Latest news with #careerAdvice
The Sun
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
My new manager is destroying my confidence with micro-management & bad communication
APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions. Here, Karren gives advice to a reader who wants to negotiate a fair redundancy after 20 years at her job. Q: For the past three years, I've worked in change communications. It was my perfect job and enabled me to thrive. Unfortunately, my employer got rid of my position and sent me back to a previous role in a different department, which I now find difficult. I'm currently on the waiting list for a neurodiversity assessment. I've told my new manager this, but they don't understand and work in a way that makes things a struggle and affects my focus. They also aren't very clear in their communication and they micro-manage me – even asking me about personal appointments in my calendar. I want to move forward – whether in this company or a different one – but my confidence is being knocked every day. Do you have any advice? Amber, via email A: It doesn't sound like your employer is supporting you or playing to your strengths. The Apprentice's Karren Brady gives career advice in game of Have You Ever? Request a meeting with your manager to calmly explain how the current set-up is affecting your ability to do your best work. Be specific about what's difficult, such as micro-management, unclear instructions and being questioned on personal matters, and how this is affecting your focus and confidence. Then explain what you need instead – more clarity, trust and autonomy. It's also worth sharing how much you thrived in your previous role and why. At the same time, speak to occupational health or HR about your neurodiversity assessment, as you may be eligible for reasonable adjustments. while at work. Keep a written record of concerning interactions, and don't stop advocating for yourself. Whether it's within this company or somewhere new, you deserve to be in a role and environment that supports your needs and allows you to grow.
Forbes
16-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Become Indispensable When Starting Your Career
Arar Han is the co-founder of Sabot Family Companies, a holding company with ventures in real estate, technology, and consumer brands. When my father dropped me off at college, one of the first pieces of advice he gave me was: Become friends with your professors. When I got my first job, he was similarly terse: Try to become indispensable. This is a lesson I'd encourage all new college graduates starting their careers to consider. Thinking back, these stand up well over time. I think about this career advice often when entry-level people join our team. Many observations have already been made about this generation of workers, such as how mental health is a top priority for Gen Z or that they're often collaborative and value authenticity and flexibility. Others have shared criticisms. For example, Jodie Foster humorously bemoaned young Gen Z actors in an interview with The Guardian. Each previous generation seems to find the next one to be somewhat disappointing. I don't have much to offer in the way of generational truths, which I think are best described while looking in the rear-view mirror. But I do observe that the workers of today seem to have grown up like they're on The Truman Show, the comedic drama from 1998. I imagine growing up with the internet and social media must forge a high level of self-consciousness. I am sympathetic to those who feel perpetually in the limelight. It must be exhausting to feel observed all the time. So, when entry-level people show up to work for one of our companies, I anticipate a high sensitivity to and concern for how their choices and behavior might be perceived by their peers or through the lens of a smartphone. In any case, I've found most new workers don't come into the workplace naturally oriented toward being 'indispensable.' That's because 'indispensable' implies that you're not the central hero—something else is. And to be indispensable, that 'something'—whether it's your boss, the company or its mission—has to feel it can't progress without you. You're becoming an essential part of a broader whole. I always hope our entry-level workers become indispensable to their colleagues, their managers and to what it is the team is trying to accomplish together. Being needed in the workplace is a vital rush. It gives purpose and meaning to why you were asked to join a team in the first place. And as I see it, no team can be the best version of itself without everyone being indispensable together—to one another, to clients and to all those their organization serves. First, you show up and on time. It's hard to imagine anyone essential not being there when needed. Be there and be ready every time you go into the workplace (or log on if you're in a virtual role). Second, do your best to fulfill the things you are entrusted with. Are you at a call center? Then this means picking up promptly and delivering the service the customer is asking for. Are you in an outside sales role? Then this means following up on your leads enthusiastically and with a dedication that defies all the 'noes' that inevitably come with the job. In other words, strive to be really good at what you do. Third, look for ways to do a little more to help your team get better or go faster. Maybe you are a writer for a publication, and you happen to catch an error in someone else's work. Do you say something, or do you let it slide since it's not yours? It's up to you, but I believe the indispensable sort tries to make their environment better in the small ways that count. I think of it kind of like how folks who pick up other people's trash at the park or run after someone who leaves behind their hat make the world a bit better. A wonderful thing can happen as this cycle repeats: People start anticipating that you'll be there, that you do a job well and that you're