They Don't Teach Corporate in College (19 page)

For almost a decade now, career experts have been buzzing about the necessity of having a blog. Their rationale is that everyone who's anyone is out there participating in the online conversation, and if you don't have something
constructive to contribute, colleagues and employers won't be as impressed with you. Personally, I don't think it's realistic—or even a good idea—for every employable person in the world to go out and start a blog. For one thing, the blogosphere is cluttered enough as it is, and blogs that have no real purpose for existence will just muck things up even more.

You should write a blog because you have a unique opinion on an issue based on your own life experiences, not because you think it will make you more marketable. If you blog for the wrong reasons, no one will read it, and, for all of your efforts, you won't increase your visibility. Secondly, not everyone is cut out to write and/or maintain a blog that requires a concise outpouring of coherent thought several times a week. Lots of people love it, but, to many others, it sounds like the modern version of Chinese water torture.

If you're determined to use the blog medium to become an established expert in your field, or a credible potential hire who'll appear attractive to employers and recruiters, realize that a professional blog is no place for irrelevant musings or runaway diatribes. For example, my readers come to my blog, Water Cooler Wisdom, expecting concrete career advice from the perspective of someone with a consulting practice that helps employees survive in the business world. Tough as it is for me to accept sometimes, they have no interest in hearing about my day—unless I can use the story about the crazy guy I met on the subway to make a point about career success.

There has also been a recent backlash against bloggers who are cavalier with facts or attribution of sources. Be careful of this, and also read other bloggers in your field and cite their work so that the opinions you express are not just your own. Think about what your readers really and truly need to know, and then scout out facts and tips that answer their burning questions. Tie your posts to current events and news headlines, and populate your blog with enticing titles and frequently searched keywords so that it's easier for new readers to find you. Network with other bloggers in your space (even the high-profile ones!) by commenting on their posts, and in return, answer comments on your blog in a timely fashion.

My final thought on this is that if you just want to write, you don't have to reinvent the wheel with a brand new blog. There's no shortage of established outlets just for twenty-something writers that would be grateful for your contributions!

You may have heard that the best way to advance in your career is to find a good mentor. A mentor is a person, usually older than you, who can advise you on matters relevant to your career, and who offers support and direction as you progress in your field. Obviously, having a mentor is a good idea, but he won't come to you. You have to seek him out and proactively establish the relationship. Doing this is easier Start with a blank slate. This is said than done, because the best mentors are typically not your direct supervisors, and you may need to look outside your immediate department. Organizational psychologist Neil Stroul recommends that you observe powerful individuals in your company and approach someone who possesses a “generosity of spirit,” a natural willingness to go out of his way to help others. Ideally, this person will have already passed through the part of the career path that you are currently on, and will have achieved success by making smart decisions and learning from his experiences. He will be someone you like and admire, and someone whose values you share.

Once you target a potential mentor, how do you ask for his help? First of all, approach your mentor-to-be as you would any other networking contact: by preparing in advance. You should determine what you are looking for and devise a tentative schedule for how often you would like to meet. Make sure your expectations are reasonable, because the potential mentor is unlikely to agree if he thinks he will have to meet with you every week or act as a referee between you and your boss. When contacting the person, briefly explain why you are seeking his guidance. Compliment him sincerely, and ask if he would be amenable to an in-person meeting. Upon sitting down face to face, reiterate your thanks, and lay out your vision for the relationship. Read the person's reaction. Hopefully, he will be as enthusiastic as you are, and the two of you can set up a timeline for future meetings. But if he isn't, now is the time to find out. You don't want a mentor who is meeting with you out of a sense of obligation.

Michael Alexander of FindAMentor offers some tips for making the most of a mentor relationship:

Ask lots of questions.

Practice listening.

Answer questions truthfully. (When the truth is withheld—even a little—the information provided by your mentor may not be accurate.)

Filter information consciously before accepting it as true and right for you.

Understand your mentor's desire to help, and take feedback you don't like in stride.

Respect your mentor's time constraints and other commitments.

Don't forget to show your mentor the appreciation he deserves for giving you the benefit of his experience. Follow up on your commitments to him, and brainstorm ways to help him in return. For example, one of my early mentors was a senior vice president at my PR firm. One of her favorite hobbies is yoga, so when she wanted to write an article about it for a healthy living magazine, I volunteered to edit it. Also, consider helping someone else. What's the best thing you can do when you've been fortunate enough to find a good mentor? Become one yourself! By sharing your wisdom and expertise with someone less experienced, you can give back some of the goodwill your mentor showed to you.

If you've already wrangled a mentor, why do you need a sponsor?
Working Mother Magazine
says it best: “Sponsorship often gets confused with mentoring, but the two roles are different. Mentors provide advice, and such relationships can be formed among peers, bosses, and junior staff. By contrast, sponsors are senior executives with the clout to advance their protégés.”

Men are better at embracing this notion of sponsorship, whereas women shy away from it—preferring instead to cement mentoring relationships where the focus is not advancement. Mentors don't actively advocate for a protégé's promotion, but sponsors do. This may partially explain why there are so few high-ranking female executives.

The ideal sponsor-protégé relationship should be based on mutual trust and admiration. In order to be most effective at providing the internal support that you need, your sponsor should ideally be a level or two above your boss. Avoid a political snafu by enlisting your boss's help to identify potential sponsors, and get his advice on the best way to approach the more senior executive.

Of course, in a perfect world your sponsor will find you. He will know your work and will reach out voluntarily. This happened to me last year when I first began work with a new partner company. If it weren't for this individual, I would have had more trouble navigating the organization, and would have nowhere near the level of success I have there today.

In one of the first jobs I landed out of college, my role was to help monitor and analyze corporate credit card spending. I noticed that a certain higher-up had unusual spending related to another higher-up, and gabbed about it with some colleagues over drinks. A couple of months later, my boss called me into her office. My jaw hit the floor when she told me that she'd heard about the information I'd divulged. Mercifully, she did not fire me, but gave me a stern warning about confidentiality. I wish I could tell my 23-year-old self to avoid careless gossip. You never know if you can trust the people you gossip with. If they do it with you, they will do it to you.

Tracy, 30, Texas

Get to know your immediate supervisor early.
Determine her priorities, find out what she wants from you, and brainstorm ways to surpass her expectations.