Full-time permanent work, part-time work, and freelancing

The most comprehensive benefits are associated with permanent, full-time work, such as health & dental plans, disability and life insurance, pension plans, paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, travel and transportation allowances, and educational programs or training opportunities. These jobs also tend to be the most secure, with accompanying benefits such as favourable loan requests. However, employers exist who wish to employ workers in temporary, part-time, occasional, contract, or other types of situations, with variations in the benefits offered.

Some individuals may seek a day job which meets the above requirements, and aim to learn about a particular work environment or field of work, and build on it. Others may prefer to have a few part-time jobs, or to work occasional jobs only as necessary, so that they can pursue other more satisfying but less lucrative interests.

There can be a good balance in diversifying the work experience, or in mixing employment experiences. There is benefit to having the stability of a full-time office position, which does not demand overtime or excessive travel. You will then be able to seek out part-time work, either moonlighting, or on the weekend, which may fulfill a secondary career or other interest. Further to this, you can engage in other freelancing, or occasional work, if you have artistic inclinations, or an entrepreneurial spirit. A characteristic of the generation that has come of age with online auction sites enabling commercial transactions between strangers, and online shopping and services is an acceptance of generating various streams of income, and of experimenting with income-generating ideas, whether they be web-based or otherwise.

At the least, take some interest in how to invest your money, to the level of risk you are willing to take, so that you build on your savings. Contribute to TFSA and RRSP accounts. As you are probably aware, setting aside money while you are young will be of greater benefit than waiting until you have greater financial responsibilities and concerns. This is not to say that you should have a fixed retirement plan in your twenties, but it is likely that there will be a transition period into having a regular income, and this will outpace your needs for a few years. For a while you will be able to continue to live as a student, with some fiscal restraint in the interests of debt load management, some inadequacies or compromises in housing, and eating on the fly.

Having a few sources of income, however modest, will allow you to have more options towards an exit strategy, or to having a broader perspective on your options. It is best to nurture an interest alongside the primary job you have rather than plan for a time when you might resign full-time work in order to devote time to this other, cherished interest. Realistically, there may not be a time in which you are willing to take the risk of losing the full-time job, or to give up the lifestyle and security associated with the full-time work. Having a part-time job lends legitimacy to the interest you have, gives you a chance to stay connected to the community which supports it, gives you an experience which will allow you to learn more about the viability of this interest as a Plan B, and will complement your full-time work.

Having a part-time job also allows you to keep the full-time job in perspective, as you are able to better overcome setbacks or disappointments by moonlighting on the side. Supplementing your salary may also give you the patience not to accept another full-time position purely for monetary gain, which you may be more tempted by if you didn’t have separate streams of income. Maintaining some interests on the side will also keep you from tiring of the day to day routine of a full-time position, and each position can provide insight into the other.

Freelancing, consulting, or engaging in other work on an occasional basis is also recommended, as it is an opportunity to take on risk without threatening your financial independent and self-sufficiency. Like part-time work, it is a means of exploring an interest, aptitude, or talent, with the added freedom of being able to choose what you work on. You may collaborate with others, network or leverage on associations, or otherwise spend as much or as little time as you wish at different stages in the year or in your life, again without disturbing the secure foundation of full-time work.

If the part-time work or freelancing ends or comes to a resolution on its own, you can build on these experiences, and perhaps re-focus. You might seek to do the same work elsewhere, or you may seek a better position elsewhere, leveraging on the knowledge and skills you have gained.

In your part-time or freelancing work you will also build on contacts in other realms, and therefore gain greater breadth and flexibility as an employable individual. It is possible to pursue interests as a volunteer, but in some cases, volunteering is best in purely humanitarian interest. Volunteer positions in which you do similar work to employees, particularly for profit-based corporations, can be a means to exploit willing labour without commitment or investment. It is possible for an employer to provide a  good experience, and there may be perks associating with volunteering, but perks ultimately do not enable you to pay your bills. Volunteers are also not managed by employers in the same way that they do employees, due to the ephemeral non-contractual nature of the relationship.

Exceptions to this are in competitive, unpaid or honorarium based internships, in realms in which these are traditionally done, such as the publishing industry, or sometimes in media, in which there is a structured, supervised experience over a period of a few months, intended to provide practical experience to be used as a stepping stone to a position in the industry.

