Getting Ahead: Key Career Lessons for 2023 and Beyond
2023 has been a year of unprecedented change and disruption in the world of work. The global pandemic, technological advancements, and shifting business paradigms have brought forth many challenges and opportunities for professionals across all industries. As we navigate this new terrain, it's crucial to reflect on the career lessons we've learned thus far and how we can apply them to succeed in the future.
Lesson 1: Build Your Brand
What do people say about you when you are not in the room?
Personal branding is what sets you apart from competitors. It helps you stand out when applying for a job or starting your own company. To better articulate your brand, you must know yourself. You must clearly understand your values, purpose, mission, and unique strengths and weaknesses. Then do things that are in line with who you are.
Lesson 2: Visibility is Important
Visibility is a critical aspect of career growth and advancement. Being known and noticed for the work you do and the contributions you make is essential to get ahead in your career. One of the best things you can do regarding visibility is to build a social media presence. LinkedIn, in particular, is a great medium to stand out professionally, gain new business leads, and attract future employers.
Lesson 3: Leverage on Tech and AI
What is the shelf life of your professional skills? Will your job be obsolete due to continued digital innovation? Experts estimate that many skills today have a life expectancy of just two to three years. Therefore you must adapt and up-level your skill set to stay relevant.
One way to leverage technology and AI is to embrace new tools and platforms to help you automate and streamline your work. For example, chatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, can help writers to handle the repetitive work of brainstorming and writing first drafts, allowing them to focus on higher-level tasks such as reviewing and refining articles.
Experts estimate that many skills today have a life expectancy of just two to three years. Therefore you must adapt and up-level your skill set to stay relevant.
Lesson 4: Shamelessly Plug Yourself
Self-promotion is a crucial skill to master in both personal and professional settings. Whether you're speaking with a new contact or updating your resume, it is essential to highlight your strengths and expertise.
Effective ways to shamelessly plug yourself is to share the link to an article you wrote. Or mention to your network about your speaking engagements at an event. By doing so, you enhance your social clout and become more of an expert in your field.
Lesson 5: Align Your Job with Your Principles
Career satisfaction is directly linked to our values. Start by identifying your core values. To do this, ask yourself: what matters the most to you? What do you stand for? Who do you most admire and why? What beliefs drive how you feel, think, and act? Identifying your core values and beliefs can help determine what type of work and organization will be fulfilling. If you notice a misalignment in brand values or principles between you and the company you work with, it may be time to consider a change.
Lesson 6: Get a Side Hustle
Multiple streams of income are essential for your financial freedom. Try as much as possible to use your hobbies to make money. It could be photography, Knitting or web development. I have seen friends getting laid off from work these last few months and just soft landing into hobbies that make them money.
Are you a photographer on the weekend? Or are you just good at making people's hair? It is time you turn that hobby into a money-making machine. How do you do that? Just make sure you start charging for the services. Here are 12 hobbies you can monetise on.
Lesson 7: Trust Your Team
If you are in management, try not to cage people with rules and regulations unless you absolutely must. Instead, give people room to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. This way, they buy more into a shared dream and seek to solve problems. Making your job easier.
Lesson 8: Build a Tribe
You need to surround yourself with a strong support system. I have about ten people I can count on in my inner circle to advise, cheer me on, and introduce me to others. I also have an outer circle that contributes in one way or another to the things I am passionate about. Build different tribes to serve different purposes in your life. But don't forget you must also show up for your tribemates in big and small ways. Here is how to build a tribe
Lesson 9: Always Seek Feedback.
This is the only way you can improve. No matter how good you are, your work will always have room for improvement.
Lesson 10: Money is Good, but a Strong Network is Better.
According to career coach Eva Wislow' Successful people always network and create those life-lasting profitable relationships." A good network will increase job and business opportunities and ensure faster career advancement.
Lesson 11: Level Up
Always try to upscale your skills. Do you need a design course? To learn to code? Or to learn about social media management? All these skills can be obtained online for free. You need to know where to look. Diversify. Be flexible and learn, learn, learn. Remember, the world (and the digital space) is your university.
Lesson 12: Success Rarely Comes Overnight
Everyone with the tag 'overnight success' would tell you they spent years developing their craft. Overnight success is seriously rare. So work hard and celebrate every small win. These will lead you to bigger wins.
Lesson 13: Fail Forward Fast.
You will not die from failure. Failing means learning, and learning means growing, which leads to success. Just be brave to try over and over again when you fail. And please don't wallow in your failure!
Lesson 14: It is Ok to Say No
Extra work, being paid by exposure, working overtime, working all the time, or sexual advances in order to keep your job are all toxic for your career advancement. Learn to say no.
Lesson 15: Take Time to Build Your Personal Life.
Go on dates, play with your children, love hard, and laugh even harder. Take time off. Don't take work home. Go on holiday. Thank your body with a nice meal, a bottle of wine, or a spa day. Stay away from toxic people and environments. Meditate often. Enjoy this life. It is the only one you've got.
Remember: If you die today, your employer will find a replacement within the week!
What We are Loving This Week
Podcast: ShxtsnGigs Podcast
Shxts'n'Gigs is a top 5 Spotify podcast hosted by best friends James and Fuhad. Popularised for their viral "icks" and "Twitter Hall Of Fame" segments, Shxts'n'Gigs speaks to Gen Z women and men in the UK who are hungry for their full and unfiltered opinions on anything that comes to mind.
What We Love: Their tagline sums it up: “It can be raw, it might be offensive, but it’s always hilarious!”
Watch The Podcast: