Most Overlooked Career Lessons

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in my career is this: No one will advocate for you the way you can advocate for yourself. When I first entered the professional world, I thought my work would speak for itself. I believed that if I put my head down, worked hard, and delivered great results, recognition and opportunities would naturally follow. But here’s what I discovered: While hard work is essential, visibility is just as important. It took observing how others approached their careers to realize this: The people who often get ahead aren’t just hardworking — they’re intentional about making their contributions known. They speak up in meetings, share their goals openly, and make sure their achievements don’t go unnoticed. That realization changed the way I approached my career. I began to see the importance of not just doing the work, but owning my voice and advocating for myself. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way about self-advocacy: 1. Track your accomplishments. I started keeping a journal where I noted key projects, results, and positive feedback. When performance reviews came around, I didn’t have to scramble to prove my value. I had it documented. 2. Ask for what you need. Whether it’s a promotion, mentorship, resources, or even a clearer direction, I learned to be upfront about my goals. 3. Speak up. This was the hardest for me. I used to hold back, worried my ideas weren’t “good enough.” But I realized that staying silent wasn’t helping anyone, not me, not my team, and not the organization. Advocating for yourself isn’t about arrogance or entitlement, it’s about honoring your value. It’s about recognizing that your hard work, skills, and ideas are worth being seen, heard, and rewarded. If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be this: Don’t wait for someone else to notice your potential. Take the first step. Speak up. Celebrate your wins. Ask for what you need. Your career is yours to build, and no one else will fight for it as fiercely as you can. #StephSynergy

6 Pieces of Career Advice I Wish I Ignored (And what I learned instead) To learn these, It took me 10 years of: - Pivoting 9 times - Getting fired twice - Landing dream jobs & 5X my salary __ 1/ Stay loyal to one company and climb the ladder ↳ Loyalty to a company won’t guarantee loyalty back to you. ↳ Career growth often happens when you move across, not just up. ↳ Staying too long can stall your learning, network, and earning potential. 2/ Wait your turn for promotions and raises ↳ Hard work alone doesn’t guarantee recognition. ↳ If you don’t advocate for yourself, you’ll get overlooked. ↳ Opportunities go to those who ask for it, not those who wait. 3/ Good work will speak for itself ↳ Good work alone doesn’t protect you or build your brand. ↳ Speaking up (respectfully) can open doors, influence change, and build trust. ↳ Leaders aren’t made by staying invisible. 4/ Focus only on technical skills, not soft skills ↳ Technical skills can get you the job — but emotional intelligence helps you keep it and grow. ↳ Relationship-building, communication, and empathy are career multipliers. ↳ People remember how you made them feel, not just what you delivered. 5/ Find a stable, "safe" job and stay there ↳ There is no such thing as a stable job ↳ Even the "safest" jobs can vanish overnight (layoffs, reorgs, leadership changes). ↳ Instead bet on YOURSELF, not on any 1 company. 6/ Success = job titles and salary ↳ Titles and money are superficial wins; they won’t fulfill you long-term. ↳ True success is doing work that aligns with your values, lifestyle, and goals. When you focus on purpose, the money and fulfillment follow Which piece of advice do you wish you ignored sooner? 👇🏼

After spending 10+ years in the U.S., working at top companies, and helping 500+ people land their dream jobs, here are 11 lessons I’d share with anyone navigating their career right now: These aren’t hacks. They’re hard-won truths. And I wish someone had told me earlier. 1. The people who laugh at your rejections will celebrate your offers. Let them, it does not mean you are doing something wrong. The same people will congratulate you when you crack that offer. 2. Rejections are part of the path. Even the most qualified people get rejected. Learn, adjust, and move on. 3. Perfect resumes don’t get offers, aligned ones do. Tailor your story, and show relevance. Make it obvious why you for that role. 4. Stop waiting to feel “ready.” You’ll never feel 100% ready. Apply anyway, text that recruiter, try it today. 5. Having no network isn’t your fault, but not building one is. Don’t wait to ask for help. People are ready to refer you if you just initiate the conversation. 6. Good interviews aren’t performances; they’re conversations. Learn to explain your decisions, trade-offs, and impact. Not just what you did, but why it mattered. 7. Consistency beats intensity. One hour a day beats ten hours once a month. Job search is a system, not a sprint. 8. The people you surround yourself with change everything. Join communities. Find a coach or mentor. Don’t job search alone; it'll cost you more time. 9. Big titles don’t mean big happiness. Chase alignment, and not just logos or compensation. 10. Most people aren’t underqualified; they’re underprepared. You don’t need more experience. You need more clarity, strategy, and feedback. 11. You are more capable than you give yourself credit for. Believe it, and act like it. Remind yourself often, especially when things are quiet. If you’re early in your career, mid-pivot, or feeling stuck right now, I hope this helped. Repost if you can relate. P.S. Follow me for real, honest career advice if you are a job seeker in the U.S. I share insights on job search, interview prep, and salary negotiation.

