Getting noticed in a large company is a tough task for anyone, especially recent grads, those in entry-level positions and those re-entering the workforce after a period of absence. Here to motivate and inspire individuals seeking to be seen as “high potential” is former Fortune 100 president Fred Sievert. In his latest book, Fast-Starting a Career of Consequence, he shares 10 practical strategies to help people gain visibility and achieve workplace success.
How can new grads successfully enter the workforce?
The fear and anxiety of suddenly becoming a new person on the scene at the company, whether it’s a small, medium, or large company, can be overwhelming. It is typically difficult for people who are starting new jobs to distinguish themselves and get noticed.
My book is all about overcoming that initial anxiety, as well as the stress over the natural question a new employee may ask: “What do I do now?” The answer goes way beyond just doing what their boss asks them to do, though that is obviously very important.
Even before interviewing for a new job, applicants should do research on the company. Then they can lessen initial challenges by following some relatively simple tasks as they begin their new job assignment. Many of the following steps, can be started in preparation for job interviews, but all of these efforts should continue as a new employee enters the workforce.
Learn about the company. Go onto the company’s website and learn as much as they can about its products, services, markets, and distribution channels.
Read the annual report. If the company’s annual report is available on the company’s corporate website, review it thoroughly. Corporate websites normally also post short bios of the CEO and other top officers that can provide further insights.
Memorize the corporate mission statement and be able to recite it. I do not recommend walking around actually reciting the mission because that would appear arrogant—and arrogance, in my view, is the biggest career blocker. Rather, I recommend new employees memorize the mission statement so it is embedded in their brains. Then they can assess decisions made by their superiors or peers to make sure those decisions are well-aligned with the corporate mission. And as they advance in the organization, it will become a meaningful test against their own future decision making.
Develop organizational awareness. This is important but can be challenging. If new hires can get an organizational chart in advance of starting the new job, it will help them understand how they can begin to work across departmental lines to get things done and who the key players are in each of the appropriate departments.
Strive to fit into the organization’s culture. This also can be a challenge, yet it is extremely important. Applicants are likely to get some feel for the culture in the interview process and after they are on the job. The culture is sometimes described as the “vibe” of the organization. It can encompass beliefs and values of an organization, the way employees are treated, the extent of interdepartmental cooperation, and how people interact with each other. Often, the culture is driven from the top of the organization. So understanding the backgrounds of the top officers is likely to provide some additional insights
What's different about people who may have been out of the workforce and are re-entering it?
Most of the advice I give individuals entering a new vocational position applies equally to those entering right out of college and those re-entering after years or even decades of absence from the workforce. I have even found the advice to be meaningful for those re-imaging their future as they seek something new while approaching what others might consider normal retirement age.
The biggest difference I see relates to people considering a new start-up or entrepreneurial venture. Embarking on such a venture requires a great deal of preliminary research and preparation. Aspiring entrepreneurs must first clearly articulate their ideas and business proposition by validating the need or demand in the market for the products or services they intend to offer.
The next step is to develop a well-crafted five-year business plan that includes the size and nature of the targeted market, along with realistic projected pro forma financial statements detailing future revenues, expenses, and net income. Such projections should also identify the amount of initial capital required to sustain the business through the projected financial break-even year. These documents, if credible, will then provide the support necessary for the aspiring entrepreneur to successfully raise the required capital.
A decision then needs to be made relating to the source or sources of funds that need to be raised. This could be any combination of one or more of the following: personal assets, assets from family members or friends, and business loans or funds from other joint-venture partners.
Before approaching potential investors and/or lenders, it’s important to decide on the corporate structure of the business (e.g., S corp, LLC, sole proprietorship, etc.).
Without completing this extensive preliminary work, an entrepreneurial venture is more likely to fail. However, once such a business is successfully launched, all the advice in my book applies to the future operations of the company.
Why is it important to consider a career to be one of consequence, not just a job?
A great sense of self-worth and fulfillment can come from a career in which an individual is not only realizing their personal passion and enjoying their everyday work, but also when they are impacting other people’s lives in a positive way. In my view, a career of consequence is one that enhances your own quality of life and also has a positive impact on others.
I have seen surveys that indicate a large majority of people dislike their jobs. In my years of experience running a large company, I found that many people seek out roles within the company for the wrong reasons. They often do so almost exclusively for compensation and title. As a result, they can find themselves working in roles they are not well-suited for and quickly find they are stressed out and frustrated. Often, they work excessive hours in a desperate attempt to succeed, and those conditions can endanger their health as well as their relationships with their family members and their emotional well-being.
When people ask me, “But what about compensation and title?” my answer is simple, and it is substantiated by experiential evidence. If you are passionate about what you do, are happy in your role, and your skills and gifts are producing great and fulfilling results, the recognition, the appropriate compensation and the titles will come.
How can people find fulfillment in their role, whatever their job is?
The key for employees to find fulfillment and even joy in their vocations is to clearly identify their passions and their own unique combination of skills and gifts.
Most of us are happiest when we are pursuing our passions. So step one for anyone is to clearly identify those activities and pursuits that leave them with the greatest sense of accomplishment, self-worth, and therefore, happiness. It may even seem that time stands still while engaged in those activities. They need to answer the question, “What makes me tick?” If they can discover what they are most passionate about doing, they can begin to see the next vocational pursuit as an exciting new beginning. I can attest to the veracity of the old adage, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
There is a high correlation between what people do well and what makes them happy. To identify their unique combination of skills and gifts, I recommend that people reflect on moments in their lives—even beyond work-related activities—when they have felt truly happy and fulfilled. What were they doing just before they felt that tremendous sense of accomplishment and well-being? When they remember those moments, the next question to ask themselves is, “How did I personally contribute to that experience, and what value did I add in the process?” The contributions they made probably resulted from their own inherent gifts and talents.
So in their next vocational move, I urge people to pursue roles they have a passion for and that can make the best use of their identified skills and gifts.
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