Career Development Insights

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫! “Fake it till you make it." I know because I used to believe in it. I smiled through doubts, nodded in meetings even when I wasn’t sure, and tried to act like I had it all figured out. But let me tell you—it didn’t work. Instead of building confidence, it left me feeling like an impostor in spaces I had already earned. The problem with “Fake it till you make it” is that it encourages you to mask your doubts and avoid asking questions. But in the corporate world, this mindset can backfire. Pretending to know everything won’t earn you respect. It’ll leave you stuck, missing out on growth opportunities, and potentially making costly mistakes. Over my 5+ years in Big 4s, startups, and a regulatory body, I’ve learned that confidence doesn’t come from faking. It comes from showing up authentically. It comes from owning what you know, being honest about what you don’t, and actively seeking to learn and grow. If you’re still figuring out your career, here’s my advice: 📌Ask questions. It shows initiative, not weakness. 📌Admit when you need help—it builds trust. 📌Focus on learning and improving every day—that’s what truly sets you apart. 📌Don’t fake it. Build it. That’s how you create a lasting, successful corporate career. Have you ever felt the pressure to “fake it”? Have you faced this in your career, and how did you handle it? LinkedIn LinkedIn News India LinkedIn Life LinkedIn Guide to Networking #linkedin #growth #mindset #corporate #politics

The higher you climb in your career, the more you realize: almost every senior role is, in some way, a sales job. Not just selling products. You're selling ideas. Visions. Strategies. Yourself. Leaders pitch to investors. Managers advocate for teams. Specialists influence stakeholders. The skills that make great salespeople are the same ones that open doors at the top. Listening deeply. Building trust. Persuading with conviction. Negotiating outcomes. Sales teaches you to read people. To handle rejection. To persist when others give up. These aren't just sales skills. They're leadership skills. Executive skills. Life skills. In my view, sales is one of the best career choices you can make today. Master it early. Thrive in almost any role tomorrow. Your future self will thank you for learning how to sell before you need to lead.

“IIT / IIM / BITS asks alumni for help with placements, in tough job market” It’s funny but not surprising that our media would sensationalize outreach from leading academic institutions in India, to their alumni community, for help with their campus placements for jobs for their students. As Prof. V Ramgopal Rao said in a tweet: “It should be a very normal thing for institutions such as BITS and IITs to reach out to alumni for placements. If an institution isn't tapping their eminent #alumni network for #placements, they are doing something wrong. Please treat such emails from BITS Pilani to its alumni as a very normal thing henceforth.” As the saying goes though, you should never waste a good crisis, and having seen placements at the IIMs (India’s elite business schools) for 21 years, I think there are three important shifts / changes that we need to see with institutions, alumni and students: 1. Academic institutions need to professionalize their placement process and invest in relationship management with their alumni and recruiters Campus placements at the IITs and IIMs is often student managed, which means that as students change every year, there is no relationship built with recruiters and alumni and it becomes transactional. Placements needs to be led by full time staff - with the same profile as relationship managers at banks - who manage the relationships with recruiters and alumni who are recruiters, and who also broaden the relationship beyond placements to MDPs, research, etc. Students can still be involved in a supporting role, to the full time staff. Indian School of Business has done this well and so do all international institutes in the US. 2. Students need to learn how to find their own jobs and build their networks and personal brands Students at the IITs and IIMs are spoon fed jobs. This unwittingly handicaps them for the real world because they are not taught how to find jobs themselves. They are not taught how to build relationships and a network. They are not taught how to build a personal brand on LinkedIn and cut through the clutter of the thousands of students in their cohort. A careers and placement office staffed with professionals can help train students in these important skills. The top institutes abroad train their students how to network and train them on their elevator pitch and much more. 3. Alumni need to give back and Alumni Associations can help be a bridge with their alma maters Alumni can play a critical role in connecting their companies with their alma maters and coaching current students. Often they want to help, but don’t know how. Alumni Associations can help here in collaborating with the alumni office / alumni committee on campus as well as with the careers office / placement committee, to create channels between alumni at recruiters and the campuses. IIM Kozhikode Alumni Association and IIM Kozhikode have done well on this front. What do you think needs to change?

