Dear Dumplin,
I’ve been working in corporate America for 19 years. I’ve had a full time job since I was eighteen years old and always in corportate America. Your grandma never allowed me to work in fast food or retail. She thought these establishments treated their staff poorly and she did not want me to be abused. If I wanted to work, it had to be in an office. So off to a staffing agency I went.
After a few daily assignments ranging from answering phones to stuffing envelopes, I got a full time job at a bank. This long term temp assignment was supposed to be only six months. I got hired permanently after one and a half years and worked for this bank for almost five years. After that, my career at law firms began.
Now, I find that people ask for my advice on getting jobs, keeping jobs, and getting promoted. I’ve also updated resumes for people and drafted cover letters. Some of my advice is really common sensical. But, the world has changed. I believe gains in technology have diminished people skills among young professionals. As more advances come, I fear basic professional skills will weaken. People are forgetting how to treat one another both personally and professionally. I will focus on basic professional skills I have learned in my 19 years of experience in corporate america. You will read them and think some are basic and obvious. Perhaps. Don’t mistake my simplistic advice for unimportant advice. If you remember and utilize my tips, I expect you to go farther than most.
What’s the corporate shuffle? The dance you must do to succeed in corporate, white collar professional environments.
Love,
Mama