Those trying to reach the top require a wide range of skills. You can choose to focus on your technical expertise, dive deeper into one area, or broaden your experience. Which strategy is likely to pay the biggest dividends? 5 experts give their opinion.
1. Gain extensive business experience
Brandon Hootman, director of digital data at Caterpillar, says young professionals shouldn’t just stay in one department, but make sure they’re exposed to all the different activities of their organization.
“We need to pay attention to intentional employee development,” he says. “Make sure you have cross-functional experience from a business perspective. It’s important to be careful about setting up and managing that track.”
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Professionals need to be proactive in ensuring they receive such full exposure, but Mr. Hootmann tells young talent how broader businesses, like his own, operate. I advise you to look for an employer who will give you the opportunity to get to know
“That’s what we’ve been doing and we’ve seen some success with it,” he says. “You’re still very much in the technical field, but you’ll get a breath of business and be able to understand the work you do in terms of how the business views it. “
2. Find an expert to help you stay ahead
Bev White, CEO of recruiter Nash Squared, is another expert who says training across geographies is important. She advises young professionals to always keep an eye out for future trends.
“It’s all about creating relevance,” she says. “You have to think, ‘I have the skills for now, but are they the right skills for a couple of years? Will you do it for my team, depending on which angle you’re at?”
Always thinking one step ahead is not always easy. New skill requirements and career opportunities can pop up and mean professionals need to take a different route. But White says young people should find experts, such as outside mentors and internal guides, to help point them in the right direction.
“There are a lot of companies that can help with that, but there will be people on your team who can help develop a program to do just that,” she says.
3. Focus on passions, not destinations
Stephen Booth, CIO of Coventry University, says young professionals should be guided by their passions rather than pre-defined career goals.
“Don’t focus on building your career in a structured way. Find what you’re passionate about and do it,” he says.
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Booth refers to his own experience. He got into IT because he really liked programming. As his skills improved and he was exposed to different areas of technology organizations, he began moving into management positions and climbing his career ladder.
“And as I got more into it and started engaging with customers, an opportunity came along,” he says. “Just try it. Feel what you enjoy and what you’re passionate about. Because when you’re passionate, you’re good at it and new things happen.”
Booth may be CIO now, but he recognizes that very few people start out in senior management.
“If you plan to become an IT director in 15 years, you might be,” he says. “But honestly, enjoy what you’re doing. Focus on that enjoyment and the opportunities will come. And you’ll find them. And if you can listen, You can feel those opportunities and seize the right opportunities.”
4. Think of being a big fish in a small pond
Gerardo del Guercio, Solutions Architect at Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK), recognizes that his organization cannot offer the wide range of opportunities offered by large companies. But he says his PCUK can offer another trump card for new talent, and advises young professionals to think very carefully about who they work for at the start of their careers.
“As a charity, it is very difficult because we are competing with big blue chip companies,” he says. “But one of the things we give our students is the opportunity to be a big fish in a small tank. gives students the experience of
As Del Guercio advises up-and-coming talent to look for employers that offer the opportunity to capture responsibilities immediately rather than focus on day-to-day responsibilities, this opportunity to get your hands dirty at the start of a career lead. such as coding.
“You may work for a large company, which makes your resume look good, but not the responsibility,” he says. “If you wake up in the morning and the software from the previous day doesn’t work, there are consequences for charity. You are part of a small, tight team. of the team.”
5. Don’t be afraid to show your weakness
Simon Liste, chief information technology officer at the Pension Protection Fund, says the key to success is having the right values. Technical chops are important, but he wants young professionals to show honesty and integrity.
“It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it,” he says. “We can teach technical skills, but I am looking for someone who is respectful, dedicated, and has a good work ethic. I don’t need someone who wants to get in. I want to. Someone who wants to keep learning.”
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Young professionals can find employment through multiple routes, such as taking on full-time positions, completing apprenticeships, or entering the business after higher education, but the key to long-term success lies in the past. A positive attitude, not a catalog of achievements.
“People have to be authentic so they can learn and grow,” he says. “It’s about knowing that it’s okay to show a little vulnerability. It’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know how to do this.’ ,It’s not a problem. ”
