4 Top Secrets to Professional Success for Millennials

4 Top Secrets to Professional Success for MillennialsLike the Baby Boomers before us, the Millennials are fast becoming a major force in the workplace. As we move onto career paths from school and internships, there are new challenges to the position quo. But how do we negotiate thoseand more importantly, how do we help define what we want the workforce to be as we move forward? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Build Your Brand Like Its Your Job.More than ever, social media is a factor in hiring. Keeping a close eye on what you put out there on Instagram, Vine, Twitter, etc. is an essential way to manage your professional image. Share content relevant to your field, and monitor whos reposting and engaging you on that content. And for the goofy/personal stuff? Set up a private account thats just for you and your social crew, and make sure its entirely separate from your Janie Smith, Marketer Extraordinaire profile.2. Think Outside the 9 -to-5 Box.One of the defining moments for the Millennial generation of workers welches the economy crash of 2008. Younger workers were often lost in the shuffle as jobs were cut all over the place. But that wasnt necessarily doomit was a wake-up call that maybe the standard 9-to-5 job isnt the only way to go. Many people can make their career work as freelancers, part-time workers while pursuing other opportunities, teleworkers, and other nontraditional employees. Being flexible may be the best option for you.Also, dont hesitate to use non-paid experience as a selling point on your resume. If you picked up stellar office communications during your internship, say so. If you developed rockstar time management skills during your volunteer gig, list it.3. Play the Long Game.Plan ahead. Retirement may be a long time away, but theres an awful lot that can happen in the meantime. Be smart about financial planning, but also about whether youll want to have a family at some point, or depart ure your own business. The earlier you get started factoring long-term goals in to your plans, the easier it will be to actually set them in motion when the time comes.4. Think About More Than Money.A high-paying job in your chosen field is The Dream who doesnt want that? But there may come a time when you need to consider whether other factors are just as important as the salary figure. Flexible work arrangements, vacation time, and the ability to travel may end up being just as golden to you as a slightly higher paycheck. Definitely take your priorities into consideration during any hiring and negotiation process.As Millennials face a unique moment in their career paths, you should see it as a chance to take hold of the process and find ways to develop it (and yourself) into the professional world youd like to see.

3 Unspoken Rules of Shadowing Someone

3 Unspoken Rules of Shadowing Someone Shadowing can be an awkward experience for everyone involved. On the one hand, the fresh face starting a new job is usually hungry and motivated to rise to the top. They arent inundated with the standard processes of the company that their mentor is used to, so they quite literally landsee everything with fresh eyes and raise questions the office may have never considered. On the other hand, an employee with seniority knows the little nuances of the job and can see past corners because of this experience.These two forces need to have the right information to learn to draw strengths from each other and partner with each other. But in todays workforce, were often given instructions on how to lead, not how to follow. Here are the 3 unspoken rules for shadowing so its not a tough experience for everyone.1. Be a team player.Dr. Lois P. Frankel, a psychologist and author of the book Nice Girls Dont Get the Corner Office says thata new employees top pri ority should be establishing themselves as a team player rather than proving yourself with new ideas and neuerung within the first 50-90 days. So when you feel that competition urge kicking in, try to remember that you are laying the groundwork for success by honoring the rules of your workplace. Respect the opinions and instructions of the person youre shadowing, rather than raising issues with their processes.2. Ask a lot of questions.Some people might feel that asking too many questions can seem annoying to the co-worker theyre shadowing. However, all too often, employees dont truly understand the purpose of a project and what impact their work has for the company. The why questions that deepen the understanding of a project are often left out. You can help your team succeed and become established simply by learning the why behind each process. Plus, you will show the person that youre shadowing that you are interested in the job. If someone gives you a hard time for asking quest ions, then do a quick check to ensure you are injecting balance into the situation. Balance asking questions and drawing conclusions from careful observation. If someone still gives you a hard time, then its quite possible they might not have your best intentions at heart. Speak with them privately about how their behavior makes you feel, and try to co-exist as best as possible.3. Learn the subtleties of successful employees in your environment.Paying attention to the subtleties of an environment ahead of coming up with your own solutions for dealing with it is important. When youre first starting out, you may see frays in processes and wonder why they arent done differently. But a companys environment holds nuances and little subtleties that hold a lot of weight and information. For example, you may wonder why when inputting a new client account in the companys main CRM software, Samantha always follows a lengthy workaround instead of just pressing activate. You may think you can d o it better. Well, if you knew the nuances well you would know that by pressing activate on that client account would cause the system to shut down. Nuances are important to learn.--Gabriella DiDio is tired of the struggles of getting ahead in her career so, instead of revolting, she created Taupe Shoes an empowering website for women that can help you become stronger through your work dilemmas. You can follow Gabriella on Twitter.