Finally, there are grants, awards, intensive or immersion training courses, conferences, summer programs, educational work or volunteer opportunities abroad, and professional accreditation and membership activities that you could participate in, taking vacation leave, education leave, or unpaid leave from your permanent position to do so. These can also be worthwhile. 

Treat everyone in a collegial way, despite the hierarchy

As you work in an organization, you will gain seniority, develop internal contacts and networks within your field, become more adept at your work, and gain recognition for you efforts. You will also learn who is valued in the hierarchy, and who is not, who are popular and drive the social network, and who are excluded.

It is important to maintain good ties with everyone you work with, and to develop relationships with people based on your own interactions with them, rather than being influenced by others. If you do this, you can avoid getting caught up in office politics, with warring factions, subterfuge, jostling for position, and betrayals. If you are to have any position, it is of value to be seen as a neutral party, and to be able to mix with any work team or social group. If it threatens to become lonely at times not to be in a tightly knit group, find others of like mind, who see the advantages of being quietly non-partisan. You may become someone who is confided in by various parties, but again, be wary of being asked to take sides, or to be swayed to taking a stance you do not feel comfortable with. It is possible that people will manipulate you for their interests while claiming to work for yours. By acting as an occasional listening ear for different points of view, you will have a more objective view of the organization, and of the complexities of the different ways in which people conduct themselves at work. You will learn the ability to distance yourself from causes that distract from the workplace, and could de-motivate you.

While others may relate to others based on where they sit in the hierarchy, be aware that the structure could change, or that those with influence may not necessarily be the best positioned by outward appearances. Be aware that it may be counterintuitive to others to do this, but you can respect positions of authority that people hold without being unduly deferential or ascribing superior personal attributes to those in positions of power. This is not to say that those who have attained leadership positions do not merit these positions, but you will not be able to relate to those in these positions if you are overawed by them. Similarly, those in lower-level positions may have made choices not to progress for various reasons, or may yet seek to make and achieve a career move upwards. Pre-judging your colleagues based on the current circumstances will prevent you from making honest assessments of professional merit and character.

Be willing to learn from everyone, despite the work that people do or the roles that people have. Trust your instincts on who is trustworthy. Value and reinforce kindness in your colleagues more than professional competence or credentials, since kindness is what you will appreciate in times of crisis. Competence is what gets the work done, but a spirit of collegiality will ease the means by which people work.

Further, treating everyone the same will keep you humble, and without a sense of professional entitlement. It will guard you against developing the kind of professional ego that will hinder you in accepting constructive feedback or in dealing with setbacks. If you relate to colleagues without preferential treatment, you will encourage others to treat you the same, despite the position you hold. You will also be able to influence others to do the same, which allows people to be genuine, and to enjoy work at all levels of the organization, to have dignity without feelings of superiority or inferiority, both of which can be detrimental to workplace well-being and workplace morale.

It is an interesting effect, but presenting yourself with humility and graciousness while doing our work to the best of our ability will also have an effect that others will seek to recognize you, while those who seek recognition may discount themselves to others. 

Finally, if you are to move up in the organization, this approach will give you credibility as a leader who takes others into consideration, which will not only ease your transition and progress upwards, but motivate others to follow your direction, without begrudging your success. You will also be aware not to abuse a position of power if you see others as individuals and as colleagues rather than as subordinates.

The more natural comfort you have in relating to others despite the hierarchy, the more that people, particularly more senior people, will see you as a peer, and as someone who they will be able to work with. Those in higher positions of authority will become peers, and you will be able to cultivate relationships with the next level. Those more senior to you will also appreciate those who they can relate to at another level in the organization, who will have a more operational perspective than their more strategic level. Being able to ‘speak truth to power’ requires confidence and conviction, but also the recognition that those in power appreciate a well-reasoned, substantiated truth communicated with organizational interests in mind. 

Examine the use of language in your office, as an indicator both of workplace health and operational efficiency

Language is important, and in the workplace, can be an indicator of workplace health. Consider how language is used in your workplace. How well do people listen to each other, and act on what they hear? You can gain a sense of this during scheduled meetings, in which more senior people may take the opportunity to pass on information, when participants ask questions and receive responses, and when action items are assigned. Observe the informal meetings that take place between colleagues after a meeting, to see how well communication is translated into action, or to see how participants understand the underlying meaning or political maneuvering that may have taken place between colleagues. Other cues can be picked up on meetings, such as who is invited to speak, how employees are addressed, and how open the chair is to accept differing opinions or to respond to questions. How closely the meeting adheres to a set agenda may also be an indication of how efficiently the organization operates, or, on balance, how open it is to changing priorities or to review a timely issue. Then too, meetings that become diverted or hijacked to particular interests of a few individuals are an indicator of some internal disturbance.

