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Young professionals should start saying “CYA” – meaning “Cover Your A**”. Why? Because it's the best way to avoid being benefited frombeing taken for a ride and taken for granted. In one study, 46% of employees they said they took assignments simply because they couldn't say no. Once you understand the importance of taking care of yourself and the work you do, you will be untouchable in the eyes of someone who wants to make you, the young professional, their basket. i know It happened to me early in my career.
My hope for all of humanity is that each of us has positive role models and mentors to help us on our way. FINDING good mentors it can be difficult. Unfortunately, many seasoned professionals do the opposite. Some reasons could be that they feel threatened by the younger workforce coming up the ranks. Or maybe they feel the need to learn the hard way—to put people through the same stress they felt early in their careers. After all, hurt people hurt people. And let's be real, it's easy to pin the issues or blame on a young person who may not yet have the courage to speak up for themselves. I like to think I speak for young people.
In my personal life, I experienced a situation where, as the youngest person in the office, I unconsciously chose to be everyone's favorite. angry phone calls we got (and, trust me, we had plenty in my client-facing role). My job was to approve or disapprove applications based on numbers generated by a computer – regardless of the actual appearance of the person behind that number.
I quickly learned that the department that actually made the final decision was telling applicants “I” wasn't approving the application … I was bombarded with angry emails and phone calls and even some dreaded walk-in appointments. When I realized what was happening, I was furious and started saving all my documents to show the applicants that I was on their side. I had to cover myself-you-know-what. And I've been doing it ever since.
Related: 8 steps to survive workplace bullying and save your reputation
Get yours covered today
The professional world is like a sporting event. You have to play in attack. This does NO means to be offended or offensive in a shameful way. I mean you have to play attack all the time. Be able to support your work and defend your decisions. For example, double-check or fact-check every detail in your writing or research before sharing notes with your boss or clients. The last thing you want is for someone to underestimate you on a date and make you look unprepared. Back up your information with hard data. Keep it in your back pocket if you ever have to answer anyone who asks your credibility.
Another tip: Save your emails. In fact, leave a paper trail when you can. If you are looking for clarification on what you were told or asked for, ask for it by email so you can refer to it in writing. So if someone decides they want to go back on what they said, you'll have it in writing. It really all comes down to preparing with confidence. When you can confidently say, “CYA” to your supervisors or clients sometimes, you're not only developing a habit of always being ready for what's ahead, you're also creating work ethic in front of the leaders — also positioning himself as a leader.
Use your resources
Whether you're writing, creating content or anything else, make sure you use every resource available to ensure your work is up to the standards it should be. Tools such as Grammatically can help keep you on track with specific writing and proofreading styles. Other tools, such as GPTZero or QuillBot, can protect you against accusations of plagiarism or overuse of AI-generated content. These days, there really isn't an excuse for not using the endless amount of tools on a regular basis. And if you don't have access to what you need, ask for it. A good leader recognizes the initiative and courage a young professional needs to seek out tools and resources that will make them better at their jobs.
Related: How to protect your career from those who try to undermine you
Your reputation – your name – is on the line
At my company, Bear Icebox Communications, we've been challenged before with how content is developed. i understand We are in a generative age of artificial intelligence, and anyone, anywhere can sign up ChatGPT and let him spit out words that mean a lot. But we, like other agencies in the content creation space, have to be careful and careful about how we use these tools. It is a matter of our integrity as an agency.
The truth is that AI is changing the way agencies operate as well as the expectations of the clients we serve. For a young person entering the workforce, my biggest piece of advice is to keep your name clean. You will go from job to job. You will ask for letters of recommendation. You will have a list of references as you apply for new jobs. Your name is everything. How are you prepared to protect it? Think about this with everything you do.
Follow your company's policies and document that you have done so. And keep a watchful eye on your superiors. Identify people who are willing to mentor and guide you. Build on these types of relationships. Similarly, identify when someone doesn't have your best interests in mind—someone who doesn't respect you or talk to you. Learn it now and you can say “CYA”.