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10 Career Tips Everyone Should Know
In today’s post, I am writing all about career tips for working women-especially those of you who are just venturing out into the corporate world.
I started working full time at 19 years old. So far, that’s been a whole decade of working for me. That blows my mind, but it also makes me excited to write this given all my experience.
Now, I don’t want to seem like I know it all. Believe me, I don’t.
If you’ve been looking for friendly advice on what to expect in the workplace, read on.
1. Be friendly but assertive.
I chose this as my first piece of advice because I often see a lot of working women either being too nice or too firm.
To put it simply, if you’re too nice you’ll be seen as a pushover and people will expect things of you that are not part of your job, and if you’re too firm then you will be labeled a bitch.
I love the saying “Its not what you say, it’s how you say it”, because you can absolutely say “no” to something but remain professional and tactful. Balance is key.
2. Build strong professional relationships.
This one has been a lifesaver for me whenever I wanted to advance in my career or even change jobs.
Networking is one of the most important things you can do as a working woman. Not only will you learn a lot from your colleagues but you will also build relationships that can help you get what you want at your current job.
For instance, to get a promotion you need to go through your management. If you’ve built a good relationship with them, they will already know about your work ethic and how deserving you are of the position.
If you’re not respected by them, getting that promotion will be much harder, even if you’re qualified for it. Help them help you with getting what you deserve.
3. Don’t gossip too much.
Gossip exists everywhere and it’s one of those things that no matter how professional the workplace, there will be gossip.
However, most of the time, things that people say in the break room aren’t true.
If you’re told something horrible about another colleague, take it with a grain of salt. If you believe it without seeing it with your own eyes, you will be possibly missing out on getting to know a nice person.
With saying that, you also need to be careful of what you yourself say at work about other people. Most of the time if we talk about others our words get twisted, and you don’t want that.
Keep the gossip at bay at work, and save it for when you’re having drinks with your girls.
4. Learn from your seniors.
We are constantly learning at work because the world is constantly evolving.
You need to be comfortable with learning from others, especially from your managers if you’re looking for a promotion in the next few years. It’s perfectly okay to ask for help when you need it and don’t be afraid to ask for professional advice from your management, or from people who have been at the job longer than you have.
They are there to help you, and if they won’t, then you don’t want to turn out to be like them anyway.
5. Be confident.
If you’re not a confident person, act like you are. A good trick to boost self-confidence is listening to motivational talks on youtube or podcasts.
Low confidence can really have a negative effect on your overall wellbeing and stress levels, so it’s important to remember that you are enough, you are deserving of great things in life, and that you are damn good at your job.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve.
Do you think you deserve a raise? A promotion? Great, now tell yourself why you deserve it.
What have you brought to the company that bettered it? By how much have sales increased since you got there? Once you calculate all of the things that you have done to make your workplace better than what it was before you got there, set up a meeting with your supervisors and explain it all to them.
Remember, preparation is key. Have everything written down, and explain why you deserve to move to a better position, or why you need a pay raise based on what you’ve added to their company.
7. Invest in yourself.
Read more books, meditate, listen to podcasts, take online courses, work out a few times a week. Do whatever you feel helps elevate you and better your life emotionally and physically.
If you need help doing any of these, check out these posts:
Toxic Habits To Cut Out Of Your Life
100 Healthy Habits To Improve Your Life
6 Motivational Podcasts You Need To Be Listening To
8. Surround yourself with positive people.
The company you keep is very important at work. You need to surround yourself with people who inspire you and people who challenge you to aim higher.
Don’t waste your time on negative Nancys who do not add to your growth, or who do not believe in your vision.
9. Understand the importance of saving money.
THIS. Saving money in your 20s is probably one of the hardest things to accomplish, especially when starting out.
Start with a goal, and put as much as you can into the goal as you can each month. Some months are going to be better than others, and that’s okay. It all adds up regardless of the amount you put in each month.
For more advice on saving money, check out these posts:
7 Books On Personal Finance You Need To Read
15 Things To Stop Buying To Save Money
What You Should Do At Payday
Ways To Save Money Quickly
10. You don’t need to be perfect.
Remember, you are not going to be perfect at everything you do. Nobody is. There is no need to beat yourself up about something that you’re not amazing at.
With practice, though, you can definitely work on bettering your skills. So don’t be so hard on yourself when you don’t become a master at something right away.
Want more career-related advice? Check out these posts:
How To Get A Job With No Experience
Interview Tips That Will Help You Get Hired
How To Make Friends At Work
5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Working
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10 Career Tips For Working Women
This resonated with me from start to finish. I’m still starting out and trying to master the friendly/assertive balance. I definitely say yes to too many things!
You need to watch “The magic of not giving a f*ck” TED Talk. She makes a lot of good points in saying no to things you don’t want to do!
I thought these were all fantastic tips. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading!
I really connected with this post, some of these things are stuff I need to learn before I go back to work! I see other people managing it perfectly being nice but firm and it works for them. My confidence hasn’t been great recently. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Thank you for stopping by!
Love this,thank you.
I really enjoyed this and I’m not very confident as a person. I really need to take a look on how I was and try and emulate it. Thank you.
Separating personal life from work is super important. The same goes in vice versa. Whenever I make a mistake I let the boss or the manager know to explain what I just did that way I avoid getting into big trouble.
Michelle| http://www.brokebutflawless.com
I think being able to say no is important at work as well. At my first job I used to say yes to everything and people took advantage of that. Once I said no to working overtime as I had an appointment and my manager was totally crossed with me… Now I know better and have a balance of saying yes and no to manage expectations.