5 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started My Career

As we’ve recently seen several new members join the team at NES that are at the very start of their careers, it made us think, what advice can we give to those who are embarking upon a new career path?

Realising a successful job involves the use of good people skills

Whatever business you’re in, you need to focus on the people you work with and your relationships with them in order to be successful. As we know from everyday life, everyone has different styles and preferences, so to make progress you need to get to know what makes your colleagues tick and approach them as individuals. To get your desired outcome you may need to modify your style depending on the person you’re dealing with.

Keeping your CV fresh is an ongoing task 

You may love your job and never dream of working anywhere else but you never know when your circumstances may change. It’s very easy to forget the many great things you’ve achieved over a sustained period of time if you don’t maintain a regular log of this.

Keep jotting down your key achievements and the new skills that you learn – even if it’s only in rough notes, then if you do look to make a career move, writing your CV won’t be such a big task.

As a global staffing agency, NES happen to know a thing or two about CVs, so we put together a handy list of tips to help your CV get noticed. 

Advancing your career means that you need to network, network, network 

Did we mention how important personal relationships are?! Broaden your network and make use of the contacts you build up over time.

• Attend local meetings
• Become active in professional organisations and community groups
• Speak with associates and ask people who and what they know
• Sign up to appropriate mailing lists, newsgroups, and chat forums

It’s good practice to always be in touch with what’s going on in your sector, so even if you’re happy where you are, don’t see this as a wasted exercise. When it is time to move, it’s useful to have a network to reach out to.

Are you an engineer looking for networking tips? Read our advice on how to build your professional network as an engineer.

Have a career path plan, but be flexible 

It’s always good to think about where you want to be in 10 years’ time and set yourself some objectives on how to achieve this, but at the same time, if circumstances change and your plan starts to go off course – don’t panic! Different experiences and skills can be gathered through taking advantage of the new opportunities that come your way.

A positive attitude goes a long way to complementing your job 

Try to always maintain a positive attitude towards your colleagues and the job that you are doing. Go above and beyond to help people and see even small tasks as opportunities to grow and learn. Those people that are proactive and help others stand out from their colleagues who keep their heads down and just help themselves. Be kind and never put anything in writing you would not be comfortable discussing face to face.

Whether you are just starting your career or have been in your professional for a number of years, we can help you find your next technical role. Search our jobs to see latest vacancies or register with us to be notified of upcoming jobs in your sector.