3 Career-Tested Life Lessons From a Coach
Recently I came across a couple of articles on advice for Millennials and interns, specifically. I thought it appropriate to share experiences from a Gen X’er.
I think its important to remember that all the preparation put into getting a job, from networking to asking questions to negotiating, landing the job doesn’t mean these challenges are over.
Networking and developing relationships
What images do you conjure up when you think about networking? I think back to the days of in-person networking, standing around, milling about, wondering what this awkward introvert should do. [Wait, what was my elevator speech again?]
As a graduate student, one of my professors always encouraged us to network. He would say things like, “if there is someone who’s career interests align with yours, call them on the phone and ask if they would mind sharing their experiences.”
I would think, “NO WAY! You want me to disrupt someone’s day for that?” I can’t imagine they would be happy if I disrupted their day. I’d conclude, “I’ll just have to think of another way.”
I did join a Chicago-based industry group, but it seems all we did was socialize or have a speaker. I was looking to make connections. The group activities just weren’t a priority as I worked fulltime and was a graduate student.
During my last semester of coursework, I took a class on employee survey development. The students had to partner up and find an organization who would allow them to complete a survey for them. I partnered up with someone I knew from previous classes, and she found a company for us to survey. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was “networking.”
Once my coursework was done I looked for a place to do an internship. (We didn’t have social media to help make connections like today, one was kind of on their own). I reached out to the owner of the company where we did the survey, and he was very interested in organizational development. In fact, he offered me my internship. The rest is history!
The moral? Networking comes in many different forms.
Networking is only part of the equation, developing relationships is the other. Its not enough to simply connect with someone, but to cultivate a working relationship on some level.
Speaking of networking, LinkedIn is a place everyone should maintain an updated profile. Social media is a great place to meet people from your industry-no anonymous phone calls necessary!
Before you go jumping headfirst into networking, consider the reason for connecting to each person. I prefer the less is more approach, but that’s me.
Here’s a check: if you can’t recall the reason for your connection, then why are you connected? Can you offer that person something (i.e., subject matter expertise, advice) or vice versa?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions…and make mistakes
Rich Handler, CEO of investment bank Jeffries sees summer interns every year. Here he shares his advice…
“There are no stupid [questions]…[but] please listen to the answers as people tire of answering the same questions repeatedly.”
He concludes by saying “if done right, [asking] will be viewed as a sign of your strength.” I believe what he means by “done right” is asking a well-thought out question. You can’t just exclaim, “but I don’t understand, can you explain it again.” This is where you will likely run into impatience.
Another compelling point Handler makes is, consider the timing of your questions. The time to ask questions is when you are in a learning environment, not in a client meeting.
As a graduate student I had a professor who made a comment which I use as my own today. He said, “I will help you, but I need you to show me that you’ve at least tried.”
That leads me to the flip side—making mistakes. Handler mentions one factor that makes one a ‘high performer’, “those who are capable of admitting to mistakes.”
If you are wary about asking questions, my advice is to prepare your specific questions ahead of time. I assure you, you will become more comfortable, it’s just a matter of practice.
When I was a young careerwoman I didn’t have any career guidance. I didn’t know what, if any questions I should ask, especially in interviews. I just got lucky with my first job. But with other jobs, not having critical information led me to leaving positions much quicker. Take advantage of company websites, they exist in part to help job candidates decide IF they are the place for you.
Let me remind you that job interviews are a two-way street. I used to approach interviews as the time to be grilled. That doesn’t work well by the way! You need to ask in-depth questions to inform yourself, just as much as the company needs to inform themselves.
Where can you find these in-depth questions, you ask? The website themuse.com is very helpful with “questions you should be asking.”
It’s important to negotiate
Here, negotiate means to “negotiate for money or things of financial value,” which is usually during the interview process. It’s a tough conversation for most, so don’t feel alone. It requires practice and a bit of finesse. I’m not going to tell you that you must bring it up, but I highly encourage you to do so. The best way to go about it is to prepare ahead of time. Ask yourself, “what do I want?” As you proceed through the interview make sure these questions are answered.
You may find in preparation for the interview that you have acquired a laundry list of questions. This is where finesse comes in. It is where you need to need to ask yourself, “is this question an appropriate question,” or “is this an appropriate question for a first interview?”
How do you arm yourself with knowledge if you don’t know what you’re worth?
Whether you want to know the salary of a job you are actively interviewing for, or just our of curiosity, the site you need is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) which contains the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).
The BLS is a government site with accurate economic data. In the OOH, you can find your occupation by letter, and each occupation has its own profile. Each profile will provide you with median pay, job outlook, experience necessary, state and area data, similar positions, and more.
Note: please do not take salary advice from websites like salary.com, glassdoor.com, indeed.com etc. One cannot be certain of the data validity.
Closing Thoughts
Keep an open mind. Don’t allow the first place you land to mold you into their model employee without your consent. One of my mentees left her job because she didn’t want to pick up any bad habits. That’s life lesson #4.
For some, the line between college and career is clear. For others like me, the line was blurred as I joined the workforce before completing college. It is important to remember this distinction because you will be facing these challenges earlier than expected.
Regardless of your timeline, my advice is this, go easy on yourself. You will be navigating new waters with new people in a new environment. Its a lot to take in at once, and the last thing you want to do is punish yourself for every mistake.