Career Advice from a Friend
A very good friend of mine works in the field of public relations and has been very successful climbing the corporate ladder. I guess you could say that she is someone that I would love to have as a mentor, in addition to being my friend. This past week while catching up over coffee on Zoom, I asked her if we could talk about her career and if she could give me some advice. We ended up talking for over an hour and a half about the communications field.
Although she works in public relations and I plan on going into advertising as an account manager, there are a lot of commonalities between our professions. She has worked for numerous agencies with all different types of clients which, as I want to work for an advertising agency, I will have to learn to work in many different “worlds”. My friend explained to look at this as an exciting challenge. When she worked in Washington D.C. her clients were often government employees and technology companies which she didn’t know a lot about. She relied on confidence and an “I can do this” for her success.
Confidence
Confidence was one of the common themes of our conversation. It’s not always easy to be confident. Especially when you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. But the main component of confidence is frame of mind. She taught me many tricks to remain in a positive frame of mind.
One of these “mantras” I’ll call them, is that I deserve to be there. There is a reason that I was hired, and I need to remember that when I doubt myself. Another is that it’s okay to fail. Not every idea is going to be a good one and I can’t let it affect my confidence. This final one is a classic… go with my gut. I am a professional and I know what I’m doing. A confident and positive mind frame will be important for me when first entering my career and throughout. There will always be new technology and processes to learn, new clients to present to, and new ideas to share.
Relationships
We talked extensively about developing meaningful and lasting relationships. One important purpose of developing these relationships is for mentorship. Having another professional to go to for advice is paramount to resolving conflicts and growing in my career. Relationship development needs to be client focused as well. My friend explained to me that because she has sustained relationships with some of her clients, they have used her services multiple times over the years. I need to be able to curate strong relationships with coworkers to ensure work runs smoothly and timelines are met, and with clients for future business opportunities.
Conflict Resolution
Interspersed in all of this advice were personal stories about her experiences as a woman in a field dominated by male leadership. What I took from these stories was that there will always be conflicts and a need for conflict resolution. Luckily for me I enjoy putting out fires and figuring out how to motivate individuals in the workplace.
Overall,
This conversation with a friend made me more motivated and excited for my future than I’ve felt in a long time. Apparently all it takes is a morning with no plan, a hot cup of coffee, and an insightful person to help me realize I’m on the right path.