The humble learnings of an intern as she navigates a career side-step
Holy moly, 12 weeks ago I did not think I would be sitting here looking to give advice to those who are already working in the industry that I’m striving to get into. But here’s the thing, since joining this incredible Inka team I’ve really learnt some solid lessons and I think that everyone can take something from what I’ve learnt. So here they are, my 3 top tips to making the most out of your professional life.
You need to accept that you’re not perfect
Ouch! I know, I’ve started a bit bold, but I need you to hear me out. I know that it’s great to get praise, you feel like strutting your stuff and doing a dance. And so, you should! In no way am I trying to downplay your successes.
I’m talking about the times that you get feedback on your work...maybe you’ve started to go in the wrong direction, or you’ve overlooked an important detail in a brief (yikes!). Even though getting this feedback doesn’t feel as good as the sweet, sweet praise that makes you happy dance, you need to remember that this feedback can be just as important. Feedback helps you to not make the same mistakes again, it keeps you on your toes and inspires you to do better.
You are only human
I swear it is not an insult, but sometimes we forget that we have limits. I know how it feels, when you start to get on a roll at work, you feel unstoppable, you want to prove yourself, you want to show that you can do it all. So you take on more work and then more work and maybe even some more until bang, you’ve overloaded yourself. This isn’t anything negative against you, it happens more commonly than you think (or at least more often than people would like to admit).
Even when you are in the zone and you feel like you can smash anything out of the park that comes your way, it’s just not sustainable. You might realise that the next day or even the next week when all your projects are due. It’s okay, take a breath, I have a groundbreaking fix for you… ask for help. Honesty is the best policy, it makes far more sense to share the workload when you’re overwhelmed, rather than you suffering in silence because you accidentally took on too much. Remember, you’re only one person and your team is there to support you.
Your workplace is a two-way street
This is one of my favourite things I have learnt since being at Inka. When interviewing for a new job, or in my case an internship, it seems normal to want to sell yourself to the company, showcasing yourself and convincing them why you are the best fit for them. Since being at Inka I’ve had this thinking turned on its head, someone super wise told me that it’s not just the company interviewing you, you should also be interviewing the company and seeing if they are the perfect fit for you. I’m a little dizzy because that advice has really sent my head spinning. It makes sense though, you will be spending a good chunk of your life with this company, you should have expectations of them, just as they will have expectations of you.
Remember that just because you are working for someone else, it doesn’t mean that your needs should come last. When you change your way of thinking about yourself, you'll change the relationship you have with your career. You put yourself in the driver's seat and you can choose whatever career path your heart desires. That’s empowering stuff!
Inka is basically an office filled with inspiration and encouragement. In 12 short weeks they have helped me grow as a human and I hope this post helps to motivate you to take charge of your career and makes you feel as confident as I do sharing this advice with you all.