Debunking Industry Myths

Years ago, a good friend, whom I would consider an INTROVERT by today’s standards, was reported to HR for not being ‘friendly.’ She is naturally quiet and prefers to come to work, do her job, and go home. Eventually, she was FIRED. The reason: she lacked ‘enthusiasm’ for her role, and ‘it just wasn’t working out.’ Here’s why HR failed her: Coming in to work on time, producing high-quality work, and communicating essential updates is enthusiasm ENOUGH. As a bonus, the only thing we owe to anyone in the workplace (esp as an individual contributor) is a ‘GOOD HELLO,’ maybe a ‘HOW ARE YOU,’ and a ‘GOODBYE’ outside of critical work updates. Not everyone has the energy to play the ‘excited’ b-plot character in a ROM-COM. In a world where everyone wants you to be Andy Bernard (The Office) - Extrovert. Being Stanley Hudson (The Office) - Introvert is perfectly fine. As a former HR leader, I know one of the essential functions of HR is to manage the employee lifecycle. Nowhere does this include managing someone’s insecurities about how much small talk someone makes with them. I’ve never been a fan of these labels because it does not lend itself well to folks who identify as the one, the only, and the other. Companies that want to promote inclusion must carefully filter this kind of feedback to an employee. HR failed by addressing one party instead of isolating this issue to a thinly veiled personal preference laced as ‘concern.’ The real issue was the person who was ‘uncomfortable’ with her not living up to her expectations of what ‘enthusiasm’ should look like. The REAL issue was the culture. By making my friend aware. It made her abandon who she was to code-switch and it still didn’t pay off. The lesson from this situation is clear - a truly inclusive workplace embraces all personality types. Judging employees by superficial measures of "enthusiasm" unfairly targets introverts who can be high performers despite their more reserved nature. Rather than forcing introverts to conform to an extrovert ideal, organizations should focus on tapping into everyone's talents and ensuring all voices are heard - regardless of communication style. The path forward is setting guidelines around delivering quality work and constructive collaboration - not mandating performative chatter. #aLITTLEadvice 

𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗻𝘀! Or I will shoot you with mine! 😂 Something about me is that I am fiercely anti-labels! But that's very common for people. When our brains are overwhelmed with so much information to process (and it's only going to get faster and worse), we use labels as a short cut to trick ourselves into the security of "I know this." It's a typical defence mechanism of our ego-mind to deal with ambiguity. As a trainer of the Enneagram and MBTI personality profiling tool, I am passionate about helping people better understand themselves and each other, so they can grow themselves and develop stronger connections. However, one of the shadow side of these tools, is how people tend to label and use "labelling language." "𝘖𝘩, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯!" "𝘖𝘩, 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴" Goodness! People even use labels like "are you a cat or dog person?" I understand why personality profiling is so popular, after all, we need some kind of taxonomy to understand complex and ambiguous thing called "human nature"! But let's put away our Label Guns! When we label, we stop being curious. We have Dunning-Kruger Effect about people. We know enough about them to think we know them, but do we really? We make assumptions, and project our bias onto them, such as: • Not giving someone more work responsibilities because we think they are the "types who avoid responsibility" - How are they supposed to develop in their career then? • Avoid giving feedback to someone who has "fiery red" personality type, because we are conflict-avoidant - How are you going to help them grow? • Thinking someone is often the "bubbly kind" so we assume that "they're gonna be fine! Don't worry!" - We don't extend support or help, not knowing they're struggling mental-health-wise. This create more divisiveness rather than connectivity, more friction than bonding! We bind people into a fixed-mindset instead of a growth one. I am not coming from some high moral ground, I am still a work-in-progress on this journey too. However, I remain idealistic because I believe that together, we can create a more inclusive, understanding world for all if we put away our label guns. Suspend your need to label, lean in with curiosity, and take what my good friend, empathy activist Rob Volpe shared on my podcast - 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲. You'll be rewarded by being immensely fascinated by the true human stories that people around you can share. You'll learn to appreciate the beauty of the people. After all, people will show you their beautiful self when you allow them to. ❤️ 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭? 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦. P.S. Image generated by MidJourney. Do I look cool? #WholeHearted #LeadWithEmpathy #CuriosityOverJudgement

