In November 2019 I celebrated my 7-year business anniversary as the Founder and Principal Career and HR Psychologist with I/O Advisory Services. To coincide with this milestone, I’m sharing the top 7 career tips that I’ve learned and/or recommended over the past 7 years.

1. ‘How you do something is how you do everything’ – People talk about ‘personal branding’ and how a major part of our personal brand is what people think of us even when we’re not around.I like this expression because it highlights the value of being consistent and having a close match between what we say and what we do. In the long term, this builds trust and credibility, two key ingredients in personal and professional success.

2. The most successful people are originals – This should encourage each of us to be our unique selves. It’s hard to be great or authentic when you’re imitating someone else.

3. Don’t underestimate the value of networking, or as I like to think of it, building relationships – Many of the best insights and opportunities come through people who you know. A small network will limit your access to these opportunities.

4. Diverse networks are better than narrow networks – When everyone we know is like us then we are more likely to end up with a very narrow perspective and access to a smaller range of opportunities. If, however, we’re in regular contact with people who are older or younger than us, in different fields than us, who have different lived experiences than us, then we end up sharing ideas and ‘bumping into’ information that we would otherwise never have access to. This is key to creativity, innovation, and broader access to potential opportunities.

5. Chance favours the prepared – I’ve always liked the expression ‘the harder I work, the luckier I get …’ since it’s a reminder that when we’ve done our part, we’re better positioned for success. Often this means completing our work well and on time to maintain our professional reputation, preparing our job applications thoroughly, rehearsing our presentations/speeches, practicing for job interviews, etc. I know these are not glamorous ideas and they fall into the category of ‘motherhood statements’ like ‘wash your hands’ but there’s no denying the impact that these choices can have over time. These small steps put us in a much stronger position to succeed than if we simply sit back and hope for ‘good luck’ to come our way.

6. Make hay while the sun shines – Most of us can’t predict the future so obviously, it’s hard to time everything just right. With that said, there are always some things that are within our control and I’m an advocate of doing what we can when we can. That might mean keeping our resume and LinkedIn profile up to date, keeping in touch with current and former colleagues, bosses, clients, and business associates, staying current on changes within our field, learning new skills, etc.

7. Perseverance beats intelligence – Hard work beats smart every time when smart does not want to work hard. It’s often about maintaining a ‘can do’ attitude along with a learning mindset, determination, some short-term sacrifice, and outworking one’s competition.

For more information about my Career Coaching, Executive Coaching and HR Services, please visit my Services page.

If you could use some help implementing any of these 7 Career Tips  I invite you to contact me privately by phone (I offer a no-obligation, free 15-minute initial phone consultation), email, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.™