5 pieces of career advice no one ever told you

Your personal and professional development is YOUR priority! Not your employer, or your supervisor, or your colleague - it is your responsibility. Once you understand that learning and growing never stops, you can correctly position yourself for career advancement.

We know this is easier said than done, after all, it is not easy making time or finding space to learn in the middle of a busy work day, especially when you are trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance. However, when you ignore our professional development, you risk being left behind, missing out on growth opportunities, or being passed over for promotions.

We are in the midst of the 4th industrial revolution and the world of work has undergone a great shift: the world has moved away from traditional workplace structures and into a new territory of hybrid and remote working, thus people who are not adequately prepared may not survive. Remember, it was barely a generation ago that we depended on the light from lanterns to see at at night, today, others have moved on to solar energy, electricity and even gas: you do not want yours to be the sole house dependent on lanterns in the middle of a street with electrical homes.

Now more than ever, professionals need to augment their skills and capabilities to position themselves for long-term success. There is a world of continuing professional development (CPD) programmes you can and should enroll in, coupled with informative articles and academic programmes. It takes a truly determined person to think about their own development and make conscious efforts towards realising their dreams. Work toward these things. That is how you grow and stay on-top of your career.

Find your purpose

During this pandemic, meaning and purpose has become the focus of many working professionals. Nowadays almost everyone you meet wants to be connected to a purpose and are making efforts to find the right jobs and companies that align with their personal goals. Purpose is essential I must say - it makes you feel like a part of the big dream and as HR experts we know from interactions with hundreds of professionals that part of the reason why they enjoy what they do comes down to how well it enhances their sense of purpose.

I should add that where you work, the role you hold, and your broader sense of purpose are subject to change. Therefore, if you want to have a balance between these three, don't be afraid of career transitions or change itself. In fact, I encourage you to go out and look for them - only, go with a plan. Don't think of it as hedging your bets, instead, think of it as going in with a plan.

Seize every opportunity

Great opportunities do not come every day, which is why you should seize every opportunity, that way, you do not miss the great ones. For many young or early career professionals, fear of the unknown, lack of confidence or even an inability to recognise opportunities make them reluctant to work towards their own growth.

An opportunity could be a new job, an offer to learn or try something new. It is easy to say - that is not my responsibility or my job, but more than that, learning to recognise and accept this as what it is - a growth opportunity - positions you for greatness. For one, once you know how to do something, it becomes your own. No one can take it from you, not your employer, your colleague or supervisor. Put yourself in the employer's shoes, who would you rather employ? The most skilled, versatile professional or the least skilled one? Once you begin to see things in this light, you become better positioned to effect positive change in your career. Seeking opportunities should be something you look out for every day.

Don’t burn bridges

As the saying goes “it is a small world”. Whether you are resigning from a role or your position is being terminated, you must remember to act professionally at all times with everyone at your workplace. Being unprofessional or burning bridges will likely come back to haunt you. You are devastated by the news, you are angry or hungry or feel backed into a corner or have just been thrown under the bus by a colleague, nonetheless, remain positive and objective at all times. Remember, you may need a reference for your next employer and it would be hard to go back to people you disrespected and shamed. If you are leaving your role, give your employer ample notice as stipulated in your employment contract, or a number where they can reach you for clarification, and handover notes, file your projects away in the correct folders and label them accordingly. People matter and the earlier you realise that the better. In the words of the great Maya Angelou “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” So don't burn bridges!

Failure is part of the journey

The simple truth of life is that many of the successful people we look up to and whose lives we wish we live did not get to where they are today because there were no obstacles or failures. Most of the time, we tend to emphasis the successes, completely ignoring and purposefully forgetting the entire journey of stumbling, falling, failing and most importantly bouncing back .

If you want to succeed, then you need to push through tough situations. Know that failure is part of the journey and embrace it as a way to become stronger and better at what you do. We all dwell on success. So brace yourself for the not so good stories that will come along, they only make the successes and wins that much sweeter.