Career advice shared for Carlson School of Management ’10 graduating seniors:

Compiled by Lars Leafblad, principal, KeyStone Search

http://www.larsleafblad.com

Peg Birk, president & ceo, Interim Solutions:

“The right question to ask is, "how can I succeed in this new job so that it will lead to the career
trajectory I have designed for myself." With that said, I would say the most valuable lessons I
learned are:
1. Focus on doing the work of the job you have taken to be sure you do an excellent and exceed
the expectations of your boss and the clients you serve.
2. Self-promotion turns people off, especially in a new job/career. The best promotion is by other
people singing your praises based on a track record of success.
3. Don’t care about who gets the credit in a project.
4. People see the fruits of your labor, just be sure it is the best fruit in the basket.
5. Attitude is everything. People want to be around positive, energetic, can-do people.
6. Be open to and aware of opportunities for growth in and outside your company/organization.
7. Know yourself. Strengths and weaknesses. Be open to both positive and negative feedback
from co-workers, boss and clients.
8. Be professional and establish boundaries. You cannot be friends with everyone but you can be
warm and caring.
9. With social networking, my advice is to stick with being professional. I am getting concerned at
the mix of personal and professional messages on Facebook, etc. Should it be used for both?
Employees and clients are looking at these.
10. You cannot be everywhere and everything to all people.
11. Minimize your energy for maximum results. You do not need to be constantly giving out
information and energy both in person, in meetings and on the net. You want people to listen
when you speak and not start pushing the "hide" button because there is too much information
flowing. Same at meetings. Only offer something when you have something to say. Pick mentors
carefully, pick contacts carefully. Pick winners for who you are and what you care about. Learn
the art of the gracious "no, thank you". Know when it is right for you to say, Yes, I can take that
on.
12. Learn the art of asking the right question.
13. Do what you love and success will follow, but be prepared to be patient and to make
necessary sacrifices along the way.
14. Be impeccable with your word whether informal, formal, in person or on-line. You are always
practicing something. Best to practice restraint and professionalism than having something to say
about everything.”

Tom Horner, principal & chairman, Himle Horner:

“1. Know your business. It's amazing how many people work for a company and don't take the
time to read the annual report, look at industry publications, journals, etc.

2. Know your CEO. Propose strategies that are meaningful to what the CEO's goals are (which
means you need to know those goals). Hold yourself accountable by the metrics that matter to
the company, not just to your discipline (for example, communications people shouldn't measure
their success by artificial measures like counting clips generated by a news release, but by the
same metrics that the company uses to measure other disciplines).

3. Know yourself. You won't succeed if you don't have a personal business plan. What is your
SWOT? Who are you benchmarking yourself against? What is your personal mission and values
statement?”
Liwanag Ojala, president, Pear Tree Greetings (former president, SimonDelivers.com):

“Two pieces of advice: (1) Writing a thank you note has helped me at many points in my life,
professionally and personally. Always thank the ones that have helped you along. If at all possible
do it in a handwritten note - it makes you memorable, especially if what you write is sincere and
from the heart. (2) Pay it forward. Help someone along and do it without expecting something in
return.”

Laurence Reszetar, JD, associate, Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand:

“1) Be an active listener and apply what you learn.

2) Recognize your talents and weaknesses and do your best to maximize the talent and minimize
the impact of the weaknesses. If you forget things, make lists. If you are a horrible proofreader,
work with someone to improve that skill.
3) Take criticism but don't let it beat you down. If you are going to mope, don't let it last more than
an hour.”

Sara Ursin, project manager, Accenture:

“1. Deliver what you promise

2. Make high impact contributions
3. Ask for advice and feedback
4. Be visable
5. Focus on developing youself AND the people that report to you”