#45: The 6 Best Pieces of Career Advice I've Ever Received
These are my professional golden rules. What are yours?
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The 6 Best Pieces of Career Advice I've Ever Received
Hello, LOLers. I’ve heard from several people in the last few weeks who have either just been laid off or who are bracing for a potential layoff. In the spirit of feeling supported, which I have been reflecting on a lot lately, (How am I supported in ways I recognize and don’t recognize? How can I be more receptive to support? How can I provide support for others?) I am sharing career advice that I’ve received over the years that has made me feel supported. (“Hang in there!” doesn’t count.) Drop your professional golden rules in the comments and let’s create a parachute for everyone in career transition.
Don’t talk shit. EVER. When I was an actress, a former manager gave me this piece of advice and it’s stuck with me. She told me that the worst thing I could do is talk shit in a meeting because industries are small and you never know who a person knows. I especially keep this top of mind when I’m interviewing for a job/interviewing a candidate for a job. I consider talking poorly about a former employer, colleague, or boss a dealbreaker! It’s like going on a date with a person who says that all their exes are crazy. (At some point, you’ve gotta look in the mirror, bro!) I’ve broken this rule once or twice and immediately regretted it. It feels shitty to talk shit and it feels shitty to be on the receiving end of shit-talking. I have been on the receiving end and the people who have bad-mouthed me are DEAD to me.
Keep doing things. Right after I got laid off last year I had a networking meeting with a colleague in the entertainment industry who had weathered several layoffs. He told me to keep doing stuff — even if I wasn’t employed. Meaning, find projects and hobbies to work on to keep my mind and my skills sharp. I thank him for this advice because it influenced many of decisions last year — including launching this newsletter. Huzzahhh!
You only get one chance to be the new kid on the block. One of my acting teacher’s used to say this to me all the time. I don’t think I fully understood what she meant until I was older. Because when you’re young you think opportunities and options are endless. Middle age spoiler alert: they are not. What I understand now: you only get one chance to be a newcomer or beginner. Take that chance seriously, be ready for it, make a great impression, and give it your all, baby!
People can hit it at any time. Before my layoff, when I was feeling intense misalignment burnout, I started complaining to my therapist that I was past my prime in my career. What a stupid thing for me to think! She told me that from her experience in working with hundreds of clients that people can hit pinnacles of success at anytime in their life and at multiple times. That means you can be 10 or you can be 70 and find yourself at a really exciting moment in your career. I take comfort in this thought.
Don’t look for a job, look for the people you want to work with. A former boss of mine gave me this advice post layoff and it hit me in a deep place. Think about who you want to be on Slack with 8+ hours a day. Do you like them? Do you respect them? Do they make you laugh? Seek out the people who inspire you professionally. Let them be the guiding light to your next career move.
The fish rots from the head down. This one is an oldie but goodie from another former boss. Good leadership is the KEY to success of an organization or group. Whether you’re the fish head or you’re evaluating the fish head, make sure that shit don’t stink.
Worthy Time Wasters
Here are my weekly recs to combat doom scrolling.
📺 Yes, I am aware that new seasons of House of the Dragon (Max) and The Bear (Hulu) are all anyone cares about right now. Me included. But there are some other TV goodies that deserve your attention. A long-awaited new season of We Are Lady Parts (Peacock) brought me the irreverent LOLs I was craving as did a binge-watching of seasons 1 +2 of Extraordinary (Hulu). How did I miss this show? More British comedies, please!!
In the unscripted universe, I finally finished The Jinx (Max) season 2. That theme song, tho! I haven’t danced like that since the open of Big Little Lies. But seriously, sheesh, it managed to deliver as many chilling twists and turns as season 1. I’ve also got very high hopes for Ren Faire (Max), which I just started.
🎥 I watched two doc films that I’ll recommend for the ‘80s nostalgia (and not necessarily the filmmaking). First up, Let the Canary Sing (Paramount+), about Cyndi Lauper. I walked away with a deeper understanding of why Lauper was the first singer I idolized. She bops! (Do you know what that means?) She was so ahead of her time! Next up was Brats (Hulu), Andrew McCarthy’s re-examination of the Brat Pack. My takeaway? Don’t give other people the power to pigeon hole you in your career. Here’s an interesting review of the film.
📚 Ambition Monster, a new memoir by
, is probably the most important book I’ve read this year.After years of relentlessly racing up the professional ladder, Jennifer Romolini reached the kind of success many crave: a high-profile, C-suite dream job, a book well-received enough that reporters wanted to know the secrets to her success, and a gig traveling around the country giving speeches on "making it." She had a handsome and clever husband, a precocious child. But beneath this polished surface was a powder keg of unresolved trauma and chronic overwork. It was all about to blow.
To say I related deeply was an understatement. I highlighted so many passages that I lost track. Here’s one I keep thinking about:
“It took me years to discover there’s no dream job to chase, no have-it-all fairy tale, no happy ending in which to escape. The story is never so pretty or so neat. The best is often what’s right in front of you; the hardest, most ambitious goal is to stop running from yourself.”
THIS!!!! I have so much more to say about this book. I would love to interview
for this newsletter. Stay tuned to see if I can make it happen. In the meantime, READ. THIS. BOOK.Have a question, suggestions, or thoughts? Message me!
Have thoughts about what you read, have suggestions for future topics, or a question you want me to answer? Send me a message!
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