Many of my podcast episodes will make you better at your job, but a select few will make you better at life. Today's episode is one of the latter. Carole Robin, Ph.D. spent 20+ years teaching a class called Interpersonal Dynamics, affectionately known as “Touchy Feely” at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. After leaving Stanford, she founded a nonprofit called Leaders In Tech, which applies the Touchy Feely principles to help Silicon Valley executives build their leadership and interpersonal skills. Carole also co-authored the popular book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues, which shares key insights from her decades of teaching these courses. In our conversation, we discuss: 🔸 How vulnerability makes you a stronger leader 🔸 Why mental models you build early in life hold you back later 🔸 The 15% rule of disclosure 🔸 The art of inquiry 🔸 The three realities and “the net” 🔸 Practical tips for avoiding defensiveness when getting (and giving) feedback 🔸 The impact of long Covid on Carole’s life 🔸 Much more Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ejqmeUv2 - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/egW9afwc - Apple: https://lnkd.in/eQw2HxcS Some key takeaways: 1. When giving feedback, remember that in any interaction between two people, there are three realities: - Reality 1 includes their motives and intent - Reality 2 is what they say and do - Reality 3 is the impact of their behavior on you 2. Embrace the 15% rule: By pushing yourself just 15% beyond your current boundaries, you can create opportunities for growth and deepen connections with others. This approach allows you to gauge your comfort level and adjust gradually, avoiding overwhelming discomfort while still fostering meaningful progress. 3. You should address minor irritations (“pinches”) before they escalate into major conflicts (“crunches”). Early identification and resolution of pinches promotes honest relationships and minimizes the expected pain of a crunch. 4. When someone responds in a way you didn’t expect, ask them, “What did you hear me say?” Most of the time, the other person heard something incorrect. Follow up with “I’m glad I asked; let me try that again.” 5. When seeking to understand someone’s motives and intent, inquire genuinely without judgment. Avoid asking “why” questions, as they provoke defensiveness. Instead ask what, when, where, and how to gain insight into their perspective. 6. Don’t use phrases like “I feel that” or “I feel like,” as these often lead to statements rather than emotional expressions. Instead, use “I feel” followed by an actual feeling word. This simple change is more likely to result in a connection with the other person.

I’m a lawyer turned recruiter. And I wish I knew this as a baby lawyer: Success isn’t about all-nighters, designer suits, or prestigious titles. Now, as a legal recruiter, I see it clearly. Here are 10 Hard-Earned Lessons: 1. A Big-Name Firm Isn’t the Only Way to Succeed 🚀 ↳ Your greatest mentor might not be a high-flying partner. ↳ It's the senior associate who patiently explains the basics. 2. You’re at the Bottom of the Hierarchy 🙇♂️ ↳ It goes pantry lady, secretary, partner, senior associate, associate… ↳ And then, finally, you. 3. You Don’t Need Designer Clothes to Fit In 👔 ↳ No one’s handing out promotions for wearing luxury brands. ↳ Show up as yourself—most partners started with nothing, just like you. 4. When You Need to Go, Just Go 🚻 ↳ Holding it in during a packed courtroom isn’t brave—it’s unhealthy. ↳ Take the break. (And maybe skip that third coffee! ☕) 5. Don’t Work Late Just to Be Seen ⏰ ↳ Staying late isn’t a badge of honor. Use your downtime. ↳ But when it’s crunch time, show up and deliver. 6. Learn From Everyone 👀 ↳ From the receptionist who knows every client by name… ↳ To the partner who commands the room—there’s wisdom everywhere. Pay attention. 7. Ask Questions—Even the “Stupid” Ones ❓ ↳ Faking it won’t help you grow. ↳ Your curiosity is your superpower. Use it. 8. Reputation Is Everything 🌍 ↳ The legal world is tiny. Every interaction matters. ↳ What you say, how you act—it all comes back around. 9. Ditch the Legalese ✂️ ↳ No one’s impressed by jargon. ↳ Get to the point—clients don’t have time for mental gymnastics. 10. Your Career Is Yours to Shape ✨ ↳ Carve your own route ↳ Even if it doesn’t look like anyone else’s. If I could go back, these are the lessons I’d tell my younger self. What did I miss? What else would you add? 👇 ♻️ Share this to inspire your network. ➕ Follow Shulin Lee for more. P.S. I learned No. 4 the hard way—let’s just say it involved a packed courtroom and zero exits in sight. P.P.S. Lesson? Don’t challenge your bladder. And yes, skip that third coffee. ☕

