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Abstract

d not necessarily a brand.</i></b></p><p id="8dc6">Excelling at such a place then opens two sets of opportunities —</p><ol><li>Rapid growth within a small firm which allows you a ton of exposure and access to senior positions faster than usual;</li><li>The opportunity to make a switch to a bigger organization once you’ve honed your skillset and are ready for a lateral switch.</li></ol><h1 id="8a36">Switching Jobs Is OK, As Long as You Have a Good Reason</h1><p id="d226">The modern generations (starting with the Millennials, to which I belong) are often accused of not sticking with a job for long enough. In my mind, this has more to do with the nature of jobs and the dynamic work environment today. There is nothing wrong with switching jobs, as long as there is a concrete reason to explore a new opportunity.</p><ul><li><b>Change of Role</b> — You’ve spent enough time doing sales for an apparel brand, but now feel ready to be a marketer and think brand strategy. Your current firm doesn't provide that opportunity so you move on. That’s a very natural progression and absolutely justified.</li><li><b>New Growth Avenues</b> — You love your current role and are good at it, but your growth has plateaued at a certain level. Looking for new growth opportunities is not just acceptable but recommended in the formative years of your career.</li><li><b>Bigger or Better Opportunity</b> — You’re a coder with a startup and you’re excellent at what you do. You come across an opportunity with Google that fits your skill set, and you want to give it a shot. If you have a fair chance, there is no reason why you shouldn’t go ahead and try.</li><li><b>Just More Money</b> — While this one is often frowned upon, if someone is paying you more for the same job, not many of us will turn down the opportunity. Also, the salary you’re paid is in some way an indicator of your fair value in the job market, so it is an important factor. However, when making a switch purely for the money, do consider other factors like the work profile, the teams you’re leaving and moving on to work with, and so on. Sometimes intangible benefits of a lower-paying job can outweigh the benefits of a salary-based switch.</li></ul><h1 id="eacc">Networks Are Your Biggest Asset</h1><p id="e4d1">While your first job is likely based on your credentials on paper, your subsequent jobs often depend on your work experience and skill set as well as the networks you build.</p><p id="4a8e">Beyond a certain basic set of criteria, people hire people. What this means is that while someone else may be better qualified than you for a job, you may still have a bett

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er shot at it if the employer trusts in your ability and work ethic to do the job justice. Most mid-to-senior level hirings are done on the basis of referrals and connections.</p><p id="333b">So while I am not a huge fan of networking for the sake of it, building professional relationships with your colleagues, clients, associates, superiors and even juniors will always hold you in good stead in the longer run.</p><p id="afbb">The best career advice I’ve received has been from official and unofficial mentors. Most of the formal or informal job offers I’ve received have come from professional networks who had worked with me and valued my contribution and work ethic.</p><h1 id="c7bf">As Your Career Grows, Build a Specialty</h1><p id="42c6">Early on in your career, it pays to be flexible and a jack of all trades. You’re not experienced or skilled enough yet to be of extreme value add in a specific area, so your value is in doing a lot of small things very well.</p><p id="0d22">However, as you grow more and more senior and rack up those years of experience, specific skill sets, and a particular area of expertise goes a long way. Specialists are always more sought after than generalist in most cases, apart from some exceptional areas and cases.</p><p id="fcc5">Building your own niche and being a leading expert in a field will go a long way in enhancing your brand and market value in the job market.</p><h1 id="1368">Constantly Strive To Learn and Evolve</h1><p id="21e0">Last but also the most important advice is to continue to learn and enhance your skillset.</p><p id="726c">This is more relevant in today’s ever-changing and competitive world than ever before. The work environment in every sphere is constantly evolving and getting disrupted by new technology, business models, demand, and supply dynamics among many other things.</p><p id="f6c1">The easiest way to fail is to become complacent and to stop learning. No matter what stage of career you’re at, continue to add to your repertoire and be adaptable to the changes around you. This is how the most successful people and firms stay relevant.</p><p id="58a1">Like any other brand, your own brand needs to continue to adapt to the demands of its customers i.e. employers, and as long as you ensure your personal brand equity never stagnates, you are all the more likely to have a successful career.</p><h2 id="06ce">The Mini Post-Grad Survival Guide</h2><p id="ea18">A 5-day email course with tips on budgeting, investing, and productivity for 20-somethings. <a href="https://morning-darkness-5176.ck.page/75ec2d5152">Sign up for free</a>.</p></article></body>

YOU Are The Only Brand That Matters

And how to build your own unique brand towards professional success

We often make it our life’s goal to be associated with the biggest and strongest of brands to give ourselves an external validation. The first instance of this often begins with parents wanting to send their kids to the best schools.

However, the real struggle and rat-race begins with under-grad and graduate applications, and then the struggle for that first job with a dream company.

