Amazing Career Advice from the Nerd-Herd Mascot

Because I am such an adult now, I was inspired to write this entry as I was updating my SIU Alumni Member Profile.  There was a portion of the profile was entitled "Mentoring."  Again, because I am such an adult, I utilized my resources to figure out what "Mentoring" was all about. Essentially, as a Mentor I would "Give mock interviews, participate in a workshop, or lead a class discussion." Considering my history and work experience I felt confident that I could participate in something like that and because I am very confident in my abilities and may have an inflated sense of self from time to time, I thought I would be great at it--especially for those that are majoring in and/or planning on breaking into the psychology field.

Get it?!  AHHHHHHAHAHAHHA

Thinking back to when I was in college, I would have been very grateful to have access to someone who actually had experienced what I am experiencing now: barely working in the field because I have a masters degree that won't help me get a license or certification (and treatment facilities want you to have a license for liability purposes--and they can charge more for treatment) while hopelessly maintaining my undying dream of obtaining a doctorate degree... because you know... adult.  Instead, I was provided with doctoral graduate students and professors who had already earned their doctorates which continued to fuel my pipe dream because, as mentioned in a previous post, I had unrealistic expectations of what I thought to be entitled to and I felt that I was not so different than those psychology representatives.  At that time I didn't feel like failure was an option or even the reality of the situation, but ultimately if I knew then what I know now I would have immediately applied to SIUE's Social Work Masters Program instead of doing it the long way.  HOWEVER, I am a very firm believer that if I had, I would not be where I am at now with the people whom I love gaining experience in the field at a job that I enjoy going to.  So life has a funny way of working itself out sometimes.

Anyway, as I was filling out this Mentoring section of the SIUAA Member Profile, there was a section that was entitled "Career Advice."  Nothing else.  There was no prompt.  No example.  Did they want career advice that has been given to me?  If so, that would be short and sweet: 

Did they want me to come up with my own? I didn't know. I tried to think back on nuggets of advice that I had received in my 2 years and 5 months of adult job experience.  Very limited.  So I tried to Google it (try it, there's zero examples; they gave me templates for resumes and the like).  No luck.  So then I was really curious and just wanted to answer it for myself and this is what I have come up with because I know everyone would love to have this gem:

·         Successful people listen and keep their mouth shut when in doubt. Personally, I struggle with this, but learning to listen allows you to gain understanding of the situation that you are in.  It ensures that you obtain all of the facts you need BEFORE you respond.  It also allows you to formulate questions to clarify the information so you can do your job well.  Plus, sometimes people don’t like Chatty Cathys. 

·         Passion is important. Don't be in a hurry to find or concerned that you haven’t found your passion yet.  If you’re unhappy at your current place in life, contrary to popular belief, that’s a good thing!  It’s a sign that you need a change to find something that makes you happy.   Life is all about trial and error; same goes for passion.  But be prepared, if you're going into the psychology, there will be no big payday unless you become a doctor... maybe...

·         Be likable and put your best foot forward.  Remember when you dreaded group projects in college?  Yeah, what they don’t tell you is that the majority of jobs are one giant group project.  That means that most bosses and supervisors are looking for candidates that “play well with others” and won’t be a problem for HR.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  I know, I know, you don’t go to work to be liked, but it sure is easier to work with your coworkers if they like you and vice versa. 

·         Never bash the competition, or yourself, and focus on being humble. You know what I hate most about political campaign season?  Candidates running ads that bash or promote propaganda about their component.  It’s tacky.  It’s just as tacky to bash your coworker when you both are vying for the same promotion.  Have you heard the saying, “What Sally says of Susie says more about Sally than it does of Susie?”  Your badmouthing will reflect poorly on you and your character—not someone people usually want to promote within their company.  Likewise, bashing yourself is just as annoying—it appears that you’re fishing for compliments.  This isn’t high school, you know you’re awesome.  However there is a fine line to knowing your abilities; you want to strive to be humble not self-centered.  People don’t like that either.  Let’s just say people are particular.

·         The smartest people can explain complex issues in simple terms. That’s pretty self-explanatory.  Don’t be superfluous and make sure you’re making sense to your target audience.  Not everyone is going understand the chemical construct and the biological concepts of how high dopamine levels contribute to schizophrenia, but everyone can understand that schizophrenia is caused by a chemical imbalance.

·         Be a firm, fair, and consistent.

