I remember stepping up on the graduation stage after getting my last degree, so excited about the upcoming opportunities that awaited me. I had gotten a job offer from a prestigious firm, was done with classes, and was so ready to move on to the next phase of my life. I even had scraped my last dollars for the month to purchase my first suit, and my friend had chipped in for a new Enzo Angiolini square-toed pumps for my first day…I was ready, or so I thought…Little did I know there were many things I would come to wish I did know as I was starting my new career.

Every time I speak with fellow working women and men, one of the most prevalent remarks I get is: “I wish I knew this before I started my career”. Hindsight being 20/20, there’s always something we can learn. I believe it’s our responsibility to go back and share these lessons, especially with those who may just be starting out, or may be wondering if their own lessons are valid.

Here are 20 of the things I wish I knew when I started my career:

1. You can pick the career of your choice

When I started out in my own career, I thought I didn’t have much of a choice. It made sense to enter a profession that was in accordance with my prior curriculum, was well-paid and offered decent, if not great, advantages and benefits.

After all, that’s the advice that many, if not most of us, are given as we head to college and into “grown-up” life. We’re told to get a good job with solid benefits, make a good living, climb the corporate or business ladder, and settle down.

What I wish I’d known: You don’t have to pick the most reasonable, or best-paid career around. What you have to do is be faithful to who you are, and choose work that aligns with your skills, talents, personality and ultimately purpose. If you don’t know what that is just yet, know that you can experiment, while still paying your bills, until you find the right career for you.

2. You should get information about your career before entering it

Imagine purchasing a home without ever visiting it first? Or entering into a long-term contract without reading it entirely, including the fine print? You probably wouldn’t. Yet, how many of us enter careers we know very little about. We learn about the theory to apply in these jobs, yes. Yet, we have no idea what a day-to-day looks like at said jobs, what companies are in the market, what the responsibilities are, and how to navigate the related politics (yes, there’s such a thing).

The result? Employees who start and stay in careers they loathe, blaming everything that possibly goes wrong, on everything and everyone around, from the boss to the sabotaging co-workers and sucky weather.

3. You should get a mentor early on

I didn’t realize the power of mentorship until I was well into my corporate career. Neither had most of my corporate sisters. It wasn’t until the concept of mentors and mentorship started making it into the mainstream, with the whole “women empowerment” and “lean in” theme that I started looking into it.

The reality is, mentors seem to be reserved to a select few. While some companies are making great strides in implementing official mentorship programs, most working women (and men) struggle to find the right mentor for them. That is, if they even have time to think about it.

What I wish I’d known: Getting a mentor does not have to be an exercise in sheer frustration. There are mentors everywhere around you. The trick is to learn to recognize the right one for you. Basically, anyone that you may be looking up to can serve as a mentor for you. Besides, you’d be surprised how much people in higher positions (well, at least, some of them) are willing to help you. It can be as simple as sending an email to an executive you admire and whose career you’re inspired by at your company or in your industry. You can also tap into your network to find the right mentor for you.

4. You can mentor someone (even as you start your career)

As you can find the right mentor for you, you can also serve as a mentor. The misconception is that until you’ve reached astronomical levels of success yourself, you cannot mentor someone else. Right? Wrong! You don’t need to reach CEO level to help someone on your way up, or share some precious lessons you’ve learnt along the way. As a matter of fact, every time you learn something, you should teach.

Besides, serving as a mentor can also help your own career, as it’s a sign of leadership that management may be looking for to promote or advance you. It’s also a great way to solidify what you’re learning yourself, and build your own platform if you’re in business.

What I wish I’d known: In the same way that a sophomore has much to teach a freshman about the college experience, you also have much to share about your own experience. As a working woman, it’s actually your responsibility to keep the door open for other women coming behind you. After experiencing serving as a mentor, I wish I had done it sooner. It’s much less intimidating and so much more rewarding than it appears.

5. It’s not about how hard you work…

Now this one hurt to realize, even in hindsight. Starting out in the corporate world, I thought success was all about hard work. As in pulling in late hours (and being seen doing so), and sacrificing everything else at the altar of professional achievement. I know I’m not alone in this, especially in the era of the over-achieving, ‘do-it-all”, “empowered” woman…

Don’t get me wrong, work, hard work is important! You can’t just coast your way through to the top of your field, unless you’re willing to crash at some point. However, it’s not the most important part of career success and fulfillment.

