Sightings | Alumni News
Career Matters
Making Your Job a Richer Experience
Q. I’ve been working for the same organization
since receiving my Nicholas School degree three years ago.
I’ve gotten through the learning curve and am feeling a bit
restless, but I don’t foresee any promotion opportunities
for at least two more years. Any advice?
A. First, you should assess whether you’re
working for an organization that you want to move up in, advises
Nicholas School Assistant Dean for Career Services Karen Kirchof.
Does the company’s mission match your core values? If not,
it’s probably time to dust off the résumé and look for a new
job.
If you want to stay put, you can launch your upward trajectory
by demonstrating an ability to think beyond your own desk
and be a part of the organization’s big picture. Talk to a
mentor or supervisor about your ambitions and find out what
you need to do to make the leap from young professional to
middle or senior management.
In the meantime, Kirchof offers some ideas for making your
routine job more rewarding. Suggest a collaboration with another
team within your organization or with another company or community
group with similar goals. Be willing to do this even if the
collaboration takes you outside of your normal comfort zones.
Seek opportunities to meet other, more senior people in the
organization, whether it’s inviting someone for a one-on-one
coffee or organizing a brown-bag discussion group. You will
learn more about the company and its mission and find out
about the career paths of your organizations’ veterans.
Your future network will be stronger if you cultivate both
ends of the organizational chart. Serve as a mentor to a younger
person in your company or field, or make an effort to make
new employees feel comfortable. Ask permission to develop
an internship for a Nicholas School student.
If you make these kinds of efforts, you will find that you
have not only enriched your daily work experience, but you
have become the kind of employee who is noticed when promotions
are handed out.
For more advice on career transitions or to
organize an internship, contact Kirchof at the Career Services
office, 919-613-8016; kgki@duke.edu.
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