Consider how language is used between colleagues, who are set up to be equals, and between supervisors and employees. If there are marked differences and level of ease between colleagues as between supervisors and colleagues, this can be a sign of inherent distrust of management, or at the least, of a divide into us-and-them between employees and supervisory positions. Similarly, if there are different groups, classes, or categories of employees, such as administrative and officer level, or credentialed and non-credentialed, technical and non-technical, entry-level and those of higher seniority, language may be used by the groups to identify themselves and to maintain their distance from others. Jargon or acronyms, for example, can be used to both include and exclude, as can in-jokes, subject-matter references, or references to past employees or events.

Consider the overall level of discourse at work. Visionaries always have words and catchphrases used to energize and rally the staff towards achieving goals, and speeches in which they outline the way forward. Beyond this, is the CEO seen to be approachable and to speak the same languages as the staff? Besides meetings, are upper level communications readily accepted, or do they need to be ‘translated’? Larger organizations have communications and public relations departments who deal both with internal communications strategies and media and public inquiries. Find out and follow the means by which your organization communicates types of information to staff. There may be an intranet, or internal newsletter, or information forwarded through email addressee lists, presentations to staff, or other means. Particular departments may communicate differently. For example, human resources may have their own site on benefits, along with job opportunity posting information. If you find that jargon or acronyms are interfering with your ability to understand, you can provide this feedback to others, who may not recognize this, or who can provide a glossary or background reading for context.

It may be a good idea to monitor your organization’s reputation in the media and the content of external communications, to see if there is a reasonable match to the information received by internal staff. You can also gain a valuable contextual understanding of your organization by how it communicates externally, with stakeholders and shareholders, or in support of community events or sporting or cultural events and sponsorship.

Monitor your own speech and how often you feel you are speaking in an authentic way that reflects your true opinion and thought processes, and how often you feel you are going through the motions. Note that candid reserve is often better than bluffing your way through a situation, empty words are recognizable to others and dismissible, defensiveness in speech becomes a noticeable pattern, and ‘speaking truth to power’ will truly be appreciated, though the manner in which it is done contributes to how well it is received. You will wish to have a job in which you can speak freely and feel that you are heard, taking into account when you are asked and when you can take the initiative to offer information. As your influence increases, your voice will be sought out, and you will be invited to share in meetings or as the informal go-to person when you are recognized as having ownership or insight of a particular issue or project.

The manner in which communication is done indicates trust. If you work in an ethical organization with decisive leaders, verbal agreements can be used, but in other cases, commitments made in writing carry more weight. Language is important in the workplace because agreements can be binding, and written agreements in particular can be used in cases where there is conflict, and in legal cases. Consider also that conversations in person may be reserved for performance discussion or other sensitive professional or personal issues or resolving complex work processes. Email, as we know, can be misinterpreted or can escalate when intent is misconstrued. You can seek to generalize across generations or cultural background, but it is best to adapt to individuals you communicate with. Learn from experience how they prefer to work, and how to make this work with your own style. If you adapt to others, your range will increase, whereas if you are rigid and cause others to adapt to you, you will be less agile and open to incoming information and to interactions with others.

Consider also the frequency of cursing, sarcasm, self-defeatist talk, or joking with an edge to it of frustration or resentment, as these may be the characteristic language of a particularly workplace culture but also reflect patterns of thought which can be ultimately destructive. It is particularly revealing what people joke about, or what people find to be humorous. If colleagues have an easy banter among themselves with the purpose of amusing one another out of genuine affection, defusing conflict, dealing with stress to get through the working day, or even to assist in working through a work process, this is an affirming use of joking. If joking undermines the prohibited grounds of discrimination, or constitutes a personal attack on you or a colleague, you have a right to object, first to the individual making the joke, and escalating to your supervisor or to human resources.

Another aspect of ‘noise’ in the system are rumours. In these cases, as in life, it is best to keep your distance from gossipers, avoid propagating unconfirmed information, give others the benefit of the doubt, and reserve comment or judgment until information is given to you directly or officially announced. Rumours are not harmless, and in fact, change people’s perceptions of others and can have an adverse impact on reputation. If you are the subject of a rumour, you can choose to seek out the source and set the story straight, which is not always effective, depending on how malicious the person is, or to ignore the rumours, and continue to speak the truth to those you trust in the workplace, who will look out for your interests on your behalf. If a rumour gets out of hand, or you feel that someone is seeking to damage your reputation, it can be considered harassment, so be cognizant of your rights and responsibilities in that case.

