a certain level, you want a certain responsibility. You want to travel the world. You need to be vocal about it. And you did tell your supervisors and your colleagues that these are the things you want. They won't be handed to you on day one, but you can have a really productive conversation on how to accomplish those things. Identifying a mentor is absolutely key. But someone who is who has a diversity of experiences that they can share with you around career, around skill sets, around companies, around industries. And I think that is invaluable. Typically the areas where that you need improvement are the areas that you shy away from. So if you're not comfortable, that means you're growing. And so for career like moving forward, if a student or if I'm uncomfortable with a specific project, that means that's an area that I need to work on and I need to grow because it's typically not an area that I would be comfortable with. Stay long enough to get some experience that at a particular place, and really important, when you do leave an employer to leave on good terms. If you're staying in the same industry, everyone knows each other, and they talk to each other and a referral is really important. Oftentimes your employer is very happy to support you in your career growth, even if it's at another company. But that requires maintaining a positive relationship. Put together, multi-tiered plans, or goals. Where do you want to be in three years? Where do you want to be in five years? Where do you want to be in 10 years, and literally write those things down. 'Cause those are really going to be your guideposts for the behaviors and activities that you have for the next you know, however many years. The first thing that I will say without a doubt is you have to spend time with yourself. And when I say that, I say you have to be able to know what you want. You have to be able to know what you bring to the table. You have to be able to know your strengths, your weaknesses, areas of development, areas you need support, and you definitely need to know how to articulate that. And all of that comes from really taking the time to map that out, to write it down, to just have a lot of self awareness. And so your career is your career. And so that's why you have to know about you. And so I would say career management starts with you first. (light music)