What is the best piece of work or career advice you’ve ever received?

Patsy167 · 09-09-2021 03:20PM #1

Thought this might be a fun topic to discuss - What is the best piece of work or career advice you’ve ever received?

Jim2007 · 09-09-2021 06:42PM

Pushing a pencil is easier that pushing a shovel, especially as you get older (My father, RIP, 40+ years ago, so it is a bit dated)

tom1ie · 09-09-2021 06:43PM

Never work for free.

09-09-2021 06:43PM

Better to be judged by twelve then carried by six.

Very job specific, that one! 😁

Spanish Eyes · 09-09-2021 06:45PM

Learn to read documents upside down, then you know what's on the other side of the boss/colleague's desk. I learned a lot that way in the pre desktop/laptop days, yes I'm getting on now. LOL.

09-09-2021 06:49PM

"Leave and don't come back"

Getting sacked from a retail management job when I was young was the best thing that ever happened to me. I left retail (not something I'd ever planned to do), worked in a factory, educated myself through part time courses, moved jobs & roles as time went on, doubled my salary within 5 years of leaving retail and the rest is history

Glad I followed that advice :)

bb12 · 09-09-2021 06:58PM

keep your powder dry!

don't get caught up in the small petty stuff and other people's drama and battles and never tell anyone anything more than they need to know

LawBoy2018 · 09-09-2021 07:01PM

Never put your loyalty before your own self-interest.

shoxter · 09-09-2021 07:07PM

Dont be a busy fool, I learned that too late in my life! Another is that the ones who are always claiming to be busy or business has never been better are usually the ones closest to the wall.

BrianD3 · 09-09-2021 07:25PM

Not directly work or career advice but very relevant IMO

"A man with savings can walk tall" with the quote then going on to describe how savings (or lack thereof) affects one's mindset in the workplace.

Put more bluntly, don't be a good little wage slave who lives paycheque to paycheque. Save up some fcuk you money if you can by not splurging your money on crap you don't need.

Ravelleman · 09-09-2021 08:22PM

It's them, not you.

ZX7R · 09-09-2021 08:31PM

Never be the first to try something new and never be the last to try it.

HerrKapitan · 09-09-2021 08:39PM

Don't fight other people's battles.

Nickla · 09-09-2021 08:43PM

If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted

Patsy167 · 10-09-2021 08:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869821#Comment_117869821

I've read this a couple of times and not sure I get what the takeaway is. Does it mean that you should develop the next person below you on the ladder to do your job?

jeremyr62 · 10-09-2021 08:25AM

Don't expect thanks for doing your job well. It's what you get paid for.

yagan · 10-09-2021 08:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117869602#Comment_117869602

That is so true. I had a great job once that turned to crap with a change in management which made it toxic. Feeling fed up one day I formally put myself forward for voluntary redundancy if it arose. After that the management ignored me as they knew they had no hold on me so the job actually became pleasurable again.

MY own career tip is live near work.

BrianD3 · 10-09-2021 10:25AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117870938#Comment_117870938

Key point there - a good workplace can turn toxic in a short space of time if there is a change in management, restructuring, financial problems etc. I have experienced this myself in the public service. I had gotten myself into something of a rut - specialised work with few promotional opportunities and experience not valued much outside of the PS. My attitude was that it was fine as I was enjoying the work. Then there were retirements and cutbacks and things turned bad very quickly. If I had my time again I'd do a few things differently. One thing that I did do right was save heavily over many years. If I hadn't done that I'd be in a terrible position today in terms of both my finances and mental health.

Royale with Cheese · 10-09-2021 10:28AM

My uncles told me when I was starting out working to always take a shít on the companies time, never your own. Advice I've followed for 15 years now.

Nickla · 10-09-2021 10:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117870917#Comment_117870917

what i understood from it is that you could get stuck in a particular job and if better positions opened up you would not be considered.

Turtwig · 10-09-2021 11:04AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117870917#Comment_117870917

It means that your contribution to a particular pivotal position is so valuable it may not be easy to replace you and achieve the same output. When this happens companies may be hesitant to promote you as that may end up harming their output more.

Your best chances of promotion are outside the company. As may be your chances for better salary negotiation. That though depends on the culture. Some companies may recognise just how pivotal your role is and reward you accordingly. Others may not.

circadian · 10-09-2021 11:05AM

Everyone's winging it.

starringme · 10-09-2021 11:16PM

'Make it your business to like your job'

wise words my granny used to say. I often say it to whingers.

My first manager told me to keep a record of your work progress as it happens because you'll easily forget accomplishments, projects, praise from significant parties etc. I highly recommend it as I never really kept track and promotional forms were made much tougher as a result.

BhoyRayzor · 10-09-2021 11:20PM

No one will value your time as much as you do.

floyd333 · 11-09-2021 01:09AM

Don't take annual leave the same time as your boss

Jim2007 · 11-09-2021 09:51AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117870917#Comment_117870917

No they might pass you out on the ladder ;-) It means don't make yourself indispensable, anybody on your team should be able to step in and do your tasks. Back in the day, I remember one guy who's job it was to run the out going mail packing machine at a major insurance company. It should have been easy, just make sure the machine did not jam, but this guy took to reading the content of the out going letters and in doing so caught many embarrassing errors - missing balances, demands for late payment being sent out before the invoices etc... Senior management learned about him and heaped praise on him. Great. But every time his team leader proposed a promoting or moving on, senior management shot it down on the base it was too risky to move him. Eventually he figured out that the only way to move on was to move out.

Wildly Boaring · 11-09-2021 09:56AM

Before you send an email.......

Half it.

Before you send an angry or argumentative email........

Save a draft (without recipients) and read again the next morning.

You'll end up deleting it 99% of the time

11-09-2021 12:45PM

"It's only a job"

ebbsy · 11-09-2021 12:48PM

**** flows downhill, make sure you are standing on the bridge when it gets to you.

Ger Roe · 11-09-2021 12:54PM

Advice given to me by an experienced manager :

Don't give urgent work to the person doing nothing. If he is doing nothing, that is his nature and he won't care about your priority.

Give your work to the busy person. They have the correct ethic and will work to get on to your requirement as quickly as possible.

11-09-2021 12:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117876189#Comment_117876189

This is why a lot of people do as little as possible!

you know you're the last on the list for work 😁

What is the best piece of work or career advice you’ve ever received?

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