All this being said, I propose that the best way in which language is used is when colleagues or a team use the language of gratitude and encouragement. When members of a team choose to work closely together, they will enjoy each others’ use of words, will take on each others’ idiosyncratic expressions and word choices, and communicate with an understanding of each others’ styles. Words will be tested to establish and maintain shared understanding, and there will be bonding through talking to bridge age, culture, and other gaps that may exist. There is not enough that can be said for an environment in which employees have professional respect and trust for one another, such that they can be honest and direct.

Finally, recognize the differing needs that you and others have for interactions in the workplace. Among colleagues who are friends, you may check in on each others’ mental and emotional health when you see one another. Members of a team may be invigorated by technical talk. With some, you will seek to have culture and values-based exchanges for mutual enrichment, while with others you will discuss career development or share professional development opportunities.

Take vacation!

In most full-time, permanent jobs, there will be an allotment of vacation, either in days that you must use each year, and/or some of which can be ‘banked’ or carried from year to year. While it can be a good idea to build up a cushion of a few days of vacation, depending on your personal circumstances in which you might need to take paid leave from work, it is recommended that you use your leave entitlements.

Vacation leave is an opportunity to restore balance in your working life, to reconnect with your family and friends, and to reflect on your career progression from a more distant vantage point. A good vacation energizes you to return to work, and equips you with a fresh approach. Time away from work should truly be time in which you have a clean break from work, in which you do not check messages, do not leave a means to be reached, and in which you do not think about work, take work home, or plan for what you will do when you are back. After a true vacation, you may forget some pressing concerns, so that when you return you will start from a blank slate to review the issues.

Note that you do not actually need to travel to have a vacation, though it is highly recommended when you are young or mobile, or otherwise have some financial means to do so. To physically displace yourself or to be out of the country discourages contact with the workplace. Seeing other places and ways of life will not only give you worldly experience but it will enrich your current life in allowing you to consider other possibilities. Having a degree of culture shock can shake up your complacency or sense of entitlement to your current living conditions. Being an outsider to another culture, or being in the linguistic minority will test your flexibility, adaptability, people skills, and ingenuity. If you are currently a cultural or other kind of minority at work, you can also use vacation time to connect with your sense of home, and re-establish and re-draw your identity.

Vacation is a time when those you work with can experience your absence, and they may learn how to work without you, recognize the value you add, or test taking on the responsibilities of your position in either a formal (acting in your position) or informal way.

Planned time away breaks up the routine, and lets you reflect on the affects work has on you. Do you look forward to going back to work, and get back into the routine without disturbance? If so, you still have a lot to contribute. If you dread the return, and spend time looking for another position while on vacation, or find yourself fantasizing about a different life, it may be time to do a reality check to see what your options are, and what holds you to your current employment.

Often you don’t realize you need a vacation until you leave the office on the last day before your vacation, and realize that you will not be back the following day, or after the weekend. It is after you return to work that others notice a difference in you, and may initially interact with you differently.

Even if it is not possible to take a vacation of a few weeks, it is important to make the most of time you have away from the office. Extending a holiday weekend by an additional day can sometimes make a significant difference. Taking an additional day here and there to create a long weekend also serves to reduce the hold that the working life can have on you, again, which is not noticed until you have a chance to step back.

Just as a period of sickness or a sick day can suddenly spark a revelation about your working conditions, a period of vacation can do the same, and provide a natural time for you to reflect on how far you have come along since the last vacation or time off work.

If you are taking your vacation to spend time with others, appreciate them, and how they have supported you while you are working. Consider the impact of your working life on them. Seek their input on how your behaviour, or values have changed over the course of your time with a particular employer. Again, these are considerations that may be more clearly seen by others, and reflect gradual changes. Seek feedback on the value of vacation for them and for you, and this too can prompt change in your day to day working life and how you establish priorities.

Recognize that working overtime, if not compensated either in a monetary fashion or in time off, is a choice you are making, and can have adverse consequences on your personal life. If compensated in a monetary fashion, balance this with the overall goals you have in what you are saving and investing for or how you are spending. If compensated in time, pace yourself and take time off in order not to overwork yourself. There are exceptions to this, such as when you are starting in a new position, or are in an environment in which unpaid overtime is expected, with other benefits or opportunities as a result, but continuous unpaid overtime without tangible benefit is a form of exploitation. If you do not hold someone accountable for this, you are allowing it to take place.

