“A man who conquers himself is greater than one who conquers a thousand men in battle.” (Buddha)

After our blog on careers advice for women, we couldn’t leave the men all by themselves without any advice. However, we noticed that articles on careers advice for men are very limited compared to those for women. To make up for this lack of advice, we decided to reach out to the greatest (male) advisers in our lives: our fathers! And this is what they told us:

1. Understand yourself and what your strengths and passions are.
An indicator of success and satisfaction – greater than IQ – is matching your career to your strengths and passions. Enjoying your work and being good at it makes you feel more fulfilled and will eventually increase your productivity. Moreover, it has even shown in numerous studies, that happy people tend to earn higher salaries because they have jobs they love. So try to make a career out of something you love!

2. Never stop networking.
Men: this one should come naturally as you probably network without even realising! Whenever you meet people and engage with them, you are networking. It is about getting to know people, but also introducing yourself and making sure the other party remembers you (hopefully because of a good impression!). Continue growing your circle and expand your network: you might just meet your next employer at a café or a friend’s birthday party. Use the contacts you made to get ahead in your career.

3. “Clothes make the man”.
How could we disagree with Shakespeare? Sure, the well-dressed man has an advantage at work. But the real reason to look presentable isn’t to impress your colleagues or clients: It’s to have some self-respect. What we wear affects how others perceive us. Your wardrobe is a reflection of your career success! (as a woman I could not agree more).

4. Say “thank you”.
These two important words are so easily forgotten by men. Are you working in a team with women, or do you want to sell something to a woman? Forget to say ‘thank you’ to a female business contact and you won’t get another referral.

Our career tips for men bear, not surprisingly, some resemblance with our career tips for women. In a society where we’re striving for gender equality and diversity (think the newly founded Canadian cabinet!), career tips should also be more or less gender neutral. After all, gender shouldn’t be a ‘qualification’ for getting the job. It’s the skills, personality and experience that should determine your suitability as a candidate. Develop these characteristics, and start building your promising career!

Babet Agten,
Expertise in Labour Mobility

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