2019 Graduate Moses Francis shares his experiences.

A fascinating interview with Moses Francis who graduated two years ago. In this piece he shares some advice and tips that have helped him quickly move into a Senior Account Executive role. Well worth a read. Thanks Sebastian Eyre for taking the time to conduct the interview.

In this interview we talked to Moses Francis, Senior Account Executive at San Jose based MainStreet, about his key tips to success.

Interviewer: What would be your advice for graduates entering the working world in 2021?

I’d have say that it comes down to four key areas, the first being networking. I think it’s clear how important networking is, however particularly in your last year of studies and post-graduation make sure to develop new relationships and really expand your bubble. Whether that be trying to meet one new person a day, or talk to people outside of your faculty or areas of interest. You never know what job you will do in the future, so it’s important to have a wide range of connections across multiple industries.

I: In the current climate with the Covid-19 pandemic, do you have any particular advice for networking under these circumstances.

Increasing your social media presence for sure, especially on apps such as LinkedIn and Twitter. These platforms provide so many opportunities to meet and come across new people.

My second piece of advice to graduates would be really trying to understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. Not only will this allow you to apply for jobs that will best enable you to show your strengths, it also allows you to isolate the things you might not be best at, at work at how to improve them.

That ties into this idea of curiosity, which I think is really important especially for people looking to start their career. Find something you are interested in and dive deep into it, make it your passion and ultimately if you’re doing something you’re engaged in and curious about, you’re bound to be more successful.

Lastly, and something that I personally benefited greatly from, is finding and having a mentor. Someone to talk to, set goals with and discuss where you want to be in the next five or ten years. This not only holds you accountable to someone other than yourself, but it also gives you a person to talk to that’s outside of your work environment, and whom you can discuss freely with.

I: With a lot of people still working from home or in a hybrid environment, what do you think is key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

When considering work-life balance I think it’s important to know that some weeks you will really have to put in a lot of hours and it’s going to be super busy. But then the next week you might have a bit more free time so it really changes week by week and I believe that recognizing that initially helps you to be able to have a good balance.

Aside from that I find that if I really put 100% into my working day and try to get as much done as possible, this energizes me to go and do something after work, whether that be going to the gym, seeing friends or just relaxing. If I know that I’ve put everything into my day at work, it creates this feel good feeling that makes me want to continue to better myself and maximize my day.

I’d also say that communication and even overcommunicating is particularly important at the moment. That could be simply writing down what you have done, or sharing it with your colleagues on a discussion board or channel. If you are working from home you’re slightly disconnected from the rest of the office, so it’s key to let them know what’s going on in your day, and ensuring your hard work doesn’t go amiss.

I: With regard to getting the most out of your day, is there any specific things you do in order to achieve this.

I find the best thing to do is compartmentalize my day, I’ll allocate two hours in the morning to respond to emails, then whether I’m working on a project or in meetings I’ll ensure I’ve scheduled some down time in order to recuperate some energy. Creating a schedule like this is important for your brain, and you can use triggers such as going to get a coffee in the morning to kickstart the day. Outside of the working day it’s important to have a hobby, something to focus your energy on that isn’t work related and making sure your job doesn’t become your life.

I: And lastly, what is the best piece of advice you have received in your career to date.

I think the best advice I have been given came from an old boss of mine, and it is a combination of three circles: your circle of control, your circle of influence and your circle of uncontrollables. The first is things that you are directly in control of, that could be how hard you work, for example. Secondly is things you influence, such as the outcome of a deal that you’ve been working on. Lastly are the things you have no control of. You should only worry about the first two, those which you have direct control of or influence upon. If you ensure you do your best in those, then you won’t have to worry about what you can’t control as it will not reflect badly upon yourself. You know that you have given 100% upon the things you have an impact on. This applies not only to work but all aspects of life and everything you do, and will reduce the amount of stress you might feel.

Biography of Moses Francis

Moses grew up in London, Ontario and graduated Western University in 2019, having made the Dean’s Honor Role in 3 out of his 4 years. Following his graduation, he worked as an automotive consultant, before joining his current firm, MainStreet at the start of 2021. Moses’ success as an Account Executive saw him promoted to Senior Account Executive after only 10 months at the company. Outside of work Moses is a keen sportsman, loves to travel and speaks two languages, English and Swahili.