4 Career rules we should break to move to the next level
At some point , we may face crossroads in our careers. We may want to change jobs, pursue a different career path or even lack the knowledge on what our true calling in life is. However, there are a lot of questions we ought to ask ourselves before settling on a direction.
In this article, we are on a journey to unlock some of the “rules” (both conventional and unconventional) that one should break to unlock the next level in their career. Actually, I have been picking the minds of a number of people I have interacted with-particularly my seniors who are top leaders in their respective fields- on what they think about the so called “rules”. Below is the raw feedback I received;
1Break the ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ career rule. When recruiters and HRs are looking at CVs, they shy away from individuals who have been moving frequently from one company to another. Probably, they feel the person is unstable and may not last in their company. In one correspondence, a lady has been breaking this rule and spending an average of three years of employment per company.
Why you should break the rule….
We get an opportunity to learn so much in our careers, at a faster rate and stand a chance to be experienced in different sections of the industry. She further says that she wouldn’t have learned so much if she only stayed in the dairy industry. Shifting companies has enabled her to develop food products ranging from beverages, dairy products, flour products, and so many things.
“If you don’t change jobs, you may be restricted in how much you learn in your career and how much you experience — Charity M.”
So that’s one rule that has been broken and it turned out to be a blessing.
2There’s a general rule that it is highly risky to stop working so as to further your studies since HRs frown upon the idea.
The majority fear that by the time they back from further studies, their work mates would have made milestones. If you find an opportunity to further your education, take the shot. For instance my former manager opted to further her studies after working for almost 15 years. She went to a South African University to pursue an honors degree. In her view, there is a lot to gain especially when you alter the country in which you studied before. Some recommend you pursue further education preferably in developed countries if you have the financial muscle or get awarded a scholarship. There is a different kind of experience you will get.
“There’s this general rule that it is very risky to stop working and then further your study- Charity M”
While my former boss was studying in Zimbabwe, there were no pilot plant facilities. However, immediately she went to the University of Pretoria which has one of the best programs in food science in Africa, she got a chance to experience the manufacturing of different products. Initially, throughout her education and career she had never had any practical knowledge on meat technology. In South Africa, she had to learn all the practical aspects of meat technology.
Why you should break the rule….
“Generally, people will be asking, “why can’t one just do some kind of online or part time courses that doesn’t disrupt their career?”
So yeah, furthering education is something that you should not be afraid of. Generally, people will be like why can’t one just do some kind of online or part time courses that doesn’t disrupt their career? Sometimes, you may need to change places or continents so as to get a different experience. You will come back more useful and capable of coming up with innovations.
3Break away from working on a very linear career path. It’s always great to plan. When one lacks a plan, it’s easy to miss out on great opportunities if one is only focused on a single path. Bear in mind that people, industries, and companies change. Instead, people are encouraged to create a plan and reevaluate it every year or 6 months if a big change has happened recently. When reevaluating, think about what things one is working on that will make them happy or energized and what things drain the body’s energy. Adjust individual plans when learning more about yourself, the industry, and be open to all kinds of moves.
“ It’s easy to miss out on great opportunities if one only focused on a single path — Meredith”
4I think people should break away waiting for opportunities to come to them. No one can 100% control what opportunities come their way, but one can control whether people know they’re interested in a specific role or project and whether they’re ready to take advantage of an opportunity when it comes up.
One of my favorite quote is from one great actress Audrey Hepburn who is a recognized film and fashion icon. Audrey says, “opportunities don’t often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them.” Therefore, learn to discuss individual interests often with people, and take whatever opportunities arise in order to practice skills one might need for their next step. When the next cool opportunity comes up that one feels they’re ready for (or almost ready for), just jump at it!
As we are aiming to break away from these rules, here are 8 other key points from the discussions that can guide us throughout our careers;
- Make sure we are learning new things at all times. Don’t just do what we have been tasked to do, put ourselves in an environment where we are learning new things even in new departments.
- Always say yes to new roles and responsibilities even when we don’t know much about them. Learn on the job as long as we are guided by the phrase ‘HOW is this this done?’ and give our all in finding out how it is done. Nobody knows everything, we learn even at 100 years old.
- Be accountable for our actions. Be ready to stand by our decisions even when they are wrong, own up and pick up the lessons.
- Stay humble while learning from everyone around us. Always remember that the cleaner knows something you don’t.
- Cheer our colleagues and celebrate their wins with them.
- Never stop networking. As much as we may have a good resume, we may need a circle that will connect us to opportunities. This can be enhanced by being affiliated with various professional bodies and various industry bodies like the food sector among others.
- Promote your personal brand daily. Enhance personal profile including social media platforms to get noticed and connected to the right opportunities, potential employers or business partners.
- Be flexible since at times we may need to deviate from what we believed was our calling/profession and grab opportunities that are open and build from that. For instance, I am a food scientist by profession but currently, I am working as a Customer Service Agent for an international company. Studying Food Science has not prevented me from pursuing other fields and it has been a great experience.
Appreciation shout out to;
Charity, Meredith, Salome, Faith and Obadiah.💯
