Career-Building: What Managers Secretly Wish Employees Knew

There’s a lot of advice out there about building a career, from “follow your passion” to “never eat alone.” We wondered: amidst the fray, were there gems of advice that managers—the people who started at the bottom as average employees and worked their way up—wished that more employees knew?

Success is built over years, not months.

We all love stories of overnight success, such as start-up founders who earned millions in months. While these stories make inspirational movies, most of the time success isn’t all Hollywood glamour and instant fame.

Most people build successful careers by doing the right things every day, over and over and over and… well, you get the picture. Results could take years—a terrifying prospect to gung-ho new professionals who want results, like, now. Accept and celebrate the small wins as they come but understand that lasting success is a long-term goal, not an immediate reality.

Treat your job like a career and we will, too.

There are those employees who drag themselves in at 9 AM and stare at the clock like that will speed up time, and then there are those who come in at 9 AM ready to rock it until 5 PM. It’s easy for managers to see which team members treat their job like any old job and which act like they’re building a career. Guess which we’d rather promote up the ladder? Hint: it’s not the clock-watchers.

Don’t be a jerk.

There, we said it. Why? Everyone in the world is connected by just six degrees of separation, according to scientists. This may be obvious to anyone with a Facebook or LinkedIn account, where a super secret computer algorithm documents that you and your coworker both know your sister’s best friend’s university roommate’s daughter.

The point is that this interconnection makes it incredibly important to treat every professional connection with respect. Those annoying coworkers that you’d rather not deal with—they could become your managers. They could know the heads of HR at your dream company down the line. Take the high road today and your future self will thank you for establishing a solid career foundation. Plus, the golden rule never goes out of style.

We want what’s best for you. (No, seriously).

If you’ve ever seen the movie Office Space, you know that managers tend to get a bad rap for forcing their subordinates to work every weekend. We’re happy to say that this isn’t the case in real life (we promise!). Although we sometimes make unpopular decisions, we do have your best interest at heart and want to help you build a successful career. Just trust us on this one. 

It’s not all fun and games—but it sure can feel like it.

Of course we want you to take your job seriously… but not so seriously that smiling is reserved for Casual Fridays. Let your personality shine, especially during onboarding when everyone is clamoring to welcome you into the fold.

Research (and common sense) claims that chatting about certain topics for just 45 minutes can lead to workplace friendships that significantly increase engagement and productivity. In other words, you’ll have more fun at work, which is something that every employee deserves and that every great manager wants for their team members.

Now that you know managers’ top secret, er, secrets, learn how to showcase your leadership skills to land the job or that next promotion. Then, get in touch with us regarding any onboarding questions you or your HR department may have.