There are some career skills they just don’t teach in business school. Luckily, we’ve got a few corporate wellness experts in to tell you how to climb that ladder.
1. Score Face Time with the Office Big Shot: Ivanka Trump, the Celebrity Apprentice star and executive vice president of The Trump Organisation, insists, ‘Don’t underestimate flattery.’ Attend events or speeches featuring your more senior executive, and then email afterwards to open up a dialogue.
2. Volunteer Your Time: ‘Stand out by taking ownership over things that aren’t being done,’ Trump advises. ‘It’s less about showing people how smart you are and more about taking initiative and making the system work.’
3. Hang with the Boss in the Stadium Luxury Suite: ‘Rule #1: Dress like you belong there,’ says corporate wellness expert Lea Goldman. ‘For weeknight games, work attire is fine, though you can’t go wrong with jeans and a blazer…Rule #2: Don’t talk shop (or order a cocktail) unless the boss does first. Rule #3: Don’t pretend to be a die-hard fan if you’re not.’
4. Get Booked as an Expert on a News Segment: Lacy O’Toole, director of news coverage for CNBC, recommends hiring a publicist to grab the attention of the producer responsible for slotting guests. ‘It’s all about contacts,’ she says. ‘After all, TV is a visual medium and you’re the face of your brand.’
5. Nail the “Tell Me about Yourself” Interview Question: Karen May, vice president of people development at Google, notes, ‘It’s important to share insight into what makes you tick using anecdotes rather than adjectives.’ If you’re stumped for an answer, May recommends, ‘Laugh at yourself and say, “You know, I’m so excited about this opportunity that I’m having a brain freeze. Can we come back to that?”’
6. Bag 1,000 New Twitter Followers: ‘Start by following people you like and respect, then reach out to them by complimenting something they’ve said or done,’ suggests travel expert Stefanie Michaels, aka @adventuregirl, who has amassed 1.4 million Twitter followers. ‘It’s more important to have 100 really engaged followers than 100,000 who don’t care what you’re saying.’
7. Identify a VIP at the Hotel Bar: ‘Tempting as it sounds to order room service after a day of business travel, you’d do well to head down to the hotel restaurant or bar for dinner,’ Goldman points out. ‘That’s typically where fellow frequent fliers unwind, making it a prime venue for networking…Maximize your chances of a productive encounter by dining at the bar—it’s usually populated by well-travelled, confident types open to chitchat.’
8. Negotiate a (Bigger) Raise: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, head and board member of the worldwide literary department at William Morris Endeavour, details, ‘People think there’s an advantage to being cagey, but I believe in transparency.’ Goldman instructs, ‘First, be up front about what you want when scheduling time with your manager…Remember: Money isn’t everything. Outline the other duties you can take on, then barter these “assets” for perks.’
9. Survive Getting Fired: Jen Pelka, who was twice fired by famed French chef Daniel Boulud, advises, ‘Take a day or two to mourn, then get off the couch and start making a list of jobs you’d be excited to do next.’ If you’re asked why you left your last job, ‘say something like, “It was time to move on,” then switch the focus to your past accomplishments.’
10. Buy Your Boss the Perfect Gift: ‘The key is to find a present that demonstrates thoughtfulness without being overly personal (no spa gift certificates or clothing),’ Goldman explains. ‘Monogrammed gifts—a passport case for the world traveller, for example—are especially impressive since you need to order those in advance. (Tap the boss’s assistant for intel on her lifestyle.) Never give gift cards, and do splurge on fancy gift wrapping.’
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