Throw What You Know About Careering

-  By Maria-Laurencita Belen

The public service is full of great and interesting people that readily share what they know, all one needs to do is ask for advice!  As a young professional and new public servant, I readily seek guidance and wisdom from my network about building a successful career.  Sometimes, I find that I eventually end up following the beat of my own drum.  I’m letting you in on four career tips that I sometimes throw out the window. 

1) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush...  

Photo by Kate Ter Haar:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/

This one is about securing opportunities for yourself and not gambling away stable contracts or readily available promotions. 

One time, I passed on a secure promotion to wait on a verbal agreement. I took the chance and got the dream job that I wanted. In this case it was worth the wait and the risk. It was surely a stressful wait, but it felt good to stick to my guns.

For me, I knew that I put my best foot forward with an employer, and in the end I chose personal integrity over security.

2) Go into areas that are hot on the government's agenda...

While it can be thrilling to be recruited into an area of high political interest, the files that have low profile can sometimes be areas that really hone and shape your skill sets.  For the ambitious go-getters out there, it might seem counterintuitive to ‘go under the radar,' however one Deputy once told me that being behind the scenes can sometimes be the most rewarding. 

I believe that as an innovator, one can make ordinary work extraordinary.  It's also important for me to challenge myself to be creative, and to generate excitement with files that people never would have thought of as a thrilling topic to work on.   

3) Follow your passion...

It’s important to align your work with your interests, however, take a second look at opportunities that you may not instinctively have sought out for yourself otherwise. 

For instance, while I’m interested in public policy issues that touch Canada’s vulnerable populations, you may be surprised to learn that on my career path, I spent two student terms and almost four years as a public servant in government real property. In that time, I learned so much about working with executives and driving their agendas forward.  I also found that I developed a passion for certain files in that area. 

...so, don’t always chase your passion.  Be open to it finding you.

4) Don’t make plans, or else you’ll miss your career...

This advice always makes me anxious, because I’m a hard core planner. 

I take the time to be introspective and to focus on the kind of person that I want to be in five years, and what specific experiences and skills I need to attain in order to become her.  While acknowledging that life and our perception of ourselves can change, I believe if I’m intentional about my path, I’ll be better prepared to handle the obstacles and constraints along the way.

Bonus advice: There are also two pieces of career advice that you should always stay true to: treat your career path as a learning journey, and always be grateful to the people who help you out along the way.

My career has been great so far, I’ve felt good about the impact that I’ve made and the people I’ve met. 

I’m curious to learn more about your unconventional career moments in the comments section below.

Maria Belen is a policy analyst in the Government of Canada.  She is a champion of public service renewal, and most recently co-chaired the 2015 United Way campaign at the federal level, raising $18.4 million to benefit hundreds of community organizations in the national capital region.  She co-chairs IPAC National's New Professionals Committee and serves on the National Board of Directors. IPAC invited Maria to post on the theme of career development among our up-and-coming cadre of professionals because she has inspired many new professionals in the federal public service and beyond to think of themselves as leaders in order to become one. Maria has presented at the IPAC NP Workshops, at the IPAC Annual Conference, and is a regular contributor to the research and outreach on new professionals in the public service. 

If you would like to contribute to the IPAC Network Blog, please send comments and suggestions to Michele Anderson at manderson@ipac.ca