The Savviest Career People Ask for What They Want
No one will look out for your goals except you
If you think an employer will look out for your career growth, you’re mistaken. That’s always been the case, but the pandemic and mass layoffs of the past few years have put this truth in the spotlight: you have to look out for yourself.
I left the corporate world in 2022 and am now self-employed. Do I think this is the answer for everyone? No! You don’t have to run your own business to get what you want from your career. You just have to know how to navigate a job, keeping in mind that the company will always put its own interests above yours.
It’s easy to be intimidated by the job market. Mass layoffs are enough to give anyone pause. It seems like the balance of power has shifted from employees (throughout The Great Resignation in 2021) back to employers.
But it’s not the time to sit back and think you don’t have any control over your career. In fact, it’s the time to start gathering your cards… in case you need to play them.
Savvy career people don’t wait for a promotion or a raise to be handed to them. They proactively work with their managers to outline a career path.
Does it feel like a risk to ask for a raise if your company is struggling? Not if you frame it right. You can make it clear to your employer that you’re invested in the company’s overall success — and you want to stay. An investment in you is an investment in employee retention.
You can acknowledge the company’s financial struggles (if you’re aware of them) and say, “This doesn’t have to be now. But I want to work towards this goal for the future.”
And if the answer is “No” then you’ve uncovered something else. Your employer won’t get you where you want to be. It’s time to look elsewhere.
Anna Burgess Yang
Meanwhile, it’s time to start plugging into your network. Ask for coffee chats or recommendations for your LinkedIn profile. Ask for intros, even if you’re not actively looking for a job yet. Any time you invest in networking is always worth the effort.
Always be willing to reciprocate. If you only ask, ask, ask, you could end up alienating your network. You can end coffee chats with, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Savvy career people exude confidence. They know if they keep asking for what they want, they’ll get it (even if they’re met with “no” along the way).
Imposter syndrome is real and can drag people down.
On the podcast It’s Going to Be Ok, host Nora McInerny shares the following pep talk:
Stupid people, people with marginal talent, are out there just doing it and not thinking twice.
Nobody cares about your dreams the way you do.
You have permission to go forth and do The Thing you want to do and not think twice about it. Approach your career with the confidence of people with marginal talent — people who end up getting what they want, simply because they asked for it.
If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. Because no one will hand it to you.
Key Message: No one knows what you want from your career, except you. You have to ask for what you want, from your employer and from your network and — especially — from yourself.
You can read about the future of work and career pivots on my Substack.
