Building a career can be exciting. It can also be stressful and sometimes frustrating.
Having the knowledge of what to do when building a career can help to significantly ease the whole process.
Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares six useful career building tips for graduates.
- Start building your network early
Remember the age old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”. While this doesn’t prove true every time, there is a still a truckload of truth in it. As a young graduate, it is important to start building your professional network early. Make connections with people physically or on social media, get their contacts, relate with them and see where it leads you. Also, be willing to reciprocate any help you intend to receive from these people, so you won’t be seen as self-serving.
- Build your career on what you’re passionate about
The honest truth is that your interest in whatever you are not passionate about will fizzle out sooner than you expect. Yes, initially the business might bring in money and keep you satisfied for a period, but soon after you’ll become tired, restless and eventually go in search of career fulfilment. So, why don’t you just start early? Find what you are passionate about doing and learning, figure out how to monetise it and build your career around it. But if it is money that you’re passionate about, then by all means, you are free to go after it. The crux of the matter is for you to build your career around whatever you are passionate about.
- Find the right company
It is a well-known fact that because of the employment situation in Nigeria, trying to be patient enough to search for the right company to work for might be impractical, but you should try as much as can to do so. This is because finding the right company to work for, goes a long way in helping to build your career in the corporate world, especially if you don’t intend to become an entrepreneur. You don’t want to end up working for a company that will waste the best years of your corporate life without impacting your life, helping you grow or expand your opportunities in any way. Making the mistake of working for such a company can unfortunately end up being irredeemable, so you need to be careful to find and choose the right company to work for.
- Don’t let failure devastate you
You just shouldn’t. This is because as you build your career many doors will be shut against you before one opens. This doesn’t mean you are not good enough or you are a failure; it just means that you should learn from your mistakes, get better and keep trying until you breakthrough. As long as you keep trying, no matter how many doors are closed against you, not all doors will; if you don’t give up, a door will eventually be opened to you. It is just a simple fact of life. So, perseverance, grit, determination and commitment are very vital to building a successful career.
- Have a plan
How can you build something without a plan? That question sums it all up. Even though things might not or most likely will not work out exactly according to your plan, have one nonetheless to guide you. You can make adjustments to the plan as life happens, but don’t abandon having one. There is no way to successfully build a career without a plan.
- Have a support system
Whether family or friends, have trusted loved ones that will make up a support system to help encourage you when things inevitably get tough. This will go a long way in helping you keep your footing, continue moving forward and successfully build your career even when things get tough. If you’re not good at discerning those you can trust, then hire a career coach or psychologist to help you with this. You can also consider seeking help from religious support systems, if you’re comfortable with it.
