Ask this of anyone, and you are likely to get very different answers.
Career advice, for most, starts in your teenage years, when your parents/guardians are desperately trying to keep you focussed on exams and the need for good grades. Let’s be honest, for most teenagers that conversation is the last thing they want to engage in when they have so many more pressing things to deal with (Snapchat, TikTok, Insta, life!). Grades were everything when I was growing up.
My father, who I admire hugely, once said to me…"Victoria, whatever you choose to do in your career, do it with gumption. Give it everything you have"- and to this day, that’s what I do.
So, for me, that advice to give 110% to my career has stood me in good stead. Beginning my career in retail and then moving into the world of recruitment has seen me do exactly that – always the first to arrive, always the first to raise my hand to volunteer for additional duties, always the first to help others and want to learn more. Giving it everything I have.
The working world has changed immeasurably post-Covid, with a generation entering the job market having to navigate remote working and online training and inductions. Gone are the days of finding a job for life, staying in the same role/company for decades and staying on that same track.
Career advice is changing.
There is an increasing focus on choosing a career which makes you happy rather than making a more strategic career choice. Gone are the days where you were advised to stay with the same business or in the same role for the entirety of your career.
Evidence of this can be seen on the many hundreds of CVs I review each week. Decade long periods of employment, in the same role, with the same company can now be frowned upon. Movement on your CV is now ok, and the once negative connations of this 'job hopping' are an ever-fading voice.
Career advice comes from many different directions now. While there is still relevance and importance on career advice given in an educational setting, the reality is that our career choices are now influenced by so many other sources available to us today.
In a recent LinkedIn article on the Top 5 Pieces of Career Advice for 2023, the following was advised:
1) Prioritise Upskilling.
2) Develop your networking skills.
3) Take yourself out of your comfort zone.
4) Increase your visibility.
5) Stay focussed and stay motivated.