🚫 Debunking Common Career Advancement Myths 🚫 "Hard work alone will earn you that promotion." Simply putting in the hours isn't always enough. Visibility and strategic efforts are key. "Staying silent and working diligently will get you ahead." Being reserved about your achievements can actually hold you back. Speak up about your goals. "Being busy means you're making progress." Activity doesn’t always equal advancement. Focus on work that aligns with the company's objectives and drives meaningful results. ✨ A Smarter Approach: 🔹 Build Self-Confidence: Recognize and demonstrate your value in all professional interactions. 🔹 Be Proactive: Communicate your career goals clearly to your leaders and seek opportunities to showcase your aspirations. 🔹 Work Strategically: Prioritize tasks that contribute significantly to organizational goals, rather than just being busy. Elevate your career by challenging these myths and adopting a more effective strategy. 🚀 #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #Leadership #WorkSmart #CareerAdvancement

Shipping code is NOT enough to reach Staff Engineer. If you want to stand out, you have to do more. Yes, "technical excellence" matters. But it's not everything. I've worked with dozens of engineers trying to make this jump. The same 5 myths keep holding them back: Myth #1: "The best coder gets promoted" ❌ Ship 10 features only your team uses ✅ Ship 1 thing that 5 teams depend on Staff engineers help entire groups of teams, not just their own. Myth #2: "Building relationships = playing politics" ❌ Keep your head down, stay away from "politics" ✅ Talk to people outside your team, understand what they need Politics is manipulation. Building trust is just good work. Myth #3: "Take on the biggest projects" ❌ Say yes to everything, burn yourself out ✅ Pick one important problem and own it completely Trying to do too much kills more Staff promotions than bad code does. Myth #4: "My code speaks for itself" ❌ Just ship good work and hope people notice ✅ Write docs, give talks, share what you built and why it matters Making your work visible isn't showing off. It's how you lead. Myth #5: "I'll know when I'm ready" ❌ Wait for someone to tell you it's time ✅ Write down what you've done, make your case, ask for it Most people wait 6-12 months longer than they should. Here's the real shift: Help teams solve big problems > Only solve your own team's problems Companies that care about growing their people make this jump easier with clear expectations and support. Stuck at Senior and trying to get to Staff? #careers #engineering #jobs #leadership #india P.S. Which one of these surprised you?

High performance doesn’t always lead to recognition. And I’ve seen too many brilliant engineers pay the price for staying quiet. Here’s why high performers often get overlooked and what to do about it: The problem isn’t your output. It’s that no one’s connecting the dots between what you’re doing and what the business cares about. Want to get promoted? Stop assuming good work will speak for itself. Here’s what actually works: 1. Practice visible impact. Every 1–2 weeks, share a short summary of what you’ve contributed, outcomes, not just tasks. If leadership can’t name your wins, it’s not on them. 2. Build a stakeholder map. Who influences your next promotion? Are you building relationships with them, or just hoping your manager will do the work for you? 3. Track influence, not just delivery. Did your input shift a roadmap? Unblock another team? Help make a decision? These are leadership signals, write them down, talk about them. 4. Align with what matters upstream. Start tying your work to team OKRs, business goals, and cross-functional needs. This is what shows you’re operating at the next level. The truth? Promotion isn't just about how much you contribute. It’s about how clearly others understand your contribution and your potential. And if you’re not shaping that story, someone else is.

