6-7-2012
"First, understand who you are, what you enjoy doing, and what you do best. Be honest about it. Go deep on truly understanding your innate talents as well as limitations. Use Strengthfinders testing or available tools to help you better understand your core talent themes. Develop questions to ask potential employers in interviews that will help you understand if your talents are indeed a match for the position. This is a step that most people miss. They are so focused on ?nailing? an interview that they forget to probe on what talents are really needed for the job. So many people ask lame questions or have none at all when it?s their turn to respond to ?do you have any questions for me?? Strong probing, intelligent or relevant questions about the role often tell me more about candidate than their answers."
"Secondly, the key to success is matching up your talents to roles that allow you to do what you do best every day. The better the match the more effortless the job will be. People who find jobs that fit them are fully engaged and produce the best results. As simple as it sounds, it?s the secret to success and growth. No one gets promoted if they have a negative attitude or don?t want to put in the extra effort necessary to stand out. Average does not cut it. It?s impossible to be average when you are passionate and enthusiastic about what you do. Find the talent/role match up and you will be half way home."
"The second half of the advice is to keep learning every day. Graduation does not mean stop reading or learning. Spend at least thirty minutes a day reading something related to your field. Our world keeps changing at ever faster speeds and I am amazed at how many people resist change vs. embracing it and learning all they can about where the business is headed. Network like crazy and knowledge share with as many people as you can. Seek out mentors to help you navigate your career. Many people who have ?made it? did so with help from others and are happy to return the favor."
"Finally, establish goals. Random is not a plan. Set your sights on near term goals that are next steps towards a bigger plan. Early in your career it could be an economic goal, increased responsibility, or to master a new competency. It helps if one is flexible and willing to leap at opportunities when they appear. Meaning work late, move to a new city, or take on extra work for no immediate compensation. Rewards will come for those who take the initiative when opportunity presents itself."
I am a big fan of mistakes. I am just not a big fan of making the same mistake twice. Mistakes are how we learn and grow. No one is perfect. If we don?t make mistakes it means we are not stretching ourselves or trying new things. Someone once told me that problems and mistakes will always happen. The measure of you is not that they do, but how you handle them when they happen. To me, that?s admitting that a mistake was made. Understanding why it happened and how it could be corrected. And not making the same mistake twice.
"If success means loving your career and having energy and enthusiasm for it every day, then I have succeeded. I have never been bored one day and I get to work with creative, smart, energetic people every day in a business that connects with over 93% of the population through local talent, compelling over the air, digital, social, and mobile content and delivers results for local advertisers and makes a difference in our communities. What?s better than that?"
Congratulate Weezie Kramer directly at wkramer@entercom.com
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