Single best piece of career advice you ever received?

Anonymous
A company is a platform. Think about whether it is serving you as a good platform for what you want to do in the world.
Anonymous
It’s generally about fit, connections, and pedigree, rarely about merit or skill.

Most of us won’t live the American dream and move up a class from our parents without some extraordinary good fortune — just not a thing for the average striver.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is a timely thread. My youngest daughter is entering the career field in 2021, as she plans to graduate in December. She told me she wishes she had more real-world advice. I’m thinking I’ll buy her the parachute book, but I’m open to recommendations for more contemporary/helpful books to get her started. She doesn’t know what she doesn’t know.


Tell your daughter to make friends with the receptionist, the janitor, the copy room people, the secretaries. Remember their kids names, their birthdays. These are the gatekeepers and the people who will whisk away your garbage pail when you've puked into it, the people who can tell you when and where to run into the high-level person you're desperate to speak with, the people who will save your ass when you thought you needed 2 copies but now realize you need 22 copies in 2 minutes.

Tell your daughter to find the truly cool girls at each job. Not the popular ones, but the genuinely cool ones. The ones who agree they will all help each other out, will amplify each other's ideas in meetings, will always give credit where credit is due. I worked at a law firm full of women like this, and it taught me so much about the people I wanted to hang out with at work. If you put it out there that you don't gossip and you like to support other women, the other women who feel that same way will find their way to you.


I agree with this. People in the service and administrative positions are the foundation of a successful business. Yet, they get ran over and talked down to. Treat them with respect.

Add the doorman/security of the building. Say hello/good morning and goodbye/have a good night. Bring them a coffee or pastry once in a while. I became friends with the security guard at a building I used to work at by treating him with respect and not acting like he is a prop. He ended up helping me get a parking pass, which was nearly impossible if you weren't high up in the company. He also turned a blind eye when I stopped in occasionally on Saturdays, despite the building being closed on weekends.


x1000 for the advice above. Being nice to the people at the bottom of the hierarchy is good manners and brings good karma.


100% agree with all of this. I got the same advice when I was young and was the best advice I received.

I would add don't come to your boss/manager with a problem without having some ideas for solutions.
Anonymous
Your employers don't give a sh*t about you.
Anonymous
I had a boss tell me he wanted an executive summary short enough to read on the crapper. Yuck but years later I still get kudos for writing succinct summaries.
Anonymous
Your job as a supervisor is to help other be successful.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I had a boss tell me he wanted an executive summary short enough to read on the crapper. Yuck but years later I still get kudos for writing succinct summaries.


Yeah, I learned that every executive had removed their Page Down button...
Anonymous
Job hop. Loyalty is overrated.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:It’s generally about fit, connections, and pedigree, rarely about merit or skill.

Most of us won’t live the American dream and move up a class from our parents without some extraordinary good fortune — just not a thing for the average striver.


This is so true, unfortunately.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Work smart, not hard (my dads mantra, regularly said to me literally as young as I can remember).

Be value added, drama free for your boss. Everything you do is solely to make the boss’s life better - so every project you do, every email you write, Every five minute convo you have with her, should be from the perspective of how will this make my boss’s day easier. If you do this AND don’t have drama (No whining, neediness, intra office problems etc), you are ahead of literally 90% of employees, even if you are not a superstar at your job content If you do this one right, you are “working smart” and can get away with working less hard.


So important! Yet, so rarely done.

At the same time, if your boss is hazy about your career goals, constantly changing goal posts, gives you extra work at random times
If you are no longer learning anything new and if nothing changes even after you complain. Then please leave. It is not going to get better and you will not be promoted
Anonymous
Treat everyone well. You never know who will be your boss one day.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Perception is often more important than reality.

This is SO SO SO SO true.


Agree and this is what I tell new employees. I mistakenly thought being a team player and producing quality work was important, but advocating for yourself and projecting confidence is what will get you promoted. Don’t do the grunt work, you won’t be rewarded for that.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Work smart, not hard (my dads mantra, regularly said to me literally as young as I can remember).

Be value added, drama free for your boss. Everything you do is solely to make the boss’s life better - so every project you do, every email you write, Every five minute convo you have with her, should be from the perspective of how will this make my boss’s day easier. If you do this AND don’t have drama (No whining, neediness, intra office problems etc), you are ahead of literally 90% of employees, even if you are not a superstar at your job content If you do this one right, you are “working smart” and can get away with working less hard.


Oh my god, yes! Just read this to husband and he furiously agreed. Copying and pasting this to my 'work advice' document for our daughter. She's only 1 but can't start too early on assembling useful life advice
Anonymous
Great thread.

1. Always be nice to terrible bosses / coworkers - you never know when you will have to work with them again

2. This is not a meritocracy. It’s about who you know, connections and perceived pedigree. Hence, see above about how terrible coworkers or bosses appear in top leadership roles

3. HR is not your friend. If you feel the only recourse is going to HR then be prepared to leave - and on bad terms.

4. Do lots of little favors for people. Then ask them for favors when you are in a bind. They will be obligated to help.

Anonymous
Never do an exit interview. The only acceptable answer is “I’m sad to leave. I hope we can work together in the future”
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