A significant hurdle to women in asset management becoming Portfolio Managers is that the promotion decision is typically taken around the time many women have children, i.e. early 30s or after approximately 10 years as an Analyst. While most women take extended parental leave, men rarely do; in addition, women typically bear the majority of childcare responsibilities after birth. Moreover, there is an age range where, if a woman has not made PM, she likely never will and is viewed as a career analyst. Relative earnings dynamics within a family amplifies workplace dynamics. If a woman is overlooked for promotion in her early 30s while having children, her earnings may have fallen significantly behind her partner’s by her late 30s. The family dynamic may either dissuade her from returning to work or require her to bear more childcare responsibilities after returning, further increasing inequality. The career interruption from pregnancy applies outside of promotion concerns. A woman in the early stages of pregnancy or intending to become pregnant may be reluctant to take risk (e.g. by speaking up, making a contrarian investment, or switching firm) because, if she is made redundant, it will be difficult for her to find a new job as she will be at a late stage of pregnancy. One interviewee knows of women who have had abortions because they were too new in the job and being pregnant would expose them to too much career risk. This issue is highlighted in my report on Cognitive Diversity in Asset Management for Diversity Project - Investment Industry. https://lnkd.in/eASk7x3P Potential solutions are in my response to the FCA's consultation on Diversity and Inclusion in the Financial Sector at https://lnkd.in/eWgkd8qz (see p7). I would be grateful to learn of additional solutions: please leave a comment.

👁️ If only women had wives. The kind who clear the runway, catch the flu calls, and make ambition look effortless... Last Friday, a young mother I work with told me her mentor in the company advised her to hide the fact that she has two young children, when she was about to enter the promotion as head of department in a new country. She asks me what I think... Frankly, I didn't know what to say to her, because her mentor is right, she has a higher chance of nailing that role if her peers didn't know that she has caregiving responsibilities at home. Too many women have learned to perform invisibility: to tuck their motherhood into silence, to show up spotless, sleepless, and unshakeable, as if our humanity were a PR risk. 💼 I get it. There is a cost to ambition. Every day, I choose between being an entrepreneur, a mother, a woman who sometimes drops the ball and sometimes carries the world. But to hide my children, that’s a price too high. 🌱 Motherhood didn’t make me less focused. It taught me triage, boundaries, and emotional intelligence you can’t learn in an MBA. When I’m worried about my child, I say so. When I block my calendar for family, I don’t apologize. I’m not working despite being a mother, I’m working because of everything motherhood has expanded in me. 🏗️ The truth is that the system is still built on the assumption that care is a private inconvenience, not a collective asset. Until companies start designing around reality, not pretending people don’t have lives, gender diversity will remain a spreadsheet goal, not a lived value. 💬 Because if advancement depends on having a wife at home, you don’t have a talent strategy ,you have a dependency. Now, What employers can actually do: ✅ Make part-time powerful: leadership, budgets, and promotions included. Stop treating flexibility as a downgrade. ✅ Tie manager bonuses to parent retention and advancement. What gets measured gets protected. ✅ Ban coded language like “less committed” or “not visible enough.” If you can’t quantify it, don’t weaponize it. ✅ Equal parental leave Mandatory for men, normalized for women. Culture follows example, not policy. ✅ Re-entry is not penance. Build structured return paths with sponsors, not "tolerance" ✅ Track promotions, pay, and attrition by caregiving status. If you won’t measure it, you’re not fixing it. 🧨 Because the future of leadership isn’t childless; it’s designed. Either build for real lives, or be honest that you’re selecting for people who don’t have one. ----------------------------- 📢 Hi, I am Jingjin Liu, sharing my Motherhood Diaries every Sunday as a reflection on what it means to self-actualize while mothering. It’s not balance. It’s contradiction. Fulfillment and fatigue. Expansion and erasure. I’m still in the thick of it, wrestling with who I am beyond being needed, and figuring it out as I go.

