The 8 Secrets of Successful Employment

The largest generation employed in the U.S right now is Millennials. (source) 

Notice I said employed - not gainfully employed or happily employed. The truth is most of us are still struggling to find a job that doesn’t force us to survive paycheck to paycheck, or a career path that embodies our passions and dreams.

I’ve been in the game long enough to see just how much things have changed. I know the struggle intimately - been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. Every loss and win has taught me valuable lessons that helped me to build a foundation and achieve success. Here’s the good part: no matter where you’re starting from, you can do the same.

Career Advice for Millennials

Here are 8 pieces of career advice that have helped me, and other millennials, increase their satisfaction at work, capitalize on opportunities, and increase their income: (Spoiler Alert- If you don't feel like reading, scroll to the bottom of the article for the BIG secret.)

1. What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Ever heard someone tell you to “follow your passion”? The trouble with that advice is most people have no idea where their passion is taking them. 

First of all, passions change. Admittedly not for everyone, but for most of us our interests of 10, 15 years ago have changed drastically. And in my experience: the bigger the passion, the harder it falls.

Second of all, reconcile yourself to the fact that the perfect job doesn’t exist. If you spend all your time trying to find a perfect fit you’ll only miss out on opportunities to learn and grow.

Here’s some better advice: Trade ‘Passion’ for ‘Interest’. A position that involves work you like or work you’re interested in can satisfy your need for fulfillment and train you for something better. 

Take me for example. I’ve always been interested in finance and helping people, so at the beginning of my career, I got a job at Chase Bank. Did I have a passion for it? Nah. But I liked what I was learning and I liked that it connected me with new, interesting people.

Those skills and connections took me to my next position, and what I gained there took me to another position, and on, and on, and on. Do you see where I’m going with this?

You don’t have to kill the passion - but don’t let it solely dictate your career decisions. Weigh the pros and cons, keep your goals in mind, and remember it’s ok to just be interested at first.

2. Adopt a growth mindset

Albert Einstein said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

A growth mindset is the knowledge that ability and intelligence can be developed through consistent hard work.

If you want to accomplish anything in life, let alone in your career, you have to always be growing. 

Know your industry by keeping up to date on the latest news. Take an online course to brush up on a useful skill. Dig into an essential read like Atomic Habits, or a podcast like Inside LaunchStreet. Offer to take on new responsibilities at work - something you aren’t good at that will give you an opportunity to adapt. 

These are just a few examples of what you can do to grow in your role. If you take the initiative to dive into new environments and put in the work to grasp new concepts, you’ll be surprised how many doors become open to you. 

Always be learning, always be growing. The right people will notice.

3. Focus On Results

This should go without saying but: results are king.

Any hiring manager who knows his stuff is not looking for a resume that looks like a completed to-do list - just a row of checked off tasks. Managers are looking for the value you can bring to your role, best shown in measurable results.

For example:

• Managed a team of 6 individuals on the marketing team

This is boring and tells me nothing about your skills as a manager. 

• Led a marketing campaign that turned out a 15% higher recruitment rate than the previous quarter

This is, as the old folks say, the “meat and potatoes” I’d be looking for on a potential hire’s resume. Now, a hiring manager has an idea of what you can do and how that can contribute to their goals for the organization.

Moral of the story? Don’t just do the bare minimum. Don’t content yourself with busy work. It will show in your mediocre skillset, and on your lackluster resume. More importantly, in the long run, it will cripple your career.

Go above and beyond what’s required - if not for your organization, to benefit yourself.

4. Network, Network, Network

It is what it is guys. Networking is non-negotiable. Why? Because it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and that's just facts. 

Robert L Johnson, co-founder of BET once said, “All business is personal...Make your friends before you need them.”

I know for a lot of you introverts out there this is where you throw your hands up. I get it. What most people don’t mention about networking though, is that there’s no right way to do it. 

Suzy the entrepreneur may love to hit up big networking events where she can do small talk, hand out multiple cards, and raise her chances of making a valuable connection through sheer volume. 

