Springtime. The smell of freshly mown grass still triggers vivid memories of anxious times studying for my final university exams.

 In quick succession, it was time to take the first steps out of full-time education into the “world of work”.  For me, it was a management trainee scheme in a computing company.

 Now looking back, I ask myself this question:

After more than 30 years working in Technology, Telecoms, Insurance and Consulting, what advice do I wish I’d been given at the start of my career journey?

 My career has taken me across Europe and the US. There is much that I am proud of. Today I am fortunate to be working as a coach helping others fulfil their potential.

 I don’t want to give advice to the class of 2023. I’d rather share some of my learnings. Although the world has changed a great deal since I graduated, I hope there are some themes that they will find relevant.

With the benefit of hindsight, starting out again on my first career path, I would:

•  Approach my first graduate role as the next important step in a lifelong journey of learning. Jobs exist today that were unimaginable when I graduated, and this will be even more so for the class of ’23.

• Be more curious, about the world around me, my company, sector and its challenges and opportunities. I’d seek to better understand the trends, skills and technologies that are going to be key to success now and in the future and discover opportunities for me to add most value.

• Be more curious about: myself, my strengths, values, what I stand for, what enables me to be my best, what causes me to screw up and what to do about it. It’s important to be consistent and true to your values. This will lead to challenging conversations, but people respect you for it and are more likely to trust you as they know where you stand.

•  Value and learn more from the experiences of those that have gone before me. Not just “formal’ mentors. Many were willing to share stories of their careers, the peaks, the troughs, and the land in between. I didn’t need to take all their advice. I would have benefited had I listened more and looked for common themes across our experiences.

• Finally, I would have been clearer about what is important to me and regularly reviewed that. This would have enabled me to play more to my strengths earlier in my career and be truer to my values. Then I would have taken jobs that were more energising, leaving time to both work and enjoy life to the full.

   

What career learnings would you want to share with the class of 2023?

If reading this has challenged or inspired you to or you want to explore this some more arrange a conversation with me.

25th May 2023