I was talking to my cousin who started his new job. As an ex-Consultant, I provided him a few pointers to navigate through a consultant’s life.
As I lie down on my bed, a thought occurred to my mind “What career advise will I give to younger version of myself?”
Dear Prateek,
Congratulation on your first job! You must be thrilled and nervous at the same time. Relax, take a deep breath, and smile more.
Before you start working, remember these three advices:
- Develop an “expert” skill and a “problem solving” ability:
- When you have the competence that nobody else has, you become more valuable. There is a popular saying “When you’re valuable inside then you’re more valuable outside”.
- When issues arise, you want people to automatically think of you as the sole person who can solve the said problem.
- Focus on doing your current job better than anybody has ever done it:
- People should say “No one can do this job, better than Prateek”.
- Have a sense of ownership and responsibility to build a strong reputation and respect among your peers.
- Have excellent written and verbal communication:
- If you want to be a leader, and you can’t communicate effectively, forget it. You’ve got to be able to stand in front of employees and get them to go places they never thought they needed to get to.
- Have the courage to speak up. If you feel strongly about something, don’t hesitate to speak up and contribute to the discussion. Have ethics, they’re important as you move up the ladder.
There is only one lay-off proof formula – “don’t become a dinosaur, keep your skillset up to date”. Keep your curiosity alive and always “Embrace tough assignments”
P.S – 1: Ensure senior leadership is aware of your contribution. Be aware of the politics in the company, don’t play the politics in the company.
P.S – 2: One of the McKinsey & Company’s Partner believed in “Grandma Rule: You should have an ability to explain any complex problem in a simple way to your grandmother”.
Let me know in the comment section – “what career advice will you give to yourself“?
Cheers,
PrAts!
Wow! The advice I would give myself is to not make career decisions on the basis of how much you like/dislike your current manager. Things change. Situations change. Never say never!