·         Understand what you don't do well and learn to ask for help or for what you want. Pride has no place at the workplace.  You’ll never learn if you don’t take a step back and assess what you’re struggling with and/or ask for help.  Some people may see it as weak, but I see this as a sign of strength as you know your weaknesses and are working towards improving on them—i.e. turn them in to strengths. 

·         Learn to read body language.  Regardless if you’re in a meeting with your boss or on a date, body language communicates more information than the words that are being expressed.  When you learn to read the signals, you can figure out how much he or she is into you or what you’re pitching (or isn't).   Here’s a crash course: Dilated pupils (more importantly eye contact), torso and feet facing you, posture is open, tilting a head toward you—all good signs.   Fidgeting, no eye contact, closed off (i.e. arms crossed), fast nodding indicates impatience and means that you should gracefully end the meeting as quickly as possible and try again later or in another way.

·         Dress to win.  Follow your company’s dress code; it’s in place for a reason.  In most cases companies want you to dress professionally as it communicates competency, professionalism, and dedication.  If you’re a psychologist and required to go to court to speak on your client’s behalf and you’re dressed in your pajamas… your credibility by the court will be in question.  As much as I hate to say this, professionally your appearance (not looks) matters.

·         If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
Spend that time you would have spent whining on creating ways that you can fix the problem.  Part of finding solutions is finding the problem, but the other part—the most important part—is solving it.  Your bosses will appreciate your hard work.

·         Constructive criticism sucks, but we all need it.  Just like learning to ask for help, actively look for constructive criticism.  It’s another way to help you improve your work.  But, you have to be open to hearing it—whether you agree or not.  If people see that you’re defensive they’ll never waste their time giving your real feedback or be more concerned with having to deal with the emotional fallout afterwards.  This was a very difficult lesson that I needed to learn.  Just remember: just because you were given constructive criticism doesn’t mean that you’re a failure at life, that you suck as a person, or that you’re fired.  It just means that your boss found something that needed a little work.   

·         Practice self-discipline, prioritizing, and time management. Set goals, have timetables and schedules, be realistic.   Time flies and if you have deadlines it can seem as if there is not enough time in the world to get things done.  Learning to manage your time effectively (not spending five hours checking your email in your 8-hour workday) and prioritizing tasks (not completing a mental health reassessment that is due next year instead of an individual treatment plan for a client’s quarterly staffing tomorrow) are great skills to have.  

·         After writing up an email, think many times before sending it.  I struggle with emails.  I am very professional and respectful when working face-to-face with supplemental treatment providers or the parents of the clients, but with email (writing in general) I am more candid and my true feelings of that parent or treatment provider seem to shine through.  Because I know this, I write, rewrite, and write the email again and even before I send it I go to a coworker or my boss (who knows my plight) and ask them to read it to ensure that I am not coming off as rude or disrespectful when complaining about how much I hate you as a professional. 

·         Be yourself. In group settings, you usually serve the group best by thoughtfully expressing exactly what you are thinking—good and bad.  You are in a unique position to provide a different perspective as no one thinks just the same as you do and may just end up solving world hunger.  People can also sense when you’re not being genuine. Most importantly, would you want to work at a job where you feel like you’re required to stifle who you really are?  (Note: There is a time a place for certain behaviors—so be yourself, but ensure you have a trusty internal filter).

·         Take ownership about everything that you do. Good or bad. Point-blank-period.  Accountability for your actions is huge; it shows integrity and personal growth.  Again, this may be a jumping point for learning new things to improve yourself overall.

·         Know when to be ambitious or persistent and when to let go.

·         Learn to relax and take care of yourself. Often overachievers are passionate about many things—I would know—but it's important to learn not to always care so much about the little, insignificant things.  This is the primary problem that leads to burnout in the workplace.  Don’t always put your needs or your life on hold for your job.  That only hurts you.   A healthy life outside of work refreshes you, expands your longevity, sparks your creativity.   Think about it: remember when you hated your friend because she stopped hanging out when she met her boyfriend?  Yeah, just like the bad idea of giving up your friends or hobbies for your love interest, it's a bad idea to give up the rest of your life for  your career.

·         Shoot for the moon. To be successful, don't limit yourself.  Your limit is only determined by how far you reach for. 

"Appreciate the people you work with, take care of your investors, celebrate successes along the way, communicate lavishly - good news and bad news, tell the truth, don’t try to maximize everything, and stop to smell the roses. Life is pretty short and most of what really matters doesn’t happen at the office." –Joel Peterson

There you have it, folks.  You made it through another long post, but hopefully you found something to take away from it.  If not, I had fun writing it.