Starting a new job?

by Guest ContributorJul 3, 2020

At the end of last month, UTS Startups hosted an Ask Me Anything Q&A event with Heather Meeker, the Founder of Meeker Consulting Group. Below are just a few of her tips for successfully entering work (or read the original article here).

Learning never stops, and unknowns remain unknown until you start doing something a little different.

A friend of the Diploma of Innovation, Heather Meeker zoomed into UTS Startups from Silicon Valley, where she had just started a new job as Head of Communications at Home Point Financial. Even as a strategic communicator, with years of experience leading PR, content marketing, analyst relations (the list goes on!), there’s always more to learn.

So whether you’re starting a new job, in a different type of industry or role, make Heather’s tips from starting anew work for you:

1. Learn to do, not just strategise

Before understanding the industry, really understand the discipline and focus on the skills of that discipline but recognise that it takes time. Being nimble and doing things you wouldn’t normally want to do is key to being a flexible, valuable person.

2. “Face it til you make it”

When you get in there, do the best you can with the information you have. Look at your own interests, strengths and weaknesses and see which skills are transferable to other industries. Heather’s currently applying her tech background to a completely different and traditional industry.

3. Ask a lot of questions along the way

You can’t be everything at first. Never feel like you can’t ask for help! Learning all facets of a particular area makes you a better communicator and will help you eventually become an expert in your field.

4. Do a lot of research

It’s so easy to access information and Google’s a great start. You could even look at different competitors and put together a SWOT analysis. Not only does it provide you insight into this new area but also into your competition.

Hear part of Heather’s Ask Me Anything with UTS Startups:

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Have you told yourself "I should have known that!" and expected unrealistically that you should be an expert from the get-go? Unknowns stay unknown until you start trying something different. No matter what you're starting (whether it's a new business or a new job), special guest Heather Meeker had tips for anyone trying something new at our recent Q&A event. ?

A post shared by UTS Startups (@utsstartups) on Jun 16, 2020 at 1:50am PDT

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash

Lourdes Millare

Program Coordinator (Inspiration)

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Unit, UTS Startups

Read the original article here.

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