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?The Best Career Advice I Received Was??

Posted by Kourtney Jason on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 ? 1 Comment?

What should I do? When it comes to career changes, we?ve all had that particular question run through our minds. Sometimes, it?ll even keep you up at night. Whether you?re debating a new job, switching careers, or quitting and traveling for a year, you turn to your friends, family and mentors for advice. But how do you separate the good advice from the bad advice? Here, we?re sharing the best advice given to and put into action by these 13 inspiring, smart and successful women. Read on and share the best advice you?ve been given and followed in the comments.

Stick to Your Core Values
?About 10 years ago, one of my mentors gave me some great advice that I still think about to this day. Her name is Alice Diaz and she works at Weber Shandwick. She said: If you don?t know whether or not to do something in your career, ask yourself, ?Can I feel good about myself when I leave the office and go home at night?? It seems basic, but when you boil it down, it means that you should work for companies and clients that align with your own core values?and no amount of riches can make up for work-induced insomnia. As a public relations executive, I have recalled this advice many times over the years, and now that I have my own business, I endeavor to never work for a client that I do not believe in.? ? Jennifer Maguire Coughlin, President, Jennifer Maguire Coughlin Public Relations

Early Bird Gets the Best Breakfast
?From my father, ?Always be early and you?ll never be late.? This nugget of knowledge has served me well. It demonstrates my commitment to the firm/team/project, helps establish a good?reputation and allows me to get the strategic seat at meetings and first pickings at the continental breakfast or luncheon tray.? ? Shannon Mouton, Principal, Topaz Consulting

Success Comes From Your Passions
?The best career advice I received was, ?If you want Plan A, don?t have a Plan B?just be certain and committed to Plan A and know that it will happen because it?s what you are passionate?about.? This advice was offered to me by my business coach Stacey Morgenstern. I worked at an Advertising Agency and I quit that job to become a Wellness Coach full-time. For years, I was scared of losing the security of a bi-monthly paycheck and medical benefits?yet, I was miserable, wishing that I could be a coach everyday, all day. Now, I feel the happiest I have ever felt and I have a peace of mind that money can?t buy.? ? Lorena Morales, Certified Holistic Wellness Coach, NLP Practitioner, berry pretty Wellness Coaching

Confidence is Key
?I had to really think about this as I tend to remember the bad advice, like people talking me out of certain adventures and telling me to get on with my life/career (which in retrospect, was lame, I had plenty of time), and I often wonder about my own advice (my head speak) like ?you committed to that contract, and even though you haven?t started yet, be loyal, it?s who you are? when turning down a killer offer and staying committed to a rinky-dink show, I wonder where my career would have been.?Best career advice? Believe in yourself. It?s so simple. We all hear it, we often forget it, as did I at times, but it?s crucial to any sort of success. It?s not like it was some mantra I repeated over and over, it was something that really was/is a part of my psyche: ?I can do this, I am capable, of course I?ll get the job.? Anything I?ve failed at, or not achieved in my life is because I forgot that as my truth. The things I?ve succeeded at, which has been a lot, are because I didn?t need to tell myself that, I just felt it and lived it. So I?m not sure how you get to that place of just knowing you can do it, i.e. believing in yourself, maybe it?s from hearing it over and over from a supportive parent or mentor or friend, or maybe it?s creating a deep knowing inside. For me, it?s all that. But it?s also from doing. I just kept doing and trying and doing and trying and learned that things happened when you did that. It wasn?t always what I expected to happen but it was always damn interesting and damn good. Eventually, that builds confidence. Eventually, you believe in whatever you set your courses for.? ? Shannon Nering, Reality TV Producer/Director, Author of Reality Jane

Think Before Acting
?The best advice has come through experience. When deciding what step to take next, I describe my interests to people who are neither in my field nor generally interested in it. When I can get other people excited about the topic, I recognize that I am passionate enough to light a flame. Through that, I determine which option leads me to the most fulfilling career opportunity. For me, the process is like shopping. I can leave an item I like at the store once. If I don?t think about it again, it wasn?t for me. If I find myself wishing I?d bought it, I go back and buy two. My advice to others is if there?s something that doesn?t feel right about a job initially, don?t take it.? ? Liz Rampy, M.Ed, NCC, LPCI, Forest Acres Elementary School

Do Good
?The best career advice came from my mom when I got accepted into medical school. She sat me down with a huge frown, as she had just returned from an unpleasant doctor?s visit herself. She said, ?Tanya, if you are going to be a doctor, be the kind of doctor that you would want to see as a patient yourself, or be the doctor you would want your mom to go to?if not, sit home and raise kids. It?s not worth you getting a babysitter!?? ? Tanya Kormeili, MD, FAAD, Board Certified Dermatologist, Clinical Professor at UCLA

