Career advice: Tips for today’s workers and wannabes
It seems that everyone has an opinion when it comes to your job. They tell you how to get one, how not to lose it and why you should consider changing careers. And hey, who are we to buck the trend?
Here’s a look at some advice from both career experts and the 9-to-5 grunts who put in the work:
Sell the experience: Steve Nichols, a retired HR director living in Burlington, Vermont, says job seekers shouldn’t count on their skills to get hired. Instead, they should sell their potential employers on the experience of working with them. “When you look at cars, a good salesperson isn’t telling you about the horsepower and the space in the trunk. He’s selling the experience. He says something like ‘do you drive your kids to school? You do? Think about the mornings. All these cup holders, no climbing over seats. You can pre-start it to warm it up.’ You buy into it because you see how that car benefits you,” he says. “Jobs are the same. ‘Are you looking for someone who can switch gears in an instant? I thrive at that. I don’t get frustrated when we have to make big changes midway through a project. It actually gives me a little jolt.’ Put them in a problem and offer yourself as the solution to that problem.”
Reach for more: Career adviser Niles Smith says don’t expect a promotion if you’ve shown you’re capable of nothing more than your current job, even if you’re a high achiever. “It doesn’t mean you’re qualified by any means to do the job above that one,” Smith says. “If you want a promotion, you have to prove that you’re ready for the job you want, not the one you have.”
Flip the script: It may seem impossible to improve your lot at work, especially after you’ve made a huge mistake, but you might be surprised at how quickly you — and your career — can come out of a tailspin. “Once you own up to the issue, small stones can create huge ripples,” says Helene Louis, a career-advising social worker in Charlotte, North Carolina. “People don’t realize something simple can turn into something incredible. People who turn in sloppy work make an effort to get more sleep and then suddenly, their work improves. A waiter studies up on the specials so he can answer questions directly and his tips improve. Small causes, large effects.”
Too much: When putting together your resume, fight the urge to tell your life story. Sure, you can create a six-page epic explaining how great you are but the resume is meant to be a condensedyet-thorough summary of your skills and your potential. Just because you can send a recruiter 10 pages of your life’s history, don’t. In many ways, a resume is a resume is a resume, to paraphrase LinManuel Miranda, so don’t overthink it. Establish your brand, tell your story and pique your potential employer’s interest.
Mentoring to self-motivate: If you’re trying to find the reasons why you enjoy working at a certain job, it’s often helpful to work with a newly hired employee. Proteges are always looking for advice and leadership in their new field of work, so you may find that sharing your knowledge and experience is helpful not only to your mentee but also to you. If you choose this route, keep in mind that being a mentor comes with a certain set of responsibilities. If you plan on badmouthing your profession or company to a younger co-worker, you should take a pass. You want to inspire your protege, not kill their spirit.