Recently, I was speaking to one of our company interns when they asked me the question, “What career advice do you wish you had when you graduated college?” That really got me thinking, what advice could a young professional hear that is immediately actionable? I can hear the same advice from my parents 2,429,875,202 times, and yet as soon as someone else mentions it for the first time I think, "WOW! WHAT A GREAT IDEA I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE!" (Sorry Mom and Dad). Let's address the elephant in the room (why must it be an elephant? Why not a penguin in an Easter basket I ask you?). Who I am I to offer career advice? I am a 26 year old millennial who grew up watching Rugrats and dancing around to *NSYNC. This blog regularly highlights my laughable attempts at adulting. What could I add to the debate that hasn't been espoused by every career book to grace the shelves of Borders book store (*RIP)?
To start with, I held my first job nearly ten years ago, and since that point I have worked at ten different companies.
Now, before anyone gets their knickers in a twist about millennials and their gosh darn lack of company loyalty that does include shorter term internships in college.
I’ve had jobs where I love what I do every single day. I have had other jobs where waking up at 4 am to panic attacks and not able to sleep is a regular occurrence. In my roles I have worked as a mediator, community organizer, motivational speaker, photographer, and executive assistant just to name a few.
Here is the most important advice I think young professionals should hear about the workforce
1.If you want to work in a creative field, you need to hustle
Working in a creative field is hard. As is obvious by the fact that I don't update my blog regularly and stopped updating my photography Instagram and Facebook in 2015, finding time to work on creative projects is incredibly difficult. However, if you want to make a career in a creative field (or heck, just achieve your dream job) you need to hustle.
I live in Los Angeles, the city of, "I am a waitress by day, a writer, producer, and actor by night, and I also do Postmates and Wag in order to bring in some extra cash." Most individuals I know who want to work in a creative field balance their own projects with tasks to bring in some money. I have the ultimate respect for people who have managed to find that balance. I sure haven't.
Watch this video by the wonderfully talented Zoe Wolff where she discusses the challenges of daily vlogging (You can also see our cross-collaboration on developing bipartisan friendships here and here).
2. Foster joy and foster love
I bet most of us, when asked "Who are you?" would answer the question first with our name and then if probed our second answer would be our job title or our company. I am far more likely to say "I am a community organizer" than to to say "I am an amateur photographer and blogger who is obsessed with Harry Potter and Parks and Recreation." In short, I am incredibly guilty of letting my career define me.
When I started having bad anxiety in one of my jobs, this sense of defining myself by my career took an extra toll on my mental health. I felt that because I was "failing" (at least on my terms) in my job I was failing in all areas of my life. I found myself being shorter with my friends, family, and partner. I didn't feel excited about the things I used to.
It was during one meditation session that I had the words "Foster Love and Foster Joy" come to mind. Being frustrated is understandable, but how you act on it is your choice. Make decisions in your life that foster love and joy. If that is setting down you phone when talking to friends and family, do it. If that means taking a bubble bath and some time to yourself, do it. Your career doesn't define you. What is real is your relationships (friends, family, partner, etc). This has been a difficult lesson for me to learn. I am the queen of venting frustrations far beyond what I should, but I have started to ask myself, "Is what I am doing fostering joy or love?" If the answer is no, I still share my feelings, but I don't push beyond to where I am cycling.
3. Reclaim your time
One of the best piece of career advice I have received is from my current boss. After a particular busy month where I was pulling 70 hour work weeks I was feeling overwhelmed by people sending me projects late at night. Her advice, "Reclaim your time. If people (who are not your boss) are sending you tasks after 5 PM regularly and expecting you to turn them around after hours they are not respecting your time. It is their responsibility to get tasks to you in a reasonable timeline. If they don't respect your time, you don't owe them."
Now, this is a luxury that obviously isn't relevant to every field. If you work in an emergency room you cannot say, "Hmmm, it's after 5 I will deal with it tomorrow." If your boss is the one messaging you, that is a different ballgame. However, if people who are on the same level as you are dumping late tasks on your plate after hours, take the time to evaluate before you spend your off time on it. Self care is critical. You cannot pour from an empty cup.
4. Find your spark
You likely spend (at least) 40 hours a week at work. Find what brings you joy outside of your cubicle.