5 Myths About Growing Your Career as a Software Engineer There are a lot of misconceptions about advancing in a software engineering career. Let’s clear up some of the most common ones. Myth 1: You Have to Follow a Straight Career Path The Myth: Success in software engineering means moving up one role at a time, like junior to senior. The Reality: Careers in tech are often flexible. Exploring different areas—like cybersecurity, data science, or product management—can make you more skilled and open up new opportunities. Example: Many engineers switch fields or learn new skills to keep things exciting and expand their options. Myth 2: Networking is Only for Job Hunting The Myth: You only need to network when looking for a job. The Reality: Building connections throughout your career can lead to new projects, collaborations, and learning experiences. Example: Joining tech communities or contributing to open-source projects can lead to cool opportunities or helpful mentors. Myth 3: Asking for Help Shows Weakness The Myth: If you ask for help, people will think you can’t handle the work. The Reality: Asking for help shows you’re willing to learn and are open to others’ ideas, which is valued in tech. Example: Engineers who ask for feedback from teammates often find better solutions because they’re open to new approaches. Myth 4: You Need to Know Everything The Myth: Being a good engineer means knowing every programming language and tool. The Reality: Great engineers are open to learning and adapting. No one can know everything, and that’s okay! Example: Engineers who stay curious and keep learning are more likely to succeed as technology changes. Myth 5: Hard Work Alone Leads to Promotion The Myth: Working hard and writing good code will automatically get you promoted. The Reality: Hard work is important, but so are planning your goals and making sure others see the impact of your work. Example: Engineers who share their accomplishments and show how their work helps the team tend to advance faster. Don’t let these myths limit you. Knowing the truth can help you make smart decisions and succeed in a tech career. Have you heard any myths about tech careers? #TestMetry #CareerDevelopment #CareerCoaching

A recent post of mine went viral because it touched on something real: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴. What stood out in the 250+ comments wasn’t just the stories—it was the myths job seekers are holding onto (or being sold). I’m connected with great TA specialists, HR leaders, agency owners, and recruiters. Not one of them would validate these myths as truth. Unfortunately, many jobseekers and some outlier career coaches are selling fear, false hope, or snake oil. Let’s break down a few myths I keep seeing: 🔹 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸” 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 I’ve said it before: if I were unemployed, I’d use it. It’s a signal—that’s all. Anyone saying it makes you look desperate is either misinformed or trying to sell you something. If you're a hiring leader and disagree, I’d love to hear why—because I haven’t seen a solid argument yet. 🔹 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #𝟮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗧𝗦 𝗜𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 Common comments: “Recruiters aren’t doing their jobs.” “I’m getting ghosted by bots.” “It’s all about keywords.” 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁. Most of the time, your resume is getting seen by a real person—but it’s just not compelling enough to prompt a call. That’s not the ATS. That’s a resume that doesn’t stand out. 🔹 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #𝟯: 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸 This one’s tough to hear. Saying “you just need to get lucky” usually means, “I don’t want to take full ownership.” Yes, there’s always an element of timing. But success in today’s market isn’t about luck. It’s about strategy, clarity, positioning, and relentless iteration. 🔹 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #𝟰: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 I saw multiple versions of this: “If I could just talk to someone, they’d see how great I am.” “Companies should stop making us jump through hoops and just call people.” Here’s the reality: Companies are getting hundreds—sometimes thousands—of applications per role. There is no possible way for someone to call everyone. If you didn’t get a call, it’s not because the system is broken—it’s likely because your resume didn’t align with the role, wasn’t compelling enough, or you’re applying too broadly. 🔹 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #𝟱: 𝗜𝘀𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗡𝗼 𝗢𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂 Bias exists. Absolutely. But it’s not what’s holding everyone back. I’ve seen countless candidates overcome bias because they showed up prepared—with a clear message, proof of value, and the right mindset. If you believe bias might exist, don’t give up—proactively overcome it. That’s how others have moved forward. If you’re a job seeker, this may sting a bit. But I’m not here to shame you—I’m here to help you take back control. You’re likely not being screened out by bots. You’re being seen—by real people—who simply aren’t finding enough reason to reach out. Tell me I'm wrong!

