Hello!
It recently occurred to me that there is a tonne of information out there for students on how to prepare an optimised CV/LinkedIn profile, networking tips and overcoming interview nerves.
How to navigate your career when you do land that amazing job? Not so much.
I put together some thoughts based on my reflections on my career and those around me in this blogpost. In summary, I identified the following;
Communication: Professional communication is required for different audiences and in different forms.
Flexibility: Industry scenarios are constantly evolving and we must approach these changes with an agile mindset.
Willingness to learn: The learning never stops, stay curious.
Leverage your unique skills and experience: You are a unique combination of your experiences, skills and education, use this to your advantage.
Confidence in providing fresh perspectives: Fresh perspectives bring about improvements and innovation.
The major tips for me are communication skills, flexibility and confidence.
Communicating within teams is key, particularly on engineering projects which involve various engineering disciplines working on interfacing work packages. It is essential to the progress of the project to communicate at the right information level.
As an early career professional, flexibility is a great way to accelerate your learning on the job. It is also an important skill to have for the latter stages of one’s career.
It is very easy to be overwhelmed by the lack of industry experience as an early career professional but that can be advantageous in identifying areas for improvement.
Thank you for reading!
Please leave a comment below, what do you wish you knew in the earlier stages of your career?
Engineer Titi 