Launching the Career of Your Dreams: How I Achieved My Dream Career Within 4 Years of College Graduation, Part 2

The following is a guest post from Bogey at Back Nine Finance. You can read part one of this series here.

Getting the Job Was the Easy Part

We left off last time having created a plan to get the job you really want. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can now just sit back and relax while the paychecks begin rolling in. Now is the time to step up your game even more, so that your “dream job” can become a reality (you did have your sights set above entry level, didn’t you?).

Creating a Professional Image

All the things you read about entering the workforce are absolutely true. You do need to clean up your Facebook profile. You probably shouldn’t hit on coworkers of the opposite sex. You might not want to get drunk on Thursday night and show up 2 hours late to work the next day still wearing the clothes from the night before. Most people with any sense will be able to follow these often shared bits of advice. So how do you go about creating a professional image that will help to set you apart from others early on?

I’ll share a lesson with you that I learned early on in my banking career. It doesn’t take too long to realize that the majority of bankers are old. Not only that, but the majority of bank customers are old too (meaning business clients, primarily business owners or other wealthy folks who need hands on service when it comes to banking). It is easy to get intimidated by working with these types of people. One day a mentor of mine shared the following nugget of wisdom with me:

“Bogey, you’re 25 years old. You need to do everything you can to become 55 years old – and fast.”

Now of course he didn’t mean that I should go bald over night, subscribe to AARP magazine and run over to McDonald’s for my discounted coffee – he simply meant that I needed to start acting more mature, and in a way, mimicking the image of my clients.

Pulling this off will be different for every person, every job and every industry. Mimicking the successful and experienced players in the banking industry will be much different than doing the same if you are in the high tech industry, for example. The moral of the story is this: sure, it might be more fun to act like you are in college. But if you have your sights set on a rung of the ladder that is much higher than entry level, you need to learn how to act the part. All you need to do is look straight up (not literally, that would be weird) at the people above you in the food chain for an example.

Side note: If you can hang on to one facet of your former college student self, you will be light years ahead of your peers financially. I am talking about your spending habits. When you start to look up the corporate ladder for people to mimic, try to glaze over the fact that many of them might drive fancy cars or live in very nice homes. Your future self will thank you.

How to Communicate in the Business World

The best communicators in the business world that I have ever met all had one thing in common. They were all able to communicate their ideas in a clear and concise manner. A bulleted list is a great example of this, and a tool I’ll use to present my remaining tips on communication:

• Always be clear, concise and to the point
• Spelling might not be important in all industries, but always err on the correct side of the spelling spectrum
• Always return missed phone calls as soon as immediately possible – if not, you will probably forget
• Create a system, for responding to emails in a timely manner. In the business world, you’ll get so many emails that it is easy for them to get shoved downward in your inbox and out of sight before you have a chance to respond
• Match the communication style of the person you are communicating with – some prefer email, some phone, still others prefer to have important conversations face to face
• If you say you’ll follow up with someone, always do it (use outlook reminders, a reminder on your cell phone, or whatever it takes to be sure that you do not forget to follow up)
• Always be clear, concise and to the point (it also helps to repeat important points)

Most of these recommendations seem basic, and that’s true. Bust most good tips for achieving success are very basic. The hard part is following tips like these each and every day without fail. It is similar to tips about saving money for retirement. There are no magic bullets; you just have to save every month without fail. But yet, not everyone does it. Same goes for tips on communicating well. These are all good tips, simply because everyone does not consistently do them well. How many times has someone promised to call you at a certain time or send you a certain piece of information – and then they forget. Do not be the person who forgets. That person annoys all of us.

How to Execute at a Level that will Amaze your Coworkers and Customers

Perhaps the title of this section is a bit sensational. To achieve a level of performance that will truly impress your coworkers and customers, go back and re-read the sections about creating a professional image and communicating well. If you can really master those two things within one year of being on the job, you’ll be light years ahead of other folks.

I remember when I started at the target company I worked so hard to get into. I was in a group of approximately 20 very high caliber graduates (meaning some of the top finance graduates from the region where I was working). All of us were smart and all of us had made great grades and been in leadership positions in school. But you would be surprised at how many of the people I began working with had such a hard time realizing that being timely responding to emails and phone calls (every time without fail), being careful about how you act outside of work (getting drunk and hitting on another coworker is not a good idea), and generally just trying to act like a polished grownup would have such a positive effect on their careers. The reason that communicating well, always following up and acting like a professional are so effective for younger workers like us is that so few of us truly know how to do it.

Let me share a story with you. After recently leaving my dream company to pursue a large promotion at another company, I was invited to play in a golf tournament with 2 senior people at the company I went to work for - my boss and his boss (the president of the company). At some point during the day, one of them causally asked me how old I was (a question that was illegal for them to ask during the hiring process). They were shocked to hear that I was only 26. They were certain that I was in my low to mid thirties. This was exactly the type of professional image and level of execution that I had been working hard to exhibit – a level that was 5 to 10 years beyond my actual age.

You hear a lot in the business world about “blocking and tackling” – meaning just doing the fundamentals well. It is common for younger workers to be fooled into thinking that there is some magical formula to climb the ladder to greatness. Sure, it helps if you are able to deliver measurable, positive financial results to your organization. But you will be shocked at the success you can achieve by simply “blocking and tackling”.

Click here to read part three of this series.

Comments

[Emily]

Persistence and determination is everything! Congrats on not giving up. :)

[MC]

Yes, I totally agree with what you say--looking and dressing "older" at work, gives you win win win at work and is sooo easy to do. It may be even more important for women. I even found this helpful when I was in my 30's.

[Mike Hunt]

Nice article. I went up the ladder at a very young age as well (Director at 27, MD at 33, CEO at 35) and projected an older age. But after a few years I would like to go the other way- project a younger age!

Remember you become what you project eventually. That projected increased age can become real to your detriment. Since when is it cool to look 55 at the age of 41?

-Mike

[Sunil from The Extra Money Blog]

good post. does showing up to work count as B & T? the last i heard showing up to work (mentally as well) seems to be well over half the battle

in one of my past lives, i was at a position a couple levels ahead of my age. i purposely wore a full beard and always had at least a sport coat on to project the "necessary" (in my opinion) image. some years later now i look like i am 21 when i am clean shaved. that is why i NEVER clean shave, and leave a scruff which makes me look 25-26, still underage, but very cool. helps that i dress like a rock star ;-)

[Bogey]

@ Mike Hunt - good question. Perhaps you have a better insight at the when the crossover point is when it becomes necessary to start looking younger?

@ Sunil - I certainly believe that showing up to work - on time - and staying focused counts as blocking and tackling. So many people show up late, have constant distractions throughout the day, etc. By being at work during the required hours and being (mostly) engaged during that time, you will be well ahead of many people.

I think each industry is different when it comes to the "required" or "most optimal" look to achieve. I would just suggest to look at the people in the postion you want, and see how they dress/act - or maybe look a couple rungs up the ladder for guidance.

[Barbara Friedberg]

Awesome advice for all situations. It demonstrates character.