If you are a supervisor, encourage your staff to take their allotted vacation time, and be diligent in ensuring their duties can be taken on in another way or set aside in their absence so that they do not regret the time off for the work they will return to. It is better that employees take advantage of their vacation time rather than habitually use up sick leave to have a break from the accumulating pressures of work. Ideally, you would ask your staff to give notice of their vacation plans so that you can plan operational needs based on this. There may be seasonal or cyclical times when it is busier, and you can encourage time to be taken during the slower periods.

In brief, in order to work effectively, employees need days of rest, and vacation. 

Learn about human resources policies

It is essential early in your working life, and in each subsequent position you accept, to learn about the human resources policies. Whether you are aware of them or not, they are the underlying framework of your working life and time as an employee. 

If you have the chance, before you start a position, learn about the terms and conditions of the job offer. How was the starting salary determined? Is it the minimum within a salary range, and non-negotiable, or is there opportunity to provide input or negotiate for a higher rate of pay or higher level or grade of pay? Are there standard benefits due to collective agreement (for unionized positions), or are aspects such as paid vacation negotiable? What are the hours of work, and are they flexible, or able to be worked in an alternative way, e.g. the equivalent of 10 days of work over 9 days with a day off every two weeks, or with some off-site or telework? Is overtime, shift work, or weekend/holiday work expected and compensated accordingly? Or, it may be expected within the corporate culture to work unpaid overtime on occasion, with time given back during less busy periods. Are you expected to travel, or to be mobile to other work locations for an extended period of time? What deductions are taken from your pay? Do you contribute or are you able to opt into a pension plan or to purchase stock options? If there is a bonus structure, how does it work? What are the additional leave options, such as for paid sick leave, parental leave top up of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, leave without pay with job protection, etc.

It is a good idea to ask for general employment policies and documents for perusal, rather than ask a number of specific questions which may alarm a prospective employer. Reassure them that you seek to understand the work environment and expectations. An employer should not feel threatened if you are doing due diligence, and in fact, they should strive to provide this information with the job offer, to ensure that there are no surprises. With a public sector employer or a large corporation, there should be fairly standard practices, and a human resources unit. If you are taking employment in an organization that does not have an HR unit, you can seek information from your direct supervisor, and from your colleagues, either before you accept the position, or as you start.

The human resources unit is responsible for general orientation of new employees, so if you have any additional questions, you can ask. Those you work with should also orient you in the first few weeks of your job.

Find out how internal jobs are advertised, and how to apply. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the process before you need to. Reviewing archived job opportunity information will also aid you in understanding the position hierarchy in the organization.

Find out how training, learning, and development are coordinated, and how requests for internally provided training are approved. Some training may be mandatory for your position. Others will be available to you if you sign up for them. There may be online or self-study training modules, or informal opportunities such as ‘lunch and learn.’ If there is an internal training program or accreditation process specific to your position, make these the priority.

From observation or discreet inquiry, find out how workplace disputes are resolved, or how workplace conflict is managed. While it is hoped you will not need this, it is important to know whether you have representation through union membership, have access to an ombudsperson, or whether it will be human resources that would reflect your interests in a mediation or conflict resolution session scenario.

Learn about other employee resources, such as the availability of a local employee assistance program, or EAP. Find out about wellness perks, or whether you are entitled to any internal rates for produces and services, or as an employee of this particular organization.

As you meet and get to know your colleagues, if you find that they are working in a different way than others, you could find out if this is available to you as well, or if a special arrangement, why this might be. You will need to exercise some discretion and organizational awareness in making these sorts of inquiries, as you may be stumbling on some historically sanctioned arrangements.

Keep in mind that the role of human resources is generally to represent management and not the employees. If you are not a manager, they may not advocate for you directly in a workplace dispute, but can influence for values-based and effective leadership which benefits the organization. If you are in a management position, they will advise and guide you on the relevant personnel policies to manage your subordinates, as well as administer policies.

There may be a human resources plan, or HR may be integrated to a larger business plan. Reviewing this may give you insight on the hiring and promotion plans, training and development plans, and other aspects of personnel administration that have an impact on your working life.

