D07 // The 2 Top Tips I Would Give Someone Starting Their Professional Journey

Are you getting started out on your professional career path?

Have you been plodding away in your job for years, having lost your guiding light?

Well, do I have a treat for you!

Since 2013, I have worked across multiple industries: immigration law, global development, medtech, and market research consulting. What I can tell you after years of expereince is that to be successful across all my positions, these are the top two tips I learned to follow.

Get clear on what's important to you.

If your core principles are clear they serve as your guiding light, no matter in what industry you might be working.

For me, an invaluable tool in that search has been Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

I am on my third time reading the book. Everytime I read it with a student's mind: I take notes in the margins, highlight the text, and keep a list of my thoughts in a journal.

Get good at making connections.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the platitude, "It's not what you know, but who you know." And as much as I grit my teeth when I hear someone robotically say this, it is very true.

We live in an incredible age of online communities that have levelled the playing field of building connections.

Be fearless in leveraging online communities, like LinkedIn.

I regularly message and invite people out for coffee or to connect for an online coffee chat via Zoom or Google Meets.

Building connections is not about getting ahead, but rather expanding your perspectives on what's possible through the experiences of others.

I hope that these perspectives are helpful. Drop a comment below if you agree or disagree!