1. Be confident. It's okay to not be 100% ready for the role, but do not let what you don't know outshine all that you do know. Stop making statements that sound like they end with a question mark. (I do that all the time!!) People are drawn to those with confidence. Make your executive presence known.
2. Don't feel 120% qualified for the new opportunity. It's common for women to feel that they have to be more than qualified for the role before they take it on. Learn to be comfortable with failure and take chances. In addition to this, I think it's important to own your mistakes, correct them if you can, learn from them, and do better the next time around.
3. Communicate effectively. Be a good listener, don't interrupt or talk over someone else. Be comfortable asking for what you want and lose the qualifiers, such as, "this might be a dumb question but..." "I know I don't have much experience here but..." "I'm not sure if I should raise this up or not but..."
4. Be comfortable with confrontation. This echoes communicating effectively. I find that it's especially difficult to learn to be confrontational in an effective way. Meaning, how do I say what needs to be said in a way that will be received the way it needs to be received? You may need to confront your employee (as a manager), your coworker, your manager, a committee, etc. There's a really good article on how to be comfortable with confrontation below. I love how it suggests that you have a solution planned. If you're going to bring an issue to the table, bring a possible solution as well. You'll be more convincing if you do the pre-work beforehand instead of relying on the other person to figure out a solution completely on their own. I've learned this the hard way. I once brought an issue to the table with no solution and the first thing to come out of my manager's mouth was, "So what do you suggest?" And I had nothing to offer. Ugh--I don't ever want to experience that feeling again! It was then that I realized: You will certainly get a pat on your back by expressing your concerns for the business, but you will add value by offering a solution to the problems you are noticing. See the article here: http://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/get-ready-to-battle-how-to-be-comfortable-with-confrontation
5. Market yourself. Find tactful ways to credit your accomplishments. Create visibility for yourself--for example, show up in person for the meeting (if you can) rather than calling in. Furthermore, be an active participant--come prepared with thoughts, questions, and ideas. Also, brand yourself. Here's an article on branding yourself and defining what makes you different: http://www.levo.com/articles/careerexpert/how-to-build-personal-brand
6. Gain sales experience. Learn how to influence and persuade. True sales roles will help you develop this skill. Once you've learned it and mastered it, it'll be a good tool to help you market yourself!
7. Know your strengths and invest in them. Know what you're good at and where you can improve and never stop learning. There are always opportunity to better yourself and master your craft. Invest in your skills.
8. Don't get caught up with titles. I'll be first to admit, this is hard to do! A title to me is almost like a first impression (on your resume, that is). I used to be scared that people will discount my abilities based on the job titles of my previous positions. Then I realized, there's more that I could put on paper than I give myself credit for. What I've learned to do is be the best in whatever role I choose to take on. The article that I got this tip from stated, "Be the editor-in-chief in your own role, in how hard you work, how professional you act, and how well you dress, and you will advance organically." Site: http://www.whowhatwear.com/career-job-advice-tips-how-to-succeed-work-2014
9. Think outside your job description. Finding ways to help your company do better, even if it's not part of your role, will get you noticed. Your initiative will attract more responsibility, which will lead to trust, and eventually a more important role. Site: http://www.whowhatwear.com/career-job-advice-tips-how-to-succeed-work-2014
10. Understand the value of teamwork. And always recognize the contributions of others. I'm a big advocate of giving credit where it's due. I'm sure you'd want the same done to you.
11. Don't pigeonhole yourself. I love this tip. I had a conversation with the big boss the other day, and we were talking about how so many people (especially in my generation) look for--yearn for--a "career pipeline." This article reminds us that "few career paths are straight." There may not always be a path laid out for you that blatantly states: you will start here, then move to this position, then that, then the next, then the last in which you will stay at until you retire. I say build your own pipeline. Figure out what skills you need to develop to promote yourself, then find a position that will give you those skills. Even if your pipeline turns out to be in the form of a roller coaster, if you are constantly developing yourself, you will obtain what you need to get you where you want to go. Always be open to new opportunities even if they're not directly above the position that you're in.
I am always actively developing myself and my career, and these tips really inspire and motivate me as I do. Do you all have career advice you'd like to share? What's helped you along the way? I'd love to hear your tips, advice, and stories in the comments below!
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