We've all heard the old saying "Jack of all trades, master of none." But have you heard the full quote? "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." I've found that being a generalist with wide-ranging interests is a real asset and incredibly valuable, especially in our rapidly changing world. The greatest generalists were the Renaissance polymaths like Leonardo Da Vinci. They made groundbreaking contributions precisely because of their curiosity about multiple disciplines. Yet, the idea that being a "generalist" is somehow anti-specialization has taken root, especially in corporate settings. The reality is that our professional journeys are rarely linear. In machine learning, there's a concept of exploration vs. exploitation that's relevant here. Exploration means trying out new solutions, and gathering more information about something unknown. Exploitation means using the knowledge you've already gained to maximize your current rewards or performance. The most effective approach cycles between the two modes. This concept applies to why being multi-passionate and deliberately cultivating a generalist mindset can enhance leadership: * Adaptable: Diverse interests make you an adaptable, shape-shifting leader, deftly navigating challenges. * Innovative: Engaging in multiple disciplines fosters cross-pollination of ideas and sparks creativity. * Visionary: A wide range of experiences sharpens strategic perspectives & foresight, and improves decision-making. Take Ginni Rometty, former CEO of IBM, whose diverse career within IBM spanned engineering, sales, marketing, and strategy. This versatility allowed her to drive major transformation initiatives by combining technical expertise with insights from non-technical roles. Specializations have a shockingly short half-life these days, especially in technology and AI fields where knowledge can become obsolete within 1-2 years. Continuously expanding your cognitive toolkit through exploration becomes crucial for long-term relevance. To be clear, this is not about being a wandering generalist but integrating varied skills while building core competencies. This versatility is a powerful asset in leadership. Embrace your inner generalist, and say yes to exploration! This mindset fuels lifelong, multi-modal learning and innovative problem-solving. Oftentimes, you'll outshine the masters of one. #creativity #innovation #mindset #leadership #skills #culture

Smart job hunters are doing something others aren't. It build connections, skills, and confidence. And, there's a desperate need for it. What is it? Volunteering. With all of the recent federal cutbacks, non-profits and community services are struggling mightily in a climate when the need is higher than ever. Not surprisingly, amidst all of the uncertainty, individual donations have declined as well. These agencies are often short-handed even in good times, yet many of them provide the glue that holds things together for the least fortunate among us. So what does that have to do with you? If you're unemployed, underemployed, VOLUNTEER. Look around your community. Who needs help? What skills do you have that could serve others while you’re looking for work? How can you improve your world and the world of those around you? Perhaps you’re asking “Why should I?” or even “What’s in it for me?” Questions worth answering in my view, so here you go: 1️⃣ Volunteering for a needy cause can give you a valuable perspective on your own situation. 2️⃣ Volunteering can be a great way to build new skills, or take on duties you wouldn't normally have a chance to do. You could help build a data base, do some public relations, bookkeeping, or program development, building skills that will help you advance your career. 3️⃣ Volunteer work doesn’t just look good on a resume, it tells people you’ll get involved and you want to make a difference. 4️⃣ Volunteering can give you access to people who can help your career. Look at the list of boards of directors for the major charities in your area. These are influential people at the height of their profession. Working beside them on a project or a program can be a great learning experience and help you build a valuable network. 5️⃣ Volunteering is a wonderful social outlet and a great way to meet people with whom you share common interests. 6️⃣ Volunteering is good for you. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can decrease stress, depression, and anxiety, and boost satisfaction with life. Things may seem bleak right now, but this is a great time to look away from your personal fears and consider how you can make a difference in the lives of others.  You and your community will be better off for it. 🎉You've got this and I've got you!🎉 ♻️ Repost to inspire others to volunteer 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more career strategies 📌 Need help with your job search? DM me!

I spent 19 years in sales. I’ve sold 7-figure deals, hit #1 at Salesforce, and made millions. But let me be blunt: Almost every seller I coach in their 30s and 40s admits the same thing when I ask them— “Do you see yourself doing this until 60?” The answer is always: Hell no! And that’s exactly why sales should NEVER just be about the quota. It should be your launchpad. Sales is the greatest profession in the world. It gives you two things that no other career does as well: 1. Skill Acquisition 2. Money Acquisition When you master sales, you don’t just learn how to sell a product. You learn discipline. You learn how to handle rejection, show up every day, and stay consistent when most people quit. Those are the exact same muscles you’ll need to build any business of your own. And the money? Sales is one of the only careers where you can earn far more than you spend, save aggressively, invest wisely, and create a runway for yourself. That’s what I did. After nearly two decades of selling, I built up enough wealth to walk away—and launch a business helping sellers thrive without sacrificing their health, marriages, or sanity. Was it easy? No. Sales almost broke me. I battled addiction, nearly lost my family, and hit rock bottom before I rebuilt. But all of it—the grind, the rejection, the pressure—was fuel. It forged the discipline and the financial freedom that let me say “enough” and build my dream life. Here’s the perspective shift: 👉 Don’t just see sales as a career. See it as your funding strategy for the life you actually want. Want to start a business one day? Fund it with sales. Want to write a book, coach, launch a podcast, or even just retire early? Fund it with sales. But don’t waste the years only chasing quota without a bigger why. Because the grind will eat you alive if you don’t know what it’s for. Sales is the bridge. What you build on the other side is up to you.