Don’t we all think that having that Ivy League School degree on our resume or experience with a top Fortune 500 firm is a sure shot way to success?

It probably is, but it is not the ONLY way.

We all know the famous stories — how Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard, Warren Buffet transferred from Wharton to the University of Nebraska to be closer to home, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and of course, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College, and many more.

Eric Yuan quit a senior position at Cisco to start Zoom, Sundar Pichai started out as a Materials Engineer and today is the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world.

However, the likelihood that the average person turns out as successful as these billionaires is extremely low, so that’s not the dream I am here to make you chase.

But what I do strongly believe is that if you build your own brand over time and constantly invest in yourself, you can build your own path to a successful career, irrespective of the school you went to, the GPA you managed to get, or the first job you landed.

Your First Job Is About the Role, Not the Firm

For your first job out of college, I’ll admit having a top school on your resume gets you a bit of a free pass towards the top firms. However, careers are made over decades, so your first job may not always be at your dream organization, but work towards ensuring your last and longest job is.

It is often a blessing in disguise for your personal development to get into a smaller organization where you’ll get more responsibility and opportunity vs. being one of a thousand fresh employees in a large one.

So when you take up your first job, what you should chase is high quality and challenging work, and not necessarily a brand.

Excelling at such a place then opens two sets of opportunities —

Rapid growth within a small firm which allows you a ton of exposure and access to senior positions faster than usual;
The opportunity to make a switch to a bigger organization once you’ve honed your skillset and are ready for a lateral switch.

Switching Jobs Is OK, As Long as You Have a Good Reason

The modern generations (starting with the Millennials, to which I belong) are often accused of not sticking with a job for long enough. In my mind, this has more to do with the nature of jobs and the dynamic work environment today. There is nothing wrong with switching jobs, as long as there is a concrete reason to explore a new opportunity.

Change of Role — You’ve spent enough time doing sales for an apparel brand, but now feel ready to be a marketer and think brand strategy. Your current firm doesn't provide that opportunity so you move on. That’s a very natural progression and absolutely justified.
New Growth Avenues — You love your current role and are good at it, but your growth has plateaued at a certain level. Looking for new growth opportunities is not just acceptable but recommended in the formative years of your career.
Bigger or Better Opportunity — You’re a coder with a startup and you’re excellent at what you do. You come across an opportunity with Google that fits your skill set, and you want to give it a shot. If you have a fair chance, there is no reason why you shouldn’t go ahead and try.
Just More Money — While this one is often frowned upon, if someone is paying you more for the same job, not many of us will turn down the opportunity. Also, the salary you’re paid is in some way an indicator of your fair value in the job market, so it is an important factor. However, when making a switch purely for the money, do consider other factors like the work profile, the teams you’re leaving and moving on to work with, and so on. Sometimes intangible benefits of a lower-paying job can outweigh the benefits of a salary-based switch.

Networks Are Your Biggest Asset

While your first job is likely based on your credentials on paper, your subsequent jobs often depend on your work experience and skill set as well as the networks you build.

Beyond a certain basic set of criteria, people hire people. What this means is that while someone else may be better qualified than you for a job, you may still have a better shot at it if the employer trusts in your ability and work ethic to do the job justice. Most mid-to-senior level hirings are done on the basis of referrals and connections.

So while I am not a huge fan of networking for the sake of it, building professional relationships with your colleagues, clients, associates, superiors and even juniors will always hold you in good stead in the longer run.

The best career advice I’ve received has been from official and unofficial mentors. Most of the formal or informal job offers I’ve received have come from professional networks who had worked with me and valued my contribution and work ethic.

As Your Career Grows, Build a Specialty

Early on in your career, it pays to be flexible and a jack of all trades. You’re not experienced or skilled enough yet to be of extreme value add in a specific area, so your value is in doing a lot of small things very well.

However, as you grow more and more senior and rack up those years of experience, specific skill sets, and a particular area of expertise goes a long way. Specialists are always more sought after than generalist in most cases, apart from some exceptional areas and cases.

Building your own niche and being a leading expert in a field will go a long way in enhancing your brand and market value in the job market.

Constantly Strive To Learn and Evolve

Last but also the most important advice is to continue to learn and enhance your skillset.

This is more relevant in today’s ever-changing and competitive world than ever before. The work environment in every sphere is constantly evolving and getting disrupted by new technology, business models, demand, and supply dynamics among many other things.

The easiest way to fail is to become complacent and to stop learning. No matter what stage of career you’re at, continue to add to your repertoire and be adaptable to the changes around you. This is how the most successful people and firms stay relevant.

Like any other brand, your own brand needs to continue to adapt to the demands of its customers i.e. employers, and as long as you ensure your personal brand equity never stagnates, you are all the more likely to have a successful career.

The Mini Post-Grad Survival Guide

A 5-day email course with tips on budgeting, investing, and productivity for 20-somethings. Sign up for free.