Five Things I’ve Learnt in my Career Trajectory
Tags: Career Advice, Work Experience, Employees, Learning, Jobs

Five Things I’ve Learnt in my Career Trajectory

Most of us were very enthusiastic about completing our undergraduate degree and being gainfully employed. Well, I did (yay!) but in retrospect, I believe I would have kick-started my career better if I knew certain things that I now know. There is a saying that experience is the best teacher but, I think if you observe well enough, you may learn certain things without necessarily experiencing them. Highlighted below are five things I’ve learnt in the workplace (both for-profit and non-profit) within three years, post-graduation.

Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash

Speaking up

This cannot be over-emphasized, really. As a new recruit (or even existing), there is a tendency to shy away from speaking up in meetings or contributing your ideas during team projects, strategy sessions, etc. Shying away could be more pronounced when you’re working with seniors who probably have more experience that you do (I’ve been there and I know the feeling) but that is not an excuse to remain passive. You have an idea? Share it! You think something can be done better? Please state it! What do you think is the worst that could happen? Think about it… Asides from the fact that speaking up would create an impression that you can think and proffer solutions, it also increases your visibility within the organization.

2. Giving and receiving feedback

Most organizations have a feedback mechanism they adopt with while others do not have a particular structure. If you are in an organization that doesn’t have a structured feedback mechanism, have a conversation with your line manager/supervisor from time to time to know the area(s) you need to improve on, and also your area(s) of great performance. Meanwhile, if you are in an organization with a structured feedback mechanism, great! Make good use of each opportunity to give constructive feedback and also receive same. In addition to that, if there are things you would like your line manager to improve on, please indicate your concerns and give suggestions (politely, of course). This way, it can be seen that you have a genuine interest in getting better at what you do, and also interested in having a conducive work environment where both parties can thrive.

3. Learning to say NO (You’re not indispensable)

Personally, I struggled with this and I don’t want you to. Like one of my mentors would say, “be exceptional at what you do but know when to draw the line”. You need to learn to push back early enough, in fact, do not condone what you don’t plan to accept in the long run. I know there is a notion about sacrificing time to gain experience when you’re just kick-starting your career, but I’d say in other to be productive, know your limit! If you’re assigned a task with a deadline that is not feasible, communicate your concerns (backed up with facts) about the task and give appropriate suggestions. Don’t just sit there and “suffer”, speak up and reach a compromise. Feeling unwell? Take a sick leave! Need time off? By all means get a breath of fresh air! Say after me, I am not indispensable.

4. Networking

In case you are not aware, networking is the exchange of information and ideas among people with a common profession or special interest (cited). Unlike in undergrad days when you could achieve a lot on your own, the workplace is a different ballgame entirely — you need people. Proper networking helps you get fresh ideas and also boosts your confidence, with time. In addition, you can get career guidance/advice and also know about job opportunities in your department of interest (if you are looking to move within the organization).

“Networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.” — Michele Jennae

5. Proper Communication

For your benefit, kindly hone this skill. A lot of verbal communication happens in the work place but you may want to document conversations that directly relate to your job e.g. Feedback on projects you’re working on, to-dos from a meeting, vacation leave days/sick leave days, trainings, and so on. The documentation of things like this can be done via mails or recordings (for meetings, with the consent of participants). The importance of doing this is to make the information clear to everyone involved, to eradicate unnecessary arguments (I said, she said, they said…), and for future reference. A mail can either be sent as a follow-on to a verbal communication or it may suffice alone — depending on the situation, use your discretion.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

These five lessons shared above are the major ones that have stood out for me amongst others. I really hope you picked up a thing or two! I’m still learning too so, I'd also like to hear from you in the comment section. Cheers!