I was fortunate enough on International Women’s Day to
attend multiple events with guest speakers. I was initially going to discuss
the differences between them and what I felt made each event special. However
upon reflection I decided to discuss something more personal that may be of greater
benefit to those of us moving forward with our careers and can show the value
in a good guest speaker.
But first let me take you back six years to 2010 in which I
was given the opportunity to be part of a ‘Women Moving Forward Program’ by my
employer the Public Transport Authority. I quickly put my hand up for this
opportunity, thinking anything that may help me progress my career was a good
thing. This course required a great degree of self-reflection and evaluation. And
although at times the program felt a little bit too self-helpish for my liking
I did get some very important things out of it.
We were given the task of working out where we wanted to be
in five and ten years and how we were going to get there. After doing this
exercise it became apparent to me I needed to go to university. Doing this plan
also opened my eyes to the need to be on the lookout for opportunities that
would help me achieve my goals.
This now brings me to
one of the International Women’s Day events that I attended in which Megan
McCracken did a presentation on how to ‘Future Proof Your Career’. As she was
taking us on a journey through her career I found myself recalling some of the
activities I did in the ‘Women Moving Forward Program’. It suddenly occurred to
me that I was now at the end of one part of my planned journey and that I really
had no idea where I was going once this last semester of university is over.
Part of this I have to acknowledge is due to my intended career change and
knowing that until I get that new job I am in a bit of a holding pattern. But I
still felt there was more that I should be doing.
The talk then progressed on to a discussion on opportunities
and how to identify them. Megan discussed ones she had taken and a big one that
she let go, as she failed to recognise it as an opportunity soon enough. This
made me reflect on what I had been doing to make sure that I did not miss any
opportunities and how prepared I am, so if that big opportunity comes my way I
can put my hand up and say ‘yes please’ without hesitation.
Mentally I started going through what I done; resume
up-to-date, check; work experience in new chosen field, check (internship
nearly done); networking, could do with a little work; taking on extra duties
at work to broaden my experience, check. All in all I felt I was on track but
it was a good reminder for me to be on the look-out for new opportunities and that
they may not be in a package that is easily recognised.
For all those that are
currently doing their internships, I do not think there are too many better places to start looking for
opportunities then where we are gaining our work
experience from.
This event showed me when
a guest speaker can speak to you at a variety of levels they have a
true skill. Especially if they have you reflecting on not only what is being
said, but can also get you imagining how you are going to apply it. If this
occurs you will have attended an event in which you have gained true value.
2 comments:
Networking is something I something I need to work on too, Lee. I'm just not sure how you really go about it. I've been to a few of the Curtin PRSC events but I find them very awkward and an unnatural way of networking. Did any of the speakers touch on how to go about networking?
Also, I think your career development plan and reflections on it are very inspiring. Was it hard to figure out where you want to be in the next 5 and 10 years?
Hi Bec,
Thank you for your comments.
In regards to your first question on networking, one tip that I remembered was putting yourself out there. It could be as simple as attending events or if you are at a party meeting people you have not met before and starting a conversation with them. You never know where that contact may lead you. For example the other week whilst having supper with the opposing squash team I had just played, I was talking to my opponent who as it turned out happened to work in marketing and PR role. I picked his brain about how he got his first job and how he was working on building his career. It was not somewhere I expected to meet someone in the industry, but it gave me the opportunity to build on my knowledge and create a contact with someone already in the industry. Who knows where it could lead in the future.
In regards to working out where I wanted to be in 5 and 10 years. It was not easy, but I knew I would need to make a change. It was made easier by the fact I had already been in the work force for some time and had developed a bit of an understanding of what type of work I did and did not like. From there I looked at jobs roles that had more of what I liked in them and less of what I did not like and then looked at how to go about getting those jobs. It was definitely a very rewarding exercise and helped to give me some direction.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Lee
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