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AGCAREERS.COM
AG & FOOD CAREER GUIDE
by Michael Curry & Elizabeth Galbreath, Agriculture Future of America
I
f you’re like us, you have read your fair share of advice and
information about how to be successful personally and
professionally. We love to learn and seek ways to improve, so
we’ve sought out mentors, joined professional organizations
and created development plans. Even though we’ve tried to be
proactive about our learning, some lessons you just need to
learn the hard way.
We’ve learned a lot the hard way, so we compiled a list of
our best advice in hopes that sharing these insights with you
will prepare you for what’s to come in your career journey.
Some of these lessons are harder than others, and this
won’t be all you need to know as a young professional. We
encourage you to use this list as a starting point to get curious,
use your resources, and reach out to role models or mentors
in your life as tools to reflect and learn more. We’re here
because talking about your experiences is an important part
of processing and bringing others with you as we all develop
stronger leaders and professionals.
Here’s our 8 pieces of advice every young professional
should know:
Take notes
You will absorb tons of information
through conversations and meetings
constantly. You may trust your brain to
remember it all, but you probably won’t.
Do your future self a favor, and take
notes in important conversations. If you
don’t want to take notes, see if someone
else is willing to do so, and then share.
When you’re managing lots of tasks
and ideas, this will help you remember
decisions made and key thoughts.
Ask meaningful questions
When you ask thoughtful and
intentional questions, you build deeper
relationships. Open-ended and follow-up
questions are your best friend.
These are more introspective and
allow a person to “open up” more. By
asking “how,” “why,” or “what,” you are
setting yourself up for success. Asking
good questions does not comes without
being a good listener. Often, we listen
to respond, rather than listening to
understand. This is where questions
can begin to falter. Once you start the
conversation, listen, allow it to flow, ask
questions and see where the discussion
takes you!
Work is not everything; take
care of yourself
When you’re passionate about the
work you do, or you just want to do a
great job in your professional life, it’s
easy to let work take over all aspects of
your life. Remember that work is just a
part of your life. Protect your “off” time,
whether that’s nights and weekends or
something else, and use it to rest, relax
and connect with others. Find hobbies to
pursue on your time off and meet people
to form a community. Give yourself things
to look forward to once work is over to
encourage yourself to maintain a healthy
balance. And if you’re asked to take on
additional responsibilities that interfere
with “you time,” say “no” if it will cost
you the rest that you need. Sometimes
it’s best to say “no” to something now in
order to feel great about saying “yes” to
something later.
Pieces
of Advice Every
Young Professional
Should Know
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