CSE Career Captain, Djounia Saint-Fleurant, MBA’24, compiles and shares her insights from her participation in the Career Strategies and Engagement’s Fall 2023 Alumni Speaker Series with Emily Murphy, MA’15.
Career Lattice: Insights from Emily Murphy, MA’15
Career development and success are aspirations shared by many of us. We strive to excel in our chosen fields, climb the corporate hierarchy, and make meaningful contributions to our organizations. Recently, Emily Murphy, MA’15, revisited the business school to share her experiences from various corporate environments, providing valuable insights into her professional journey.
While she was speaking, I realized that the universal nature of her advice makes it applicable to individuals across various industries and career stages. Her speech was reassuring, and I decided to share my takeaways with a broader audience:
Know what you want, but be flexible and open-minded
Understanding your career goals is crucial, but it’s equally important to be open to exploring different paths. Being flexible will help us learn and take advantage of unexpected opportunities. Emily stated: “On one hand, you should be flexible because it’s competitive and not everything will go as planned. On the other hand, blindly applying to any job without a clear purpose can make you appear directionless. The balance lies in knowing what you want, being adaptable, and recognizing your skills.”
Excel in Performance and Execution
A robust work ethic and consistently delivering high-quality output is fundamental to establishing a dependable and credible professional reputation. Emily mentioned, “If you’re an intern and they ask you to make copies, make sure you make the best copies ever! Ensure they aren’t crooked, smudged, or blurry. Even when tasks seem menial or trivial, your performance reflects on you, and getting the basics right is crucial. It’s a fundamental aspect of building your professional brand.”
Embrace Opportunities for Growth
Emily introduced the concept of a “career lattice,” where individuals have the opportunity to move both horizontally and vertically, exploring various roles, functions, and skill sets. She stated, “When you explore different functions and roles, you have a better understanding of business operations overall. In the grand scheme of things, it’s about learning and growing, even if it means stepping away from your initial career trajectory.”
Ask Questions
“Asking questions is another critical aspect of building your brand,” Emily added. “I’ve been on the hiring side, and candidates who stand out are those who ask more questions than you might expect. Bonus points go to those who ask questions about topics we’ve already discussed. It shows that they’ve been engaged and are thinking critically.”
“Your career doesn’t have to happen all at once,” she said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s perfectly fine to adapt your pace along the way.” For me, this was a reminder that success and growth take time.
Emily Murphy’s talk was not only full of useful information but also motivating. Her experiences and advice can be helpful to anyone as they navigate their own career journeys.
– Djounia Saint-Fleurant, MBA’24