Make Friends
?Become a really good connector. When you meet someone, find out about her likes, needs and what she does. Offer to connect her to people that she needs to connect with or connect her with people who need what she offers. I never meet people and look at them as a possible client or just dollar signs. My goal is to help others get connected to a need they have or connect them with someone else who needs what they have. This has led to trust and I get referrals all the time from people I have connected. And it?s fun and feels great to be able to help people like that with no strings attached!? ? Charline Bucher, Owner/President, CharlineBucher.com

Listen to Your Inner Voice
?The best career advice I?ve received was from one of my business mentors, Alice Blue. Alice is an Executive Director for a non-profit in Tulsa, OK where I grew up and returned to work after college. As a young PR professional, I was timid about voicing my opinion and would often defer to my more experienced colleagues during group discussions. During one of our many discussions, Alice instructed me to trust my inner voice. One of my strengths has always been creativity and being able to bring a creative perspective to company policies and or strategies. Once I began listening to my inner voice I saw my career take off. It can be daunting sometimes?when you have peers that are older or more experienced at the job. It takes courage to make your voice heard and to trust your own abilities when compared to others in the field. Today I encourage young women to study their craft and then have the confidence to trust their talent and ability. It was the key to my career moving to the next level.? ? Christal D. Jordan, President, Enchanted PR

Make Your Dreams a Reality
?The best career advice I received was from my father. He had been given only three months to live due to a ?missed? 6-inch cancerous tumor on his liver. He said to me, ?Get yourself out of that corporate job and go focus on writing your book.? For my father to give these words of wisdom to me when he knew how short his time was left on this earth had and continues to have a huge impact on me. After his passing, I took a total leap of faith and left my high-paying corporate career to start my own business. I did write the book, and it has won numerous awards. I also speak on the importance of living your dreams now. It has not been an easy road to travel, but it is one that brings me huge satisfaction.? ? Susanne Alexander-Heaton, CEO, Motivated by Nature

You Can Balance Family and Career
??Don?t let anything or anyone hold you back. If you want something go out and get it. You never want to look back and wonder what if.? My grandfather gave me that little nugget and I was able to successfully apply that to my career. I wanted the flexibility to work at home in an entrepreneurial environment while raising my four small children. I am now the Regional Manager of Plum District Philadelphia, a For-Moms-By-Moms company. Had I not had his advice as my guided force, I would be working at a job and company that wasn?t a good fit for me, just for a paycheck. I am able to have the dream job and have time for my family because I didn?t give up until I got what I wanted. I have a lot of friends who feel stuck in their life and career. I feel mine is a blessing and I am thankful everyday that I took his words to heart.? ? Colleen Leader, Regional Manager, Plum District Philadelphia

Nurture Your Relationships
?The best career advice I ever received was to ?Make a Friend, Make a Sale.? This is so true in business. It?s all about relationships. If all products and services are equal, the customer will choose the company whose representative has ?made friends? with her. All it costs you is a?little charm and finding a common bond. It creates loyalty and a friendly, long-term business relationship. Which is win-win for you and your customers. I heard the branch manager giving this advice to a new sales person he was training. It wasn?t advice given directly to me, but I heard the advice and recognized it?s value.? ? Aimee Elizabeth, Author of Poverty Sucks! How to Become a Self-Made Millionaire

Feed your Brain
?The best career advice I received was from Dwight Bain, a life coach and Christian counselor who told me to read?that if you read one book a month that was the equivalent of a semester of college a year. It also meant I would be ahead of most other people because they do not read and keep current on their chosen field. I read everything written about sleep, management, leadership, mentoring and anything else that strikes my fancy.? ? Amy Korn-Reavis, RRT, RPSGT, Manager of Emery Sleep Solutions, Instructor at Valencia College, President of Florida Association of Sleep Technologists

Learn to Face Rejection
??Don?t be afraid to ask for the things you want.? My dad always lived by the philosophy that it never hurt to ask?after all, the worst anyone could say was no. And once you get past the fear of being rejected, you realize it?s really not that bad to?hear no. Back then, it helped me get my footing in my career. I learned to ask, whether it was for opportunities, jobs, or advancement. Now, that I?m 30 and work as the president of Little Idea, an invention development company in Charlotte, NC, that advice helps me recruit new clients to the?firm; it is a crucial aspect of marketing. And marketing, putting yourself out there, makes up at least 75 percent of any business. So never be afraid to speak up when you have an idea, a question, a want. You can always look back and find some gain from asking, whether it was experience and practice of what you were seeking. However, wondering ?what if? won?t even give you knowledge or advancement of any kind.? ? Betsy Hauser, President, Little Idea, LLC

What?s the best career advice you?ve heard and followed?

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Photo Credit:?Fortune Live Media?via Flickr

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