Book Byte #49 "The Introvert's Complete Career Guide" by Jane Finkle
From Landing a Job, to Surviving, Thriving, and Moving On Up
📣 Curious Quotes from the Author:
It is natural to want to fit into a category that gives us an identity, especially if that identity provides a better understanding of ourselves and others, and explains the nature of our interactions. But be careful of type-casting yourself. Instead, try to think of extroversion and introversion as natural preferences, rather than hard and fast, glued-on labels.
📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea:
Introverts frequently believe that the odds are stacked against them when competing with extroverts in the business. True, an introvert's innate need for isolation, combined with their modesty, can present challenges for people trying to develop their jobs.
However, introverts have unique skills that can help them advance in their careers. Their ability to focus helps them prepare for major events ahead of time; their keen observation skills help them identify workplace problems that would otherwise go unnoticed; and their ability to listen helps them develop meaningful and productive relationships with their coworkers.
Create a blog to expand your network and gain visibility.
If your humility and reserve are keeping you from demonstrating your professional abilities, consider starting a simple blog. As a skilled observer and thoughtful individual, you're likely to have a lot of ideas for blog entries.
Once published, you can promote them through your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook profiles. If visitors to your blog leave comments or contact you, you can include them in your professional network.
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🛠️Fixing the Tech Industry
The Introvert vs Extrovert fight makes me tired, and that is coming from an introvert. As said above, you need to think about these as personal preferences as opposed to straight and unflinching guidelines. I know many Extroverts that love to read and I know many Introverts that crave popularity.
Within the working world, you need to play to your strengths. We need leaders who can work with both extroverts and introverts to help them do their best work. Yes, extroverts tend to get promoted more because they are seen more, but companies would collapse without the hard and smart work introverts do to keep the company running smoothly and out of crisis, financial or otherwise.
As Tech people, we tend to lean towards an introverted side, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on the skills needed to appeal to both parties. Working on your soft skills can have a greater impact on your career performance than any other technical or hard skill certifications.
🤝Collaborate with others with this Social Media Prompt:
Are you an Extrovert or an Introvert? Have you ever wanted to be the opposite? Share a Story in the comments.