helpful. You become essential to them. You become an indispensable part of the team. Then, throughout your career journey, you'll have the know-how to be a winner at your next stop and the one after. When you become the boss of your dreams, you'll have the opportunity to impart this same message to those just starting out. You don't want to be indispensable to just anything, though. If you're going to work hard and try to make a difference, do it for something you believe in or that plays to your natural strengths. For example, do you have a heart for people's well-being? Look for roles that would provide help for others, whether because the company exists for that reason or because your role directly interfaces with people. Are you good with numbers? Consider seeking out roles that provide ample opportunity to engage with math. You might be surprised at the range: Statisticians, accountants and math teachers work with numbers, but so do sales managers, nutritionists and digital marketers. One more thing: Lots of people say that when you're just starting out, any job will do. I disagree. While you're learning new skills and becoming part of a team, it helps to do it as part of a team that has positive energy and values hard work. Otherwise, you might find that you start absorbing the negative energy and bad habits of the place or become cynical about work. Neither will set you up well to perform to your highest potential. So, for new college graduates, go forth and join a team that needs you to be indispensable. Congratulations on your many achievements so far and for all the ones to come. And for current leaders, remember that this cycle of being indispensable begins with you. Value your entry-level workers as real contributors, and set the expectation that their contributions are just as meaningful as those of more experienced workers. When you do so, this virtuous cycle can begin. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Independent Singapore
06-06-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Should I stay in my government job, or should I look for a new one?
SINGAPORE: A young Singaporean sought career advice online, writing that they've been working in a government role for the past three years but now wonder if it's time to move on to the next job. In a post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (June 5), u/chicky-mcnuggys wrote that they're now 26 years old and have been at the job since graduating. 'First ranking was ungraded, second and latest grades were C+. My ex-boss, with whom I had good relations, was pushing for me to get a B and had given me multiple stretch assignments, but someone else instead got the B because she was 'due' for promotion. Before my ex-boss left, she gave me additional assignments to justify a better grade for the next ranking, and I've completed them, with good reviews from Senior Management,' the post author wrote. They added that they hoped to get a rating of B in the next two years, which would qualify them for a promotion. See also How businesses can leverage their perks via skill swapping The problem appears to be their new boss, who seems less than generous with rankings. 'Let's just say that hope is out the window because s/he had no good feedback at all for me,' they wrote. While their supervisor disagrees with the feedback the new boss gave, in the end, what the boss says carries the most weight. This is causing the post author to worry that the next time they could be promoted would be in three or four years, and by then, they will be between 29 and 30 years old. 'Which is quite slow, no?… Is this normal, or should I just look elsewhere?' they asked, adding that they're due for rotation soon, which means they'll need to start again in a new division. 'I feel like I'm putting in 101% effort, but it sucks knowing it goes unacknowledged especially since I had to do way more than I'm expected to (since I was given stretch assignments),' they added, asking for advice as to whether or not they should keep their job, given the current job market. Commenters were sympathetic toward the post author, with many becoming upset on their behalf over someone else being due for promotion getting the 'B' rating instead of the post author. One advised them to manage their expectation about promotions. 'Title promotion can be fast, like with a senior/lead tagged to your current title. Usually comes with a little pay bump. Grade promotion is the one that takes longer. This one got a considerable bump in pay and usually takes three to four years from starting the position…unless you are chosen by heaven.' 'I always say, want to climb fast and high, go private sector to chiong, but also risk getting sacked for no reason. Gov't is slow and steady (unless you're a scholar) but (confirmed) will have a job through hell and back,' opined another. Others reassured her that for their age, their career progression is normal and that they shouldn't worry about it too much. See also Top 10 predictions for China cross-border e-commerce in 2019 'Gov't job good. Think thrice and understand private sector risks. Have a good financial plan for your career before any move,' urged a Reddit user. /TISG Read also: 'Just get your foot in the door,' Singaporeans tell new grad who's worried their starting salary isn't so high
CNN
06-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
Worried AI is coming for your job? Here are 3 tips
Aneesh Raman, chief economic opportunity officer at LinkedIn, says AI is already coming for entry-level professional jobs. Raman says there are three things every college grad and new worker should know as AI becomes more advanced.
CNN
06-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
Worried AI is coming for your job? Here are 3 tips
Aneesh Raman, chief economic opportunity officer at LinkedIn, says AI is already coming for entry-level professional jobs. Raman says there are three things every college grad and new worker should know as AI becomes more advanced.
