I recently had the chance to sit in on an Early Talent Career Development Panel during SAP’s People & Diversity Week, which is a week-long offering of events and workshops focused on career development, health and diversity celebration. Not only was the session a huge success, with over 80 in-person and virtual employees attending, but more importantly the speakers were all very passionate about supporting employees with their career development and offered lots of valuable and insightful advice. I was so fortunate to be able to attend and listen in on their career stories and tips.
While the session was promoted as an early talent event, the career advice and best practices shared throughout were extremely useful for seasoned employees as well. Here are the top 6 tips I took away from the session!
Tip #1: Be Ready
Always be ready to take on that next opportunity. Have courage and don’t be afraid to fail because you never know where it will take you.
Tip #2: Build Your Brand
Create yourself as an expert in whatever you do. Make it visible to the right people through your work and networking. Know who you are and what you do, your dreams and aspirations, and connect with people who can help you or work with you to get to where you want to be.
Tip #3: Network, Network, Network
Networking doesn’t have to be hard! Find ways to integrate networking into your everyday life. Most of your co-workers should be open to meeting new people, so take advantage of that! Set up coffee chats, join employee networks and organizations, attend and participate in volunteer events and get yourself out there.
Tip #4: Know Your Passions
Think back to your past projects, what did you love the most and what were the things you know you never want to work on again? Reflect on your work and look for trends about your skillsets, preferred work environment, etc., to guide your career direction and development.
Tip #5: Learn From Your Mistakes
Don’t beat yourself up on failures because that’s how you learn and grow. Reflect on the issue and pay attention to what you learned, what to avoid if something similar happens again in the future, and move on. When mistakes happen, don’t start pointing fingers, be part of the solution and you can help turn the situation around.
Top #6: Take Ownership Over Your Career
It is ultimately on you to develop your career. Have open and regular conversations with your manager about your career development, ask for feedback on your performance, and be responsible for next steps. You have to be ready to drive those changes yourself.
At the end of the day, you are your best investment, so take time to invest in your career to achieve an amazing career!
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