Welcome to the Other Side, Class of 2023!

Six Tips as You Embark on Your Career Journey

This past weekend, I had the extreme joy of celebrating my daughter’s graduation from Berklee College of Music and her boyfriend’s graduation from my alma mater, Emerson College , in Boston. The city was awash with thousands of fatigued yet exuberant students, proud and relieved parents, supportive faculty and family members, and scores of jubilant-just-to-be-this-busy Uber drivers and local business owners.?

As I returned to work, I looked ahead in my calendar to see a meeting with our LexisNexis Risk Solutions management associates related to career development and advice for young professionals. How timely! Reflecting on this agenda and the past weekend’s commencement activities, and thinking of all the incredibly talented and ambitious young people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and talking with recently, I was compelled to consider this age-old question:

What advice would you give your younger self, now that you’ve had the wisdom of years?

Here are six things that stand out for me. What about you? What advice would you give to your younger self or to the grads and young people of today, who are just starting out on their career journey???

1.??????Practice Self-Awareness

Self-awareness isn’t just a principle, it’s a practice. You may have just finished school, but there is no end to what you will learn in life and what you will learn about yourself: your interests, ambitions, and skills, but also your gaps, limitations, and boundaries. When you fail (and you will because we all do), aim to learn from it, evolve, and do better. When you get feedback, take it. Don’t ignore it, dismiss it, or explain it away. Pay attention, especially to the feedback that trends. Study it. Embrace it for the gift that it is, work hard to interpret it, and apply the knowledge to proactively improve. Dedicate yourself to understanding who you are with humility, aiming to be a little bit better each day than you were the day before.

2.??????Take Risks

You’re probably feeling energized with hope and a healthy dose of uncertainly right now, but there will be times when you get too comfortable. Being “in the zone” because you’re doing what you love and finding reward in it is one thing. Sitting on the sidelines or staying in a safe space for fear of failure is something else entirely. Progressing and achieving in your career requires taking risks. How will you ever get good at public speaking if you never raise your hand and offer to present? How will you ever get that higher level role if you don’t apply, or that awesome gig if you don’t audition, or that killer promotion if you don’t express your intentions to those who are in a position to help? The great thing about stepping outside your comfort zone is it gets easier with experience. The more risks you take, both big and small, the more you will realize what you’re capable of -- and the more you will land on your feet after taking a leap of faith. ?

?3.??????It is OK to Change Your Mind

For many 2023 grads, when you were born, LinkedIn didn’t even exist. How do you think the 19,000+ employees of this social media giant planned ahead for the career they have now? Most couldn’t even conceive of the company or role they’re in today, much less chart a course toward attaining it. Keep this in mind when it comes to your own career planning and decision making. If you got a degree in accounting because you love numbers but discover over time that helping people solve problems is really your thing, a career in sales may just be your destiny. It’s important to have an open mind and know that your journey, like so many others, will include a few twists and turns along the way. And that’s more than OK - it’s expected. Do your research, make informed decisions, and when it comes time to pivot, pivot with purpose. ?

4.??????You Can (and Should) Network ??

Networking. I know, ugh! The word itself invites such disdain because it implies connecting with others for self-serving or shallow reasons, but I challenge you to flip this way of thinking. Networking should be genuine, can be both personally and professionally enriching, and must be a two-way street. If you are dreading that next networking event or just going through the motions, you’re going to get out of it exactly what you put in: superficial results. But if you go into the opportunity with authenticity and intention, saying for example, “I am going to connect with at least three people I find interesting here today, follow up with at least one I can help and one who may be able to help me,” while employing a heartfelt desire for honest conversation, you will get more than meaningful results. You’ll probably gain some lifelong friends and acquaintances.

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5.??????Attitude is a Differentiator

You are the company you keep and, therefore, most people would much rather work for, with, and around people who have a positive outlook and believe in the big-picture mission. As humans, we want to be inspired and a part of something grander than ourselves, so we are naturally drawn to others who advocate for possibility and success. Does this mean you need to be super extroverted and motivate with the energy of a hundred Simon Sinek s? No, but it does mean that you might want to follow him and heed his advice (and the advice of other thought leaders in your chosen industry). When you are solution-oriented and encouraging, it will be appreciated by those around you and it will attract positive outcomes. Negativity will do… well, the opposite. Naturally.

6.??????Be Persistent

Along with the above advice, when you know yourself and your capabilities, and have a clear picture of where you are going and what you want, be persistent. It is suggested by experts to take 21-80 job applications to get a single job offer, on average. With stats like that, it only makes sense that some goals you have may require months or years, or even decades of drive and determination before they come to fruition. Don’t give up! Let me repeat that. Don't give up! It may help to look into the background of people you admire or whose path you wish to emulate. Guaranteed, you will find that they weren’t an overnight success, but rather worked hard, paid their dues and were persistent in pursuit of their dreams to get to where they are.

OK. Those are my top takeaways after more than thirty years since I wore my cap and gown. I hope you find some kernel of value in there somewhere and I look forward to running into some of you in the office or an online meeting space soon, and learning from you in return!

Colleagues and connections, please add your best advice in the comments. I’d love for my daughter and her friends in the class of 2023 to source wisdom from the crowd, so to speak.

#careerjourney #careeradvice #newbeginnings #classof2023