By Kevin Meglic | Member
In the last Advancing Your Tech Comm Career column, we covered creative ways to network and broaden your skills and knowledge base. Examples included using social media to connect with other professionals in the industry, volunteering, using public speaking opportunities, and building marketable skills while broadening your knowledge base.
In this edition, we touch on the importance of using life experiences you already have, finding a mentor, and going that extra mile for your organization.
All Your Experience Is Relevant
I was looking back the other day on the various careers I have had over the last 25 years, and how each one of them gave me important skills that make me successful as a recruiter and a director of operations for an annual conference.
In the U.S. Navy, I learned the importance of being a team player, punctuality, organization, and leadership. As an electrician, I learned customer service, planning, outside-the-box thinking, and diplomacy. (If you’ve ever had to work a project with different teams, each of which thinks they are the most important, you know what I mean.)
I wanted a job I could do indoors, so I went back to school. When it came time to use my new degree, I didn’t think I had any experience relevant to staffing within the tech comm industry. It was pointed out to me that everything I had learned in my previous roles could be applied to this one. So don’t think that what you are doing currently is time wasted. It is all skill building!
Finding a Mentor
One thing I did that helped tremendously in breaking into a new industry was finding a mentor. My boss and mentor Jack Molisani always says, “An expert is someone who has made all mistakes possible in a given field—assuming you don’t keep repeating them.” How do you avoid making these same mistakes? Find someone who has already made them and learn from them!
A mentor is also a great sounding board. By having someone who has been in your shoes to bounce ideas off of, you can stand out at planning meetings and appear more familiar with the subject matter or process than you might otherwise.
Technical communication has been around for centuries. And while it keeps growing and evolving with each new advancement, the core skills stay the same. So get out there and find your mentor!
Go the Extra Mile
It has become commonplace to “just do your job.” We go to work every day, do the task assigned, and go home. That’s all fine and well for the individual who just wants to keep the status quo, fly under the radar, and collect a paycheck. But not you (if you are reading this article)—you don’t fit that bill.
I remember in the Navy, the most hated job on board ship, was cleaning the heads (bathrooms) in the berthing (sleeping) area.
When I arrived at my first ship, I was assigned to clean the berthing. When it came time to clean, I immediately volunteered to clean the heads (advice given to me by a senior sailor). I did so for the first four months I was onboard. When my supervisor moved on to another assignment, who do you think he chose to replace him. That’s right, me!
So, ask your supervisor if there are any projects currently or on the horizon that you could take on. Volunteer for assignments that no one else wants to do. When it comes time for management to choose that next leader, your contributions won’t go unnoticed.
Diversify Your Client Base
Many of us find an industry (automotive, medical devices, telecom) and get comfortable within it—similar subject matter, consistent work, and so on. What happens when that technology is no longer relevant or that industry in particular is in a slump? By diversifying your client base and taking on a project outside of your established industry, you become more well-rounded, less complacent, and closer to that expert as we defined it earlier.
In Closing
Many skills you already possess can help you advance your career. Identify and tap into them! Use the knowledge of those who came before you to help identify avoidable mistakes. Be that person who not only wants to succeed, but who is also an asset to their company. All of these things can help you on your way up to achieve that next career goal. Go for it!
Kevin Meglic is the Lead Recruiter at ProSpring Technical Staffing, a staffing agency that specializes in content professionals (both contract and permanent). https://ProSpringStaffing.com
He is also the Director of Operations for The LavaCon Conference on Content Strategy and Tech Comm Management, which will be in San Diego this October. https://LavaCon.org
You can reach him at Kevin.Meglic@ProSpringStaffing.com and connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-meglic-913101104/
