# What career advice tips would you give others?



## ilikenamitha (Oct 23, 2012)

In my career thus far, these come up as prominent:

- Be proactive. Don't rely on your boss to prompt you. Even if there is a lull in work, find something to do, or ask him/her if there is anything to lessen the workload.

- Don't let what others say bother you. Insults on the job mean little.

- CYA. Send e-mails to all important items. Even if it's borrowing a chair or a pen, still send written notification.

- Be a go to person. Learn up on a given subject and be your Unit's authority on it.

- *Never *insult or badmouth others on the job. Also never gossip, as it can backfire.

- Be well organised. Have listings for each day's work, and prioritise. Ascertain what needs to be done today, and do that first. 

- Be an ideas person. Think of what can be improved, and how this will enhance Unit and organisational goals. Don't ever hesitate to share this with your boss. S/he will welcome your thinking, even if your ideas are not concurred with. 

- Remember and figure out your boss's challenges. Figure out ways in which his or her challenges can be lessened.


----------



## Plaxico (Dec 11, 2010)

#1 and #4 I wholeheartedly agree with. I'll need some time to come up with my ideas. Also the last one is good, after all your worth is based upon what you can do for the company. What's the amount you can generate be it happy customers, dollars, brand reputation boost, brand recognition, etc. And how can you make yourself invaluable to the company.


----------



## Mashidar (Oct 4, 2012)

Interview Tips as someone who gives interviews to people

-Don't bad mouth your previous boss or company. Saying something negative will only place the idea that if you leave this new job you are interviewing for you will do the same.

-Don't be afraid to be a go to person. A go to person advances quick because they work hard, and they are dependable. No matter what others think.

-Have an answer for every interview question, go prepared with answers on things you have done and will do. 

-Research the company you are looking to interview at. If you come to me knowing about the company, then you go up a notch.

-Have a question to ask when I ask if you have any questions. Many people don't and it's the people that do that tend to want to do more.

-No canned answers. What is your weakness? Don't say that you have no weakness. It's an expected answer really and should be an avoided answer.


----------



## Plaxico (Dec 11, 2010)

Another thing is to respond to questions quickly. Part of that is prep, but of course there are going to be questions that you don't expect. You don't want to pause and think, unless what you say is ridiculously stupid, anything beats being uncertain. They want you to be able to think on your feet.


----------



## Mashidar (Oct 4, 2012)

Gauge your interviewer as well. I had one guy that was waiting for an interview and he heard me talking about games with another associate. So during our interview when asked about teamwork and building a team. He was gutsy enough to use Final Fantasy 11 in his answer about forming a guild and working together on tacking bosses. Now while that's a very unconventional answer, I knew what he was talking about because I am a gamer, but when I asked him why he took such a gamble with that answer because anyone else would of wrote him off, he said it was because he overheard me talking about games and felt that I would get his answer.

I gave the man the job that day, being brave, observing your surroundings and not being afraid to risk it all on one answer is something I can admire. Not saying all folks need to do that, but paying attention to what's going on while you are waiting from the talk that's around the waiting area, to the pictures on the wall, to other associates and what they are saying can help in any interview.


----------



## Plaxico (Dec 11, 2010)

Thanks for the advice Mashidar, glad to have you on the forums. I'm also an ISTJ and I'm liking your contributions.


----------



## ewerk (Sep 22, 2012)

I would say find your passion first and that will give the direction you need to go to in life. Once you know where you want to go it's much easier to get there. And it's important to find the people along the way that will support you and help you in your vision. I cannot emphasize enough how cultivating a network is key to success anywhere you go with your career and life. Build a base of people that are doing what you want to do and find a way to introduce yourself to them, help them and they will help you in return.


----------



## Kainita (Aug 31, 2011)

The OP sounds like what we hear all the time in the military.

The thing I would add in is: Make yourself indisposable.

I have had to fight for my job before and they did an interview on me and three other individuals, and because I had worked hard to be as valuable as possible and knew my craft, I was chosen to stay on. Even if the other three had been working there longer I was the one who was the go-getter and took the time to look further into my job outside of the required material.


----------



## AJ2011 (Jun 2, 2011)

Plaxico said:


> Another thing is to respond to questions quickly. Part of that is prep, but of course there are going to be questions that you don't expect. You don't want to pause and think, unless what you say is ridiculously stupid, anything beats being uncertain. They want you to be able to think on your feet.


Not sure if this is really the mode out there. Although I do respond quickly, I am working on pausing, thinking fully about the question and then responding in a measured way. I suspect interviewers worth their salt would appreciate that, unless you're interviewing for a job that doesn't require too much thinking.

For example, if you have Netflix, check out Steve Jobs interview. In his interview, all his responses were measured, in depth and extremely insightful, and there were deep pauses after each question.


----------



## Plaxico (Dec 11, 2010)

AJ2011 said:


> Not sure if this is really the mode out there. Although I do respond quickly, I am working on pausing, thinking fully about the question and then responding in a measured way. I suspect interviewers worth their salt would appreciate that, unless you're interviewing for a job that doesn't require too much thinking.
> 
> For example, if you have Netflix, check out Steve Jobs interview. In his interview, all his responses were measured, in depth and extremely insightful, and there were deep pauses after each question.


But are we interviewing for Steve Jobs' position? Also these are two different types of interviews. One's a job interview and the other's a Jobs interview, one in which (I haven't seen it) they're asking for his insight and advice. Also, Steve Jobs worked for his own companies, so I'm not sure how that applies to getting a job with a company.


----------



## AJ2011 (Jun 2, 2011)

Plaxico said:


> But are we interviewing for Steve Jobs' position? Also these are two different types of interviews. One's a job interview and the other's a Jobs interview, one in which (I haven't seen it) they're asking for his insight and advice. Also, Steve Jobs worked for his own companies, so I'm not sure how that applies to getting a job with a company.


Learning to use silence is an important part of any communication. In any case, do what works for you. I just would have a hard time hiring a person that quickly responded to my question without taking the time to understand it (I would likely consider them a flake). Of course, it also depends on the field you are working in. If you are applying to Goldman Sachs and you're not quick in your response to questions regarding the market, then it's likely you won't get hired. Not every industry has such time-crunch requirements.


----------



## ThatName (Nov 9, 2011)

If you can, get a job within the government. I've always heard how government jobs are financially stable.


----------