Too often, society sees disability before it sees ability and that misconception is costing us brilliance, innovation, and progress. One of the most harmful stereotypes about people with disabilities is the belief that we are “not capable of doing anything.” This false narrative not only underestimates our potential but also creates systemic barriers in education, employment, and community life. In reality, people with disabilities are problem-solvers, innovators, and leaders - skills often strengthened by navigating challenges and breaking barriers every day. It is time to shift the focus from what people think we cannot do to the incredible strengths and unique perspectives we bring to the table. Accessibility and inclusion are not favors, in fact, they are rights and essential keys to unlocking the talent and creativity of billions of people living disabilities globally. Society benefits when everyone is given an equal chance to thrive. So, what can we do differently? Challenge bias, change the narrative, and remove barriers. Employers must prioritize inclusive hiring, educators and urban designers should embrace universal design, and communities need to build spaces that empower all abilities. Listening to and amplifying the voices of people with disabilities is the first step toward real equity. What misconceptions about disability have you encountered, and how can we challenge them as a society? I would love to hear your perspective. #Inclusion #Accessibility #DisabilityRights #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityInclusion #HumanRights #CivilRights #ADA #ADA35 #Disability #Equity Alt Text: A beige background graphic with bold, dark blue text reading: “Too often, society sees disability before it sees ability - and that misconception is costing us brilliance, innovation, and progress.” The word “ability” is italicized for emphasis.

#Dear_Employers_and_Hiring_Manager, Being unemployed for months does not erase someone’s skills, experience, or value. It does not mean they are lazy, unqualified, or unworthy of an opportunity. Job seekers face countless challenges beyond their control, and it's time we shift the narrative. Here’s why: 1️⃣ #Job_gaps_dont_define_competence – A break in employment does not mean a break in skills. Professionals continue learning, networking, and upskilling even while job hunting. 2️⃣ #The_job_market_is_tough – Many talented individuals are struggling due to economic shifts, industry changes, and downsizing beyond their control. 3️⃣ #Resilience_builds_stronger_employees – Those who have weathered joblessness develop problem-solving skills, adaptability, and perseverance—qualities every workplace needs. 4️⃣ #Opportunities_are_not_always_equal– Many job seekers face biases, gatekeeping, and lack of connections, making it harder to land opportunities despite their capabilities. 5️⃣ #Skills_do_not_expire – A few months or even a year out of work doesn’t erase years of experience, education, and achievements. 6️⃣ #Great_hires_are_being_overlooked – Companies are missing out on dedicated professionals simply because of outdated hiring biases against employment gaps. To job seekers still searching: Your worth is intact. Keep pushing! And if you need a powerful CV, LinkedIn Optimization, and a standout Cover Letter, reach out to us at smconsultancynetwork@gmail.com or DM me. Let’s position you for success! #JobSeekers #CareerGrowth #SMConsultancyNetwork Shalom Nyerere #Career_Coach_and_Global_CV_Expert

Unemployment Can Happen to Anyone Before 2025, as a Recruiter, I’ll admit I viewed employment gaps with a bit of skepticism. But life has a way of humbling you. Now, as someone navigating unemployment firsthand, I see the reality—job loss is not a reflection of someone’s skills, work ethic, or value. It can happen to anyone. The job market is more unpredictable than ever. Yet, the stigma remains and often, hiring managers assume a gap is a red flag rather than recognizing the resilience, adaptability, and hunger that many unemployed professionals bring. Here’s the truth: those of us in this position are not “less than.” If anything, we’re more driven than ever. We’ve had to learn, pivot, and push forward despite the uncertainty. And as I return to recruiting, I’ll take this lesson with me, employment gaps don’t define someone’s potential. To my fellow job seekers: keep going. And to my fellow recruiters and hiring managers let’s evolve our outdated biases and recognize the talent right in front of us. #UnemployedNotUnworthy #HiringBias #JobSearch #CareerGrowth #Opentowork #Grubhub #Wonder #LaidOff