Significant career lesson from a Director of Communications and Outreach at Lumina Alliance
Clementine, Director of Communications and Outreach at Lumina Alliance, emphasizes the importance of direct communication in career advancement, stating, "If you want something, you have to ask." This proactive approach, exemplified by offering to take on additional responsibilities like drafting press releases, has proven crucial throughout their career progression.
Communication, Networking, Career Development, Achieving Goals, Motivation
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Clementine Ellis
Director of Communications and Outreach
Lumina Alliance
Agnes Scott College
University of Florida, MA, Sociology
Anthropology, Sociology
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Actively communicate your career aspirations to your supervisors and colleagues.
2. Don't be afraid to ask for new responsibilities or opportunities to learn new skills.
3. Proactively seek out tasks and projects that align with your career goals, even if it means taking initiative and volunteering for extra work.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you've learned that has proven significant in your career?
If you want something, you have to ask. That has been the biggest lesson I've learned throughout all of my roles and all of my career changes.
If you want chicken nuggets, you have to order them at the drive-through; they don't just give them to you. Be open about your aspirations. If you want to be in a certain role, tell people at your job that you want to be in that role.
If you want to learn a skill, tell them you are interested in learning it, and they will hopefully provide opportunities. I find people sometimes hold their cards close to their chest and don't want to tell people their ultimate aspirations.
Be open about it. Tell your leadership, tell your managers what you want to do, and take opportunities that are given to you. When I was working under the old director of communications on a different job, I would offer. Sometimes I'd say, "Hey, can I try and write that press release? Can I write a draft of this? Can I take a stab at doing the newsletter this month?"
Usually, people are very busy and they say, "Yeah, take it, do it. Give it a go." They would rather edit something you already wrote than write something from scratch. So show that you are there and that you want to do that work. Be open about it, and that's a lesson I've had to learn.