If I had known these career lessons earlier, it would’ve saved me a lot of stress. After 12+ years of marketing experience in large enterprises, here’s some of my hard-won advice: ✅ Be visible. Opportunities don’t usually go to whoever works hardest; it’s whose hard work is most visible. So speak up, take up space! ✅ The “dream job” is a myth for most people. The phrase actually kinda drives me nuts. If your job checks your biggest 1-2 boxes, you’re doing well. That could be total comp or specific benefits like mat leave. Sometimes I would get frustrated if my job didn’t check every single box… but that’s not super realistic. ✅ You might move faster alone, but you go farther when you bring more people along. As you move up in your career, it’s not really about how much you can accomplish alone. ✅ Ask for the exact growth you want; don’t wait for your manager to give it to you (I spent too long thinking, “Surely I’ll get promoted for doing such a good job on this…” instead of asking for a promotion by a specific date). ✅ Always find the bigger initiatives that your work attaches to. Messaging pillars, events, corporate themes. If you can’t figure that out, you probably shouldn’t be doing that thing. ✅ Do a lot more competitive research on compensation. You can’t really do enough research on comp. And it’s not one-and-done. You have to keep this up for years. ✅ Our brains can’t go, go, go for days, nights, and weekends while maintaining peak creativity and efficiency. Touch grass; set the boundaries you need. ✅ In larger companies, there’s almost always a bunch of benefits you didn’t know about. Ask people who have been there a while how they use their benefits. ✅ Measure impact over output. Producing a ton of work isn’t a flex. Making a ton of impact is! What did I miss? What hard-won advice would you give to folks starting out in your industry? 👀

10+ years in tech. 2+ years running my business. Here are 9 brutally honest career lessons nobody told me: 𝟭/ 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆. In tech, I thought there was a “clear path.” In reality, it’s more like a jungle gym. You climb, you fall, you switch bars. The faster you stop expecting it to be linear, the less frustrated you’ll be. (And it’ll open you up to some exciting opportunities!) 𝟮/ 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 “𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻” 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. I prided myself on being the “quiet, reliable” one in meetings. But guess what? The visible people got promoted faster. Same in business — you don’t get clients by hoping they’ll notice you. Visibility matters. Even if it feels uncomfortable. 𝟯/ 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗲. Sometimes the flashiest numbers aren’t the most meaningful. Now I focus on: Did this activity bring in leads? Did it generate revenue? Did it strengthen a relationship? Not every big number moves your business forward. 𝟰/ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. Burnout and the 24/7 hustle can seem like a badge of honor. In business, burnout means you have no backup plan. If you’re constantly exhausted, you’re making poor decisions. And poor decisions are expensive. 𝟱/ 𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴. From asking for raises to pitching clients. Growth never feels cozy. If you’re too comfortable, you’ve likely stopped evolving. 𝟲/ 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁. Filter your feedback. Not all opinions deserve equal weight. 𝟳/ 𝗦𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹. At LinkedIn and Prezi, I was scared to say no — fearing I’d seem difficult. In business, saying yes to everything buried me. Now? If it’s not a “hell yes,” it’s a no. 𝟴/ 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺. I’ve met 25-year-olds with sharper instincts than 20-year veterans. What matters is how often you reflect on and learn from your experiences, not how long you’ve been at it. 𝟵/ 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱. Whether you’re in corporate or an entrepreneur, your brand will serve you ten times over. Titles come and go, your brand is forever. P.S. Which lesson above resonates most? Drop it below 👇 __ 👋I’m Lorraine—keynote speaker and bestselling author. I help rising leaders build an unforgettable presence and get noticed at work. Follow for more actionable career tips! ♻️ Reshare this post if it can help others!