So much of life revolves around money. Acquiring it, growing it, and making sure that you have enough of it. Without a decent understanding of money and modern economics you’re going to have a very hard time succeeding in life and living the kind of life that you want. We’ve already covered entrepreneurship pretty extensively here so I want to go more into the other side of the equation. Those working at HR controlled jobs in the modern workplace.
How to make the most of it and get what you want from the deal. How to advance in a company, get the corner office, and make good money along the way. How to get all the perks and benefits and all that good stuff that modern companies have to offer for those that are savvy and smart. For those that know how to play the game and move up the ladder. For those that know how to acquire jobs and advance in those jobs, even with little experience or not much schooling.
Please don’t think that getting paid good from a corporate job are just for those that have connections or fancy degrees. Sure those things help and you certainly want as much working for you as possible. But even with little experience you can carve your way into a company and then start moving up the ladder internally, all while acquiring business acumen and experience along the way.
Let’s talk about how to do that.
First, Think Like HR
HR or human resources are the people that will or will not hire you. And when looking to get hired, you have to think like HR. First thing is first. Be as professional as you possible can be. Clean yourself up. For example in a job interview you should be the best dressed one there. You should have everything clean cut and look as CEO-like as possible. Even for lower level positions. I’m not saying you need a three piece suit and a Rolex, but you have to look professional.
Shined shoes, fitted tucked in shirt. Nice slacks. Clean shaven, hair done in a professional manner. Try not to be out of shape. Don’t use cologne, don’t smoke beforehand. Make eye contact, try to have white teeth. Smile. Firm handshakes. Be charismatic. Know sales, marketing, and copywriting, because you’re going to be selling yourself in the interview. Talk about what you can do. Use previous experience to paint of picture of all the wonderful things you’ll do for the company.
Believe in yourself and know that merit has little to do with who gets hired or who does not. You can stretch whatever you’ve done in the past into the perfect fit for whatever the position is. Obviously there are going to be certain jobs and requirements where you’ll need certain schooling or knowledge, but there’s plenty, like HR, where it’s more about knowing people and knowing how they operate than anything else.
Second, Stop Worrying
The next thing is stop worrying about if you’re not good enough. You’re more qualified then some CEOs making six or seven figures. But they never let things like merit or experience hold them back. I’m not saying lie or anything like that, but stop thinking the workplace is a meritocracy where you have to earn your place. Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely work hard. But even more than working hard you have to work smart or even better, strategically. But stop thinking you’re not good enough.
Not thinking they’re good enough is what holds good people back from getting into positions of power leaving the positions free to sociopaths who never have their conscious there to burden them down. And again, the workplace is not a meritocracy. It’s a game, where those that know how to play get off weekends and make seven figures while hanging out on the golf course.
If that angers you well…it doesn’t really matter. It’s how the world works and if that just bothers you that much then go into entrepreneurship but at the same time realize you’ll need plenty of starting capital to make that work. Regardless, stop stressing over “not being good enough” or needing more schooling, experience, or work ethic or whatever. Those things can help but they’re not the biggest things that matter.
Third, Be Strategic
Many times you won’t be able to get a high paying job right out of the gate but you’ll get in somewhere and be able to work up. The good news is once you hit certain levels, in general, you won’t go down from there. For example once you hit the C-suite, in general, if you have to move companies or find a new job you’ll still be in the C-suite. Again, in general. So if marketing, retention, sales, and things of that nature are the bread and butter of entrepreneurship then I’d say networking, being visible, and working strategically are the bread and butter of making it up the corporate ladder.
First off educate yourself on the matter. There are plenty of books out there on working your way up the ladder that’ll make every action you take way more effective than it would have been otherwise. And that’s what advancements about, strategic action. You want to do a good job but more important you want to be seen for doing a good job and you want to be in front of the people who are decision makers. Learn how to make an introduction. There are people who have survived downsizing simply because they shook an executives hand at an event and had a little chat with him.
You want to be seen but not annoying as Patty Azzarello would say. It’s okay if you don’t get the high paying job right off the bat, most likely you won’t. But with strategic action you can cut through the company. In ten years you can go from entry level to the C-suite. Now ten years sounds like a long time but that’s going from hourly wage to often seven figures. I’d say that’s a pretty damn good ROI. And unlike say, entrepreneurship this doesn’t come from working you butt off day in and day out but rather from working strategically.
One More Option
Entrepreneurship and sales aren’t for everyone. I get that. Personally I think starting in a high commission sales job and then using that to fund an entrepreneurial venture is most peoples’ best bet but everyone is different. Hence the advice laid out here. Career advancement is a skill, a learnable skill just like sales or marketing. And for those in a non-entrepreneurial job it’s what makes most of the difference.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