Want to find a new hobby but not sure what? Try New Hobby Box and have a new hobby sent to your door every month.
5. Your mental and physical health come above any job
Enough said.
6. If you love what you do you’ll work for nothing, but you shouldn’t have to
When I was job hunting I had two numbers for salary negotiation: The salary I would be willing to take for a job I was excited about, and the number for companies where I knew the job would be interesting but it wasn't aligned with my long-term goals. The number for a company I loved was significantly lower. Not everyone is going to have to the luxury of negotiating a salary (heck, every company I have worked for thus far has had a specific salary with no flexibility), but if you do, know your number going in. In addition, working in nonprofits means that your salary will likely be lower. Before going into an interview, do research on Glassdoor to see the salary range for the position you are applying for. While often times companies wait until they give you an offer to ask for your salary expectations, I have been asked in a first round interview what I expect to make in a role. Set expectations early, but know you won't be making $100,000 for an entry-level position.
7. Find strong mentors
Whether it is a coworker, family friend, or someone you meet at an event, find strong mentors. You may be the hot new thing with tons of new ideas about how you are going to revolutionize your industry, but you can't do it alone. Use the knowledge and expertise of the people who came before you. Most people will be flattered if you ask to take them out to coffee and pick their brain (but be cognizant of their schedule).
8. Networking is the bane of my existence, but it is useful
I actively hate networking. Below is a perfect representation of my face when I find out I need to go to a networking event:
However, as much as I complain about going to networking events, networking is incredibly useful. I only found out about my current job because an individual on my Congressional Action Team knew I was job hunting and thought I would be a good candidate. She even let her contact at the organization know I applied.
When I worked at the Child Abuse Prevention Center, I was offered the internship after a high school teacher heard about a charity I had started and forwarded my information to the Director of Community Development.
While going to networking events can seem like a lot of effort (benefit: there is usually good food and drinks), it really can be helpful to your career. For those of you who are interested in nonprofits, I highly recommend YNPN.
9. Eating out really does add up
Say every morning before work I buy a $5 coffee and $10 lunch. $15 a day x approximately 20 work days a month = $300 a month. Now say you treat yourself every once and awhile to a more expensive meal. You could easily be hemorrhaging $400 a month on eating out. If you are anything like me, you will look back at the end of the month and think, "Where the heck did my paycheck go?"
Use an app like Mint to track your finances. By linking your bank account they also automatically provide you data on where you spend the majority of your money.
10. Take risks and fail
I got rejected from a dream job.
The position was for orchestrating the social media strategy for an organization I absolutely loved. In my interview, the CEO asked me what the organization could do better. Over the next several minutes I proceeded to outline the areas of missed opportunity in terms of the organization's social media and ways I saw to increase engagement. The CEO's reaction to any change of the current social media strategy was lukewarm at best. I did not receive a call back.
Even though I didn't get the job, I don't regret my pitch. Before going into the interview, I audited the effectiveness of the current outreach strategy on my own time and knew that there was massive opportunity for growth. For 30 minutes I had the ear of the CEO to talk about myself and my ideas. However, I also know that if I was hired to create a social media growth strategy and came in and the company wanted to keep business as usual, it would be a mismatch of goals. I continue to actively support the organization, and even if I did not end up working for them I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity.
11. Thank you notes matter
It may seem like overkill in the era of electronic communication, but thank you notes matter. Over the course of the last two years, I have regularly been a part of interview panels and I am the first to admit that I feel slighted if someone does not send a thank you note. Your interviewers are taking time away from their busy days and sorting through resumes and correspondence in order to find the best person for their team. In all the interviews I have been a part of, I have only received 1 hand written thank you note. Now, if you are thinking that 'Oh, I am sure they sent electronic thank you emails' you are also incorrect. Only about 30% of the people I have interviewed ever sent a thank you note of any kind, and you can bet those people stood out in the interview process.
Whenever I interview for a job my process is as follows: Write a thank you email and send it the day of your interview. Be sure to include some specific comment from your interview (so it is not generic). Follow up a few days later with a hand written thank you note.
On the first day of my current job, my interviewer brought me to her cubicle. Pinned on her wall was my interview thank you note. I was the only person to write a hand written thank you note. Months later she still has it displayed.
What is the best piece of career advice you have received? Let me know in the comments!