© M. Reber04/19/23

Succeeding in Your Career

Tips for Today’s Business World

Keep a Log

Update regularly, weekly is a good idea List assignments, work activities, completed

jobs, responsibilities, critical conversations, and problems as well as successes

Print copies or email to yourself regularly at non-work email (if allowed)

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Track Project Progression

Create and track timelines, minutes, roles and responsibilities, status reports

Demonstrate impact to overall timeline when a deadline is missed to discuss rational next steps

Keep track even if you haven’t been told to do so

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Create a Paper Trail

Save critical outgoing and incoming email on company mail server

Bcc or forward critical emails to a personal non-company email account (if possible and allowed)

Send emails to confirm critical decisions, relay critical conversations, and get approval on documents (often with deadline for corrections)

Be prepared to objectively show where the ball was dropped

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Document, Print, and Store Everything in Writing Memory can be faulty, paper is tangible: keep a

PRINTED paper trail! If you get oral agreement from a colleague or

supervisor, always send a confirmation email of the details.

Team decisions should also be outlined in a follow up email Important dates or deadlines for the work or

agreement Changes in scope of project or responsibilities

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Organize Your Documentation Well

Print hard copies File all work documents effectively Make files easy to find Printed documentation does you no good if you

can’t find a document when you need it! Remember that in the worst-case scenario you

may be escorted out of the workplace without access to your computer files

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Keep a List of Contributions and Accomplishments Keep track of your own achievements: it is not

high on a supervisor’s priority list, so present yourself well and be prepared

Update regularly as you will likely forget some of your contributions by the next review cycle

Make list concise and verifiable Present list at evaluation whether asked to or

not

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Market Yourself

It is easy to lose track of a quiet employee who always does a good job – so beat your own drum strategically

Help your colleagues appreciate your contributions – you want to be someone they want to work with

Be subtle—no one likes someone who is constantly tooting their own horn

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Always Try to Get Buy-In From Other Team Members Engage co-workers to encourage them to take

ownership and responsibility Solve problems more easily if all parties involved

in the project feel their opinions have been heard

Have a kick-off meeting that involves all and encourages collaboration and sharing of ideas

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Ask for Advice and Help from People You Trust People love it when you stroke their egos and

seek them out politely as mentors—you can learn a lot!

Be cautious with who you trust!!!

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Evaluate and Establish Trust

Be very careful about who you trust Use your best judgment, but be prepared for

errors Recognize the risk before you take it Evaluate how people you admire behave with

others and mimic their behavior

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Watch What You Say at Work

Walls have ears!! People who gossip with you are likely to gossip

about you Rumors spread fast and viciously No heart-to-heart discussions at work — take a

walk, go in the parking lot Personal opinions are best discussed off-site or

with people who are NOT coworkers

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Understand Another’s Point Before Making Your Own Understand and repeat another person’s

opinion/statement before you assert your own Understand other’s words as they were intended

to avoid misunderstandings Give them the benefit of the doubt Try to build on common feelings and thoughts Make them feel understood, then you have a

better chance of making your point

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Resolve Conflicts

Always deal with problem at lowest level. Deal with other party directly and politely

Go to a higher level only if there is no other way of resolving the conflict directly

Try to resolve tension when possible rather than letting it fester

Sometimes you may have to agree to disagree and then be pleasant

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Set Expectations Appropriately

It is better to under promise and over deliver Do the best work you can and try to exceed

expectations Don’t say yes before thinking—it is okay to get

back to someone with an answer after you’ve had a few minutes to think

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Set Appropriate Boundaries

Your work is not your life - know how much you are willing to do

Pick your battles and save your silver bullets Be a team player and give a little extra when you

can, but say no politely when enough is enough Find objective ways to set boundaries with little

emotion You don’t leave your personality and ethics

behind just because you have a job!

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Set Appropriate Boundaries (con’t.)

Remember that rarely does a company truly care about your health, family relationships, work/life balance, or sense of fulfillment and happiness

If you are salaried, why wouldn’t they want more work for the same amount of money?

Companies care first and foremost about their own survival and the bottom line—don’t mistake their natural self-interestedness for undying loyalty

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Keep Your Resume Up-to-Date

Update regularly Keep adding new accomplishments/skills to

resume as they come up The worst time to update a resume is when you

desperately need to!

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Keep Your Eyes and Options Open for New Opportunities Job searching while you have a job allows you

to evaluate what’s out there Don’t be an ostrich with your head in the sand—

know what your options are and why you are where you are

There’s always the possibility of sudden and unexpected layoffs at your company

Remember a job is not quite the same as a romantic relationship

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Keep Your Contacts Warm and Stay in Touch Meet for lunch, leave a voicemail, send an email

occasionally to useful people to keep in touch Help them with requests, referrals, and

information whenever possible Don’t ask for help at the last minute after a long

silence! Cold contacts are hard to resurrect naturally

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Save Some Money if You Need to Quit Offers you incredible freedom if you can ideally

save 6 months of expenses Gives you some peace of mind – you have some

fallback if you lose your job Allows you to take a stand – you don’t HAVE to

stay at your job if it becomes unbearable

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