Best career advice

[Yassy S]

Hello! 
 

I’m so excited that we have a place to network and share experiences with each other!

To get started - what’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? 

I’ll start - whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right! I love this because it’s so true, I’ve said yes to soo many opportunities that I wasn’t necessarily qualified or experienced enough for, and guess what - I learnt on the job and it made me better! It might be TOUGH but if you’re willing to work at it anything is possible.

Can’t wait to read everyone else’s below!! 

[Grace Barrington]

Hey Yassy, 

Great advice. I've definitely found that I've spent too much time worrying about what ifs rather than just getting stuck in. Once you start, you always manage to get it done, and learn a lot along the way. 

How do you balance between taking on big opportunities and being confident to say 'yes' with making sure you are realistic with your time/capacity and don't burn out?

[Yassy S]

Thanks Grace! This is definitely something I've had to learn the hard way and most recently I had to "let go" of a lot of things as it was getting too much - I think there is a fear of saying no and missing out on things. I've found the best way to balance it for me personally is to speak to someone else about it, someone you trust who has your best interests at heart. 

I've also started asking myself two questions when faced with an opportunity and won't say yes to things if they don't meet at least one of these 

1. Is this a good move for me long term (eg. will it help me develop a new skill or gain experience in an industry I'm interested in)?
2. Is this something I enjoy doing (eg. it might not help me develop but is it something I truly enjoy doing)?

If it doesn't meet either of those criteria then I say no. I also find that I feel guilty saying no so to help myself with that I say "no, but here are 3 people who might be interested" 

I'd be interested in how others balance saying yes to things and not taking on too much as well! 

[Avalon]

Interesting advice, Yassy! I think it's very difficult, especially as a young professional trying to make a good impression, to say no at times. I used to end up working late, doing favours for colleagues even if I wasn't the best person for the job. Very quickly, the favour became an expectation and people knew they could ask me to complete a task last minute. Clawing back my evenings and weekends and learning to say no was difficult but worthwhile in the long run. The work I do now is to a higher standard as I am not burnt out, and I make sure I am qualified to understand and do the job well. 

The best advice I was given was to ask questions and don't be ashamed to ask if you don't know what someone is talking about. There are A LOT of acronyms in our industry and it can be a minefield at times. But there is nothing worse than leaving it too late to ask the question! Being curious is the best way to learn and progress. 

 

 

 

[Yassy S]

Love that advice Avalon! To this day there are still acronyms that I hear in meetings and I have to ask what they mean and that's 7 years in so for newcomers, definitely don't be afraid to ask and there is always a chance that someone else has the same exact question

[Avalon]

Lots of views on this post, I would be interested to hear other YP's advice 🙂

[Iain]

At the risk of this forum becoming just the four of us chatting to each other - thought I would chime in!

The best early-career advice I got was from my older brother when I was still at university. He told me to think "what's the worst that can happen?" for decisions or new situations. Not flippantly, not in a blasé way, but what is actually the likely worst-case scenario for any particular decision.

I found that often the answer to that is 'somebody might say "no"'. Which, most of the time, is not a big deal. I applied for jobs I didn't meet the entry requirements for, and most of them did say no. But Capgemini said yes, even though I only got a 2:2 at university whilst they were asking for a 2:1 to join their graduate scheme.

I try to apply that advice more often now. If I ask to do this role on a project instead of the less-interesting one I've been given, what's the worst that can happen? My manager could say no. But they could also see that I want to do something different, and keep me in mind further down the road, or give me a chance to get involved some other way. They might even say yes!

 

The other advice that I have, and this is possibly the polar opposite of other things that we've been told throughout our careers so far, is to do what's best for you, your life and your loved ones, even if that means moving jobs. For some people, that may be working in a large company with a good social scene, or opportunities to travel internationally. For me personally, it's how much I get paid! And my pay rises have been substantially better moving companies than sticking around earning promotions. I've just started a new job that I'm hoping to stay with for a long time, but equally I know my worth and if I feel I am not being fairly compensated, I'll move on. Particularly at the moment, the job market is crazy and I got a much better offer than I was ever expecting.

[Avalon]

Very good advice there Iain!