What I wish I’d known: Working hard, at times too hard, at the detriment of being social and managing office politics (see #6) can actually make you look lacking at best, and incompetent at worst. Especially as a working woman, professional over-eagerness can easily be perceived as poor time management. Being more balanced in your approach to hard work can actually help, in addition to preserving your sanity, eye health and greying strands.

6. But it’s more about how you manage office politics

Office Politics: there should be an entire class around this one subject in college. How to manage office politics in a smart, non-debilitating way eludes many at work. Since there is no college major for office politics so far, at least to my knowledge  (although I still have hope), I would like to share it as one of the areas in which I have scored my most humiliating career moments, and one I definitely wish I’d known more about when I stepped into my very first cubicle.

Office politics are tricky. They’re definitely not an exact science; however, there are some fundamentals that everyone, especially working women, need to know upon starting their careers.

What I wish I’d known: I wish someone had told me to study the office politics of every company/department/team I worked in harder than I did their procedures and policies, it would have saved me some interesting moments, to say the least. What this means is to pay particular attention to the chain of power where you work, i.e. who reports to whom, whose interests are at play, and how inter-personal dynamics work. The point is to learn to manage people as well as, if not better, than you. More concretely, it’s about understanding the power plays in your work environment and navigate these in a smart way. This is where your emotional intelligence, and not necessarily your IQ comes into play!

7. Networking is important…

Let me say it again: Networking is important! As an introvert, I used to dread networking and avoid it at all costs. What I didn’t realize was that not making it to the Christmas party, or regularly and consistently missing after-hours, was hurting my career more than it was helping it.

Is networking the end-all-be-all of your career? No (introvert breathing deep sigh of relief). Yet, it can help you in more ways than you think. Connections, genuine connections that is, can make the difference between you scoring that promotion or being subtly forced out.

What I wish I’d known: Investing time, effort and sometimes money in active networking can go a long way. As a matter of fact, it can have a big payoff in your current and future careers (see #13). Even as introverts, spending a limited (but effective) amount of time networking can help you meet great people who will impact you in many ways. Joining associations and groups in and outside of your field can also be extremely beneficial. If you must, schedule your networking ahead of time. Plan to attend at least one networking event a month, and follow up on the connections you make.

8. But it’s more important to build genuine connections

Yet, networking doesn’t have to be this mechanical process whereby you meet random people and talk about the weather while finding ways to benefit each other. If you start out with this idea, chances are you’ll equate networking with root canals or sugar-free candy.

Networking is a great opportunity to build genuine connections and meet fascinating people. It’s a give-and-take process through which you can find the fulfillment of helping others while also being helped. A win-win overall.

What I wish I’d known: You network with human beings, not robots. Which makes the whole thing less intimidating and daunting, and even fun! Focus on the human interaction, not just the benefits or costs. Be open-minded, show up as yourself and let it be what it will.

9. Don’t hesitate to speak up…

If I could get a penny for every time I had an idea to share but instead decided to keep quiet at work, I’d probably be rich (in bitcoins). When you start out in your career, speaking up can seem daunting. It can be challenging to feel confident enough to share your thoughts, views and opinions, especially as an introvert and newcomer.

It took me years to tackle my fear of speaking up. I was scared of being perceived the wrong way, not knowing my stuff, or even be fired for saying the wrong thing. The result? I either listened to someone else get the credit for the ideas stewing in my brain, or buried them so dee

10. But know when it’s best to keep quiet

As much as I’m an advocate for speaking up at work, I also believe there are times when it’s best to keep quiet. Such as when everyone is gossiping about one thing or the other. Or when the rumor mill is at its most active around. Or when conflicts and office politics are raging and speaking up would only help you dig an early professional grave.

In general, speaking up against your boss, especially behind their backs, is not a good career-advancing strategy. While there are instances when integrity will actually get you alienated and excluded from the group, taking the high road and keeping your peace is always the best solution.

What I wish I’d known: Part of managing office politics is knowing when to keep quiet. When power plays are raging and negativity is around, it’s best to keep mum! Speaking up requires effort, yes, but it’s also necessary. For those for whom it seems absolutely impossible or too hard, there are organizations or groups such as Toastmaster that can help with this. For the rest who think that keeping your head down and crunching as much work as humanly possible will make up for it, think again!

Courtesy of the The Corporate Sister

@thecorporatesister 2019 : Solange Lopes

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