But Glen the intrepreneur prefers to network within his company. He chooses to get to know his boss, his bosses boss, and his peers - in the hopes of having internal advocates who will help him to move up in the business.

Both are valid because both are helping the individual reach their goal. Bottom line: put yourself out there and get to know people, because networking is 50% of success.

5. Take Calculated Risks

If you want to grow, you have to learn how to take risks.

The best time is early on in your career, but it can still be beneficial even later in the game - if you’re smart about it. What a risk is depends on you and your situation, but essentially it means you need to pursue something new or different.

Ever heard of a side hustle? Where I come from it wasn’t considered innovation, just the way of things - selling candy and nachos out of your house or washing car windows at stoplights was how you made ends meet.

Now, a side-hustle can be so much more, and it’s the perfect way to dip your feet in on this risk-taking-business. According to Tom Blake of This Online World, it’s not only beneficial to your career but necessary:

“Start a side hustle, business, or venture that forces you to learn new skills. This is hands down the fastest way to grow as an individual. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blog, a business, or even just volunteering at a different organization you care about: push yourself to try new things and grow. This will undoubtedly have a carryover effect for your main job, and the skills you learn will open a world of opportunity for career advancement.”

6. Learn How to Listen Effectively

I’ve had too many conversations with managers who have no idea how to deal with Millennials on the job. Admittedly, the typically rigid managing style of Boomers and Gen X doesn’t always make it easy, but we’ve got to be honest with ourselves:

Millennials have a hard time listening.

School and TV have largely gotten it into our heads that we’re so unique we don’t need any advice from the outside world. In short: we wanna do what we wanna do, and we wanna do it our way.

Thinking like that can cause us to miss out on valuable information and connections. No matter where any of us are in our careers, we can stand to benefit from the different viewpoints of those around us - especially those who have already accomplished a great deal.

7. If You Don’t Have a Mentor, Find One

A good mentor is an asset that a lot of people sleep on nowadays. My advice? Don’t be one of those people. 

A mentor is not only a resource for information, but an advocate, and a connection to a broader network of people. If your company doesn’t offer a formal mentorship program, look for someone inside (or outside) your industry that is doing what you want to be doing in 5-10 years. This could be someone older, or a peer!

Once you have a mentor, take it seriously, don’t waste their time. See if you can set up regular meetings to chat - weekly, bi-monthly, whatever works for the both of you. Ask thoughtful questions, and share your fears. Learn how they choose to approach failure and success. Really take the time to get to know them, and quickly get to work applying what you learn.

8. Control Your Narrative

Most of us are forced to know exactly what we want to do by age 18, and expected to see it through until we’re dead in the ground. It goes without saying that that rarely works out. 

While millennials are often looked down on by older generations for changing career paths, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing just that. One of my aunts always says, “All paths lead to one,” meaning: everything you’ve done up to this point is going to come in handy at some point. You haven’t wasted your time because no experience is useless.

Take Marc from Vital Dollar, who took almost a decade to figure things out:

My advice is to find something that is a good fit for your personal interests and strengths and don’t worry about what other people think or expect. I bounced around several different jobs in my 20’s and when I was 30, I left my full-time job to pursue self-employment through my online business.

It was the best career decision I ever made even though most of my co-workers thought I was crazy. Most of them didn’t like their jobs, but they were stuck in that routine and not willing to step out and try anything different.

So relax. If your current position isn’t a good fit, ignore the haters and keep it moving. If you feel like you’ve failed remember that failure is a teacher, not an enemy. Appreciate every experience, take control of your own narrative, and get this work!

The Secret to Growing Your Career: There Are No Secrets

Millennials have about 2-3 existential crisis’ a day, which makes “Secret Tips” and so-called fast track tactics very popular. That kind of stuff has its place, but at the end of the day there are no shortcuts to growth. 

It’s just about putting in the work. It’s not easy; things are constantly changing, and at a faster pace than they ever have before!

But if you consistently apply these 8 pieces of career advice for millennials, you will see results.