Your Key to Career Growth

by Marie Y. Philippe, Ph.D

Corporate Vice President, Culture and Organizational Effectiveness
The Lifetime Healthcare Companies

“Sorry, this could have been a real promotional opportunity for you if only you had supervised others before.” Sound familiar? You can replace “promotion” by “new job” and “supervised others” by “developed a strategy” or “presented to large audiences,” or just about any other scenario that comes to mind. The point is that it is easy for anyone to get caught in the proverbial Catch-22 at work. The job cannot be yours because you do not have the experience, and you cannot get the experience because you do not have the job. How do you get off that treadmill?

Although not unique to ethnic minority employees, the challenge of growing one’s career in the corporate world seems particularly daunting for many talented women and various minorities. A determination to move ahead, supplemented by innovative thinking and good negotiation skills, can make a difference. Here are some ideas for consideration.

Leadership skills. For many corporate positions requiring supervisory experience, there are alternatives a number of corporations are willing to accept. Do not underestimate any lead role that you had held while in the military, during community board service, or in church groups. A significant trait of leaders is to inspire and teach others; therefore if you can help your employer or future employer make the connection between your “Scout leader” abilities and your ability to inspire those whom you are in a position to lead, you will have a distinct advantage over your competition.

Public speaking. Many professions require a superior command of verbal communication to large groups. The idea of public speaking can be frightening even for professional public speakers who often admit that, despite their apparent ease, they can experience butterflies or stage fright.

To build that experience outside of the office, consider joining an organization like toastmasters, and using every opportunity to compete: practice at local high schools that usually welcome professionals to inspire students, practice in front of your congregation, volunteer to emcee at family events, etc. It will be hard to discount your practical experiences as you enumerate them during your interview process.

Strategic Thinking. When coaching very talented, yet career-young individuals, the area where they overwhelmingly express a lack of confidence is the knowledge of strategy. Yet, strategy is part of what we all do to survive as intelligent beings.

We budget our savings over given periods of time in order to buy a house or a car; we develop a plan to juggle work, family, social interaction, school, study time, vacation, etc.; We evaluate risks almost daily—the risk of pre-spending a year of discretionary income when tempted to purchase a coveted designer handbag, or investing all of your 401(k) in the company stock vs. diversifying with other instruments. Your real life strategic decisions—those with impacts lasting over a year—can translate into business equivalents.

No matter what obstacle is thrown into your career path, you can creatively circumvent it. It may not be easy for you to make the connection, because we are so conditioned to think that the only relevant experience is the one gained in the workplace. We must retrain ourselves to perceive the value we have created for ourselves in gaining solid experiences outside of the office. Helping those making decisions about your career understand that you deserve an opportunity because you have indeed developed the needed skills in a non-traditional setting can be the genesis of your new corporate success.