Finally, human resources has access to information which they are obliged to keep confidential, but they are also the source of information which may be available to all through an intranet or other means but which they could direct you to in a timely way, if they know you have interest. They are key people through the level of their perspective on the overall organization. Since they work closely with management, they can provide a perspective on higher-level strategic initiatives or work priorities without the partiality of being directly involved. They are also people who facilitate connections. Since they are aware of the work that others do, they can suggest who you might talk to if you are interested in other areas or positions, clarify who is responsible for various functions, and at what level decisions are made.

Human resources is also an area which is naturally integrated into operations since most decisions have a personnel aspect. They may coordinate and advise on awards and recognition programs, promote diversity and ensure compliance to employment equity legislation, suggest workplace initiatives that  improve work-life balance, advise local social committees, or otherwise take on work to improve employee morale and engagement with the organization. 

Seek feedback from supervisors, colleagues, subordinates, clients

While it is important for you to self-evaluate, and to manage your time and effort in the organization, it is important also to have feedback on how others view your performance. Your supervisor is accountable to others for your work, and should be able to give specific, constructive feedback in how you meet your work objectives and what your strengths and weaknesses are. They should be able to advise you on training to overcome gaps in knowledge and skills, and support a program with timelines to address these. Feedback from your supervisor can be done on a annual, obligatory review in writing, but should also be offered informally, or sought by you when you are wish to reflect on a work process or after a project has been completed. Your supervisor should have enough knowledge of your work to be able to support you in supplying the tools, contacts, and guidance for you to work.

Supervisors have access to broader organizational issues, and are required to report on and monitor on the work of a team, so in providing you with feedback they will impart to you some of this perspective in which they view your work. Your supervisor’s feedback will also give you insight on what they see of primary value in the work you do, and the criteria they use to measure your performance. It may reveal the priorities of those they report to. It may indicate biases they have in how they make decisions that affect you. In future, if you are aware of how they track performance, you could track this information for them, or specifically work on these aspects. If you disagree with their assessment, you can influence and track other aspects which you feel are more important, and present this in a future evaluation.

Colleagues who do the same work you do, or who work at a similar level to you in the organization can provide feedback on how they see you contribute to the organization, what your strengths are within the team, can pass on feedback they have heard second-hand, or give a perspective on how your work performance impacts on their work and workload. This information can be used in gauging your place in the organization, and progress you have made since you have arrived. Feedback from those in another area of the organization may be more candid than that you might receive from those who have a direct interest in your work, or who are part of your work team.

Those you supervise can provide feedback on how you can better support them in being productive. Being open to feedback from subordinates will enable you to learn about and adapt your supervisory style to be more effective. I suggest that you request feedback when there is a relationship of trust, as you hold decision-making authority for those you supervise, and candid, professional feedback offered in response to your request should be taken as such, and not personally. The quality of feedback you receive in future depends on your openness and response to what you receive, as employees will not willingly jeopardize a working relationship, and will test your sincerity.

Clients will offer general feedback but you could also ask for specific feedback, or seek to improve services to them, and assess how they respond. Client feedback may be solicited through the unit, or you could request that they pass on specific feedback to your supervisor. If the client is aware that you incorporate their feedback into better service, they will be motivated to provide specific feedback and suggestions. The client relationship can take on the characteristics of an enabling, collaborative partnership rather than that of service provider and recipient. In a partnership relationship, you will enjoy a more strategic role in the organization, and have a greater impact as you will be consulted on how best to solve problems and make decisions. There will be a sharing of risk and reward, with shared responsibility to resolve setbacks and celebration of successes.

In seeking feedback you can ask for it in relation to work objectives, competencies, or in general, how you are satisfying your role in the organization. It is important to cultivate relationships with those who will give you feedback, whether they are obliged to or not, as it demonstrates that you are willing to accept guidance and adapt accordingly. It sends the message that you are mindful of your contribution, and seek to be conscientious in your work. It is also of value to you to be aware of how others perceive you, so you can manage their impressions and expectations accordingly. For those who can provide you with genuinely useful, constructive feedback, you also engage them in keeping you accountable and in investing in your success. If you are seeking a mentor, someone you do not directly report to can take on this role if they are able to give advice and feedback.

From the feedback you receive, you can create or revise your learning plans  or establish goals with timelines for improving your performance. You can consider your work objectives for the next cycle or focus your efforts to address immediate shortcomings. If you receive wholly positive feedback, you can plan for the next step, or you might need to consider whether by your own assessment you agree, or whether you see there is room for improvement.