Latest CAREER articles

Career Regrets and Dealing With Them

Do you have any career regrets?

Here’s a bold statement: I actually don’t think I do. I have made errors, sure, but regrets? Not worth it, every wrong direction, miss-step or moment of poor judgement should be a learning, not a cross to bear.

I speak to a lot of people; peers, colleagues, friends, mentors, family and sometimes randoms, and it is curious how often people hold onto career regrets and use them to punish themselves for years after.

LinkedIn Skeptics, Beware the Boomerang!

The boomerang effect is a strange phenomenon, but it catches the best of us.

That’s when you say or think you’ll never do something, only to have your words or thoughts come back to bite you in the future. For me, it was allowing my LinkedIn profile to collect cyber dust (whatever that is) just a year ago. Back then, LinkedIn was constantly on my back, reminding me that my profile was only 30% complete. I ignored their pleas to complete it. Now I spend my time reminding the world that LinkedIn is far more valuable than it first seems—and to update their profiles as soon as possible.

Personal Brand

The phrase ‘Personal Brand’ has popped back up again and it makes me laugh. There are endless posts about developing your personal brand, maintaining your personal brand and how you should take your personal brand for walks twice a day so it doesn’t crap in the house when you go out.

I’m not interested in making fun of the phrase, or of people that have strategies for it. There’s nothing wrong with either. Personal Brands and the new complexity of perpetuating one reflect a change to communications in general. We can learn simple things about branding companies by looking at the ways people have successfully branded themselves.

20/20 HINDSIGHT

I remember when I first stumbled over IHAVEANIDEA a few years ago, when I was just starting out with advertising. Back then I had some vague idea from college, read everything about and from the industry, and watched lots of Mad Men. Over the past four years of going to ad-school and (still) having my first job I’ve found out a few things. For example, my job is much more like Peggy Olson’s than Don Draper’s. But that wasn’t the only revelation that has made my professional life easier. I’d like to share some of the more profound ones with my four-years-younger self and anyone else in the same position.

Love the Jump

I caught up with my brother-in-law a few days ago after not speaking with him for what seemed like an eternity. After we got past some of the obligatory updates on what we’ve both been up to, the conversation quickly moved to what our collective plans, hopes and dreams will be for the upcoming new year.

Bad Education

I have two kids. The girl is 26, the boy, 23. They are smart, vivacious, full of energy and they are always ready and willing to work, and never say no to me. And I love that. But sometimes, I have to confess, I have to tell them to chill and I have to say no.

Let me explain: I’m only 38. So it’s physically impossible that they are my children. And I didn’t (legally) adopt them. So how did that happen, you may ask?

Off My Plate

I was waiting for a meeting to start last week and I overheard a conversation between a few staffers. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I was just hearing it. They were catching up on a project. They hadn’t heard from the client yet, but they were sure when they did, it would be a rush. One of the people in the group asked about a few of the details of the project that had not been talked through internally, never mind with the client and wondered when we’d get the time to do that. The response was, “When they want it done, we’ll just have to do it

Going Dutch, a French Tale

Ever thought of becoming a global nomad? Not sure if it’s time to follow your heart and try your luck working abroad? Well I have some motivating thoughts that will hopefully give you a kick in the pants, make you kiss your Mum goodbye and walk out the door. Working in another market and another language – well it could just be the best thing you ever do.

Deflated

Since the glory days, business has been trying to find ways to maximize profit. Manpower. Efficiency. Agencies, like most businesses, are working leaner than ever. We’ve adapted and figured out how to do more with less. Each person on the payroll has figured out how to do between 1.5 to 10 different jobs in a single 78-hour week.

So it’s a win for everyone.

Sometimes You’re Sh!t and That’s Okay

I imagine everyone who gets into advertising has someone they look up to in the industry. Mine was a guy called Festus. As we were coming out of Apartheid, this guy wrote an ad that made South Africans really take a second look at each other and the country they were now living in. It was powerful, razor-sharp stuff and year after year he’d always be on stage receiving some or other accolade for his work. I knew from then on that I wanted to be like that, and I’d do anything to get there. So I set out on this endeavor, spending the next few years working my way towards that mountaintop. Eventually I reached the apex and it was nothing short of amazing.

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