For college graduates and other young professionals, the job market is not what it used to be. Many occupations now offer far less opportunity. Pay scales for entry-level employees have not increased. More companies use interns—paid or unpaid—before committing to hiring them on a regular basis. And those professionals who found jobs need to be especially vigilant to perform well, because the real world and corporate America are not about building self-esteem and bestowing awards.
When I managed a department of actuaries, I preached about several characteristics integral to success. These traits are not necessarily unique to any particular profession, but apply to many. Anyone who adopts them has a great chance of becoming successful in his chosen profession.
1. The 3 “Re”s—Responsibility, Reliability, and Responsiveness. If you call a plumber and he doesn’t return your call, or he makes an appointment and doesn’t show up on time, you are not likely to use him again. A professional worker in an office setting must also be reliable. He must respond to client or co-worker requests reasonably promptly. And he must take responsibility for delivering his work on time or, if snags occur, notify his supervisor or client of the change in schedule. Ignoring or missing deadlines without informing those expecting the product is not acceptable and will erode the individual’s credibility.
2. Work Ethic—Professionals are expected to do what it takes to get the job done. Understandably, long hours can make family life difficult, but at times it is necessary. In many companies, employees take work home for evenings or weekends. Your superiors will recognize a good effort. So focus on the substance of getting the work done as efficiently as possible, and if you can, get home early to enjoy your family.
3. Be Precise—Take care in your work, and be a perfectionist. Today, with email, texting, and other forms of communication, people tend to be sloppy and it sometimes carries over into their work. But good habits developed in one area often lead to similar habits elsewhere. When reviewing spreadsheets or other work products, those who present results in a very clear and aesthetically pleasing manner usually get the formulas and numbers right. Those who are accurate and precise in one endeavor, usually are so across the board.
4. Operate an Express Line /Juggle—We are all multi-taskers. Professionals have numerous demands, and must meet them all; each client needs to feel s/he gets your full attention and service. Of course, we have big projects and small ones, but the small job can’t always wait in line for the big job to be finished. If a supermarket didn’t accommodate those shoppers with three to five items in an express line, made them wait behind the giant carts full of goods, shopper satisfaction would be greatly reduced.
5. Use More Than One Gear—A colleague at my firm always plugged along, and could never come up to speed no matter how busy we were; it was very frustrating. A good professional will speed up in very busy times—whatever it takes to work faster and be more productive.
6. Keep Work Moving—Meet your deadlines. Like an assembly line, a holdup at any stage of production would result in a delay in the client’s receipt of his report. When others are not doing their part to keep the work moving, they put pressure on the later stages of reviewers to work faster in order to meet the client deadline, endangering the quality of the final product.
7. Think / Understand What You’re Doing—In some technical fields employees are very focused on details, and follow detail without thinking about or understanding how the result will be used. If the end result makes no sense, go back and look for the cause until you find it.
8. Commitment to Client Service / Sense of Urgency—Take ownership in what you are doing; commit to providing the best possible service and solutions to your clients. Empathize with the client and develop a sense of urgency to meet deadlines and criteria, just as you undoubtedly would when meeting the needs of your family members.
9. Develop a Business Sense / Be Practical—Actuaries are a detail-oriented bunch, and can become immersed in the minutiae of a project, or spend an inordinate amount of time on a minor aspect. Put the degree of effort into an assignment that is commensurate with its purpose. If there is little difference between a sophisticated and time-consuming projection of future results, or a simple back-of-the-envelope computation, opt for the latter.
10. Take Control of Your Own Future—If you’re fortunate enough to have a good boss, co-worker, or mentor to help you and learn from, take advantage of the opportunity. The bottom line is this: you are the only person who will determine your future career path. Seek any opportunity to learn new skills, take on new responsibilities, and become more valuable to your employer. In the final analysis, your value to the organization will influence your career advancement, and it is up to you to enhance that value and demonstrate it to your supervisors.
Michael Karlin is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and an Enrolled Actuary, and has over 35 years’ experience as a pension consultant to large organizations. He now assists individuals in maximizing their pension and social security lifetime payouts. Call 201-836-6408 or 201-741-7774, or email at [email protected].
By Michael Karlin
