Lessons to my younger self

As I approach 50 and find myself at the pinnacle of my career, every now and then I’ll see myself in some of our younger recruiters and remember a time when I was faced with similar situations or decisions to make in the workplace. Call it life experience or being modelled into shape though the learning from others, when getting to a certain age, we all have the hindsight to establish what decisions of ours were good ones, and which were, well let’s say the result of a little naiveté. Whether a firm believer in everything happens for a reason, or you genuinely wish you could go back and change course, I’m sure we all have a thing or two we wish we could tell our younger selves.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

I’ll let you into a secret, you may not know everything in your twenties but it’s the exact same case as you get older, you’re never going to know absolutely everything. Life and your career is a journey of self-discovery, figuring things out as you go along, and learning from others. Mistakes will happen, that’s a guarantee, but it’s how you come back from them that is the crucial part. So don’t sweat the small stuff, remind yourself that this is only the beginning and embrace the path you’re on.

Enjoy the naivety of youth

Your younger years are considered to be the best years and though it is tempting to focus on getting ahead and worrying about not being in your dream position yet, take a breath! At 25, yes I was a Board Director of a national recruitment agency enjoying national travel, great hotels (and crazy hours) but I also started in the industry at 17. At 29, with my first child on the way, I actually took a few steps down in order to be closer to home for my children taking a slightly more relaxed approach to life. Everyone is different and what suits one person, won’t necessarily suit another. So don’t compare yourself to others, focus on your own journey and enjoy it whilst you can.

Shut up and listen

Take in every ounce of knowledge you can during the early stages of your career. You can learn from everyone you meet, good or bad, young or old, and learn valuable lessons in how to conduct yourself, network and establish yourself within the workplace. Even now, I think back on the lessons I’ve learned along the way, and truly believe those have played a part in moulding me into the woman I am today. Embrace your colleagues, learn their stories and absorb their experiences.

Go with your gut

Ever had a feeling in your gut, or a sensation on the back of your neck, where you just know something intuitively? Call it a gut instinct, a sixth sense, or your intuition; it never fails us when we listen to it. In the early ages of the technological era, I had a hunch that my sector would eventually follow suit and enter the online domain. To prepare for this change in landscape, I went with my gut and enrolled myself onto an e-business degree. I saw this as keeping on top of my game, and boy was I right to do so!

Always work to your very best

Be the best version of yourself wherever possible. Whether you hate your life, your job or colleagues, suck it up! Be amazing in everything you do, and that will always shine through. It’s easy to be disheartened and trust me, there’ll always be situations in which you may struggle, but happiness will come from how you get through it.

Quite simply, the biggest piece of advice I can give anyone, not just my younger self is to simply be happy and follow a career path that will lead to true contentment. It may not pay all the bills to begin with, but working in a toxic workplace will cause more damage. Take care of yourself and stay true to what you believe in, and everything else will follow.

What career advice would you go back and give yourself if you could?