My IABC colleagues at this discussion ranged from a young, first job professional to those who had changed professions to those who were on the last few laps of their career journey and were trying to figure out "what's next?" And, what I expected to hear differed from what I took away from our conversation.
First, I was pleasantly surprised at how many felt positive about the career guidance they were receiving from their immediate supervisor. From personal experience as well as what was drilled into us at a former employer, the most important attribute of a job for employees is the quality of guidance they want from their immediate boss. Thankfully, the majority of my colleagues last week were upbeat about that aspect of their current career stop.
Second, almost all cited the continuing phenomenon of being asked to do more and being asked to do something for which they have little to no experience. All mentioned the spread-too-thin stress that they feel coupled with the sometimes request to do something for which they are not trained and for which the requestor doesn't understand the complexity of the task.
Finally, none of the attendees were seeking the silver bullet for achieving career success. Rather, they knew that their potential for success rested on networking, attending professional enrichment events such as this, and seeking counsel from others in their profession. In fact, all acknowledged that they do less "managing" and more "guiding" when it comes to career advancement.
As for what I told them, my advice focused on the following:
- Constant learning. Your job and the future jobs you will seek are changing. Find ways, especially with new and improved online learning tools, to stay current and push for new knowledge. Think ahead - consider where you think your career is going and learn accordingly.
- Know your audience. Just as you advise clients to know their audience, so too should you know yours. Figure out how best to relate to your boss and those you work with as well as those you will meet within the future pursuit of a new job.
- Manage your brand. Your personal brand is something that you can manage. Know your personal brand authority, i.e., who you are and what you can comment on with your social media presence. Don't under-estimate the importance of marketing yourself including your appearance, body language, attitude, energy, timeliness and attention to detail.
- Be self aware. Who provides you with unfiltered, objective advice and feedback? If you don't have that person, or persons in your life, you best find them...now.
- The power of networking. Reach out, make contacts and don't think of your interactions as transactional - think of them as mutually transformational where you're not only learning and gaining value but you are doing the same for your networking partner.
I'm always energized with these sorts of discussions and inevitably find a new contact or two that plays an important role in my own career navigation. And, as is usually the case, my going-in assumptions ended up being much different than my mindset after the discussion.
Thank you, Kansas City IABC, for giving me the opportunity to facilitate this discussion and for all you do for the marketing communications community in our region!
