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Mentorship July 6, 2018
How my time at ENTITY changed me as an employee.
I pretty safely anticipated that an editorial internship would teach me a thing or two about writing. I did not anticipate how much it would teach me about myself, and how to act in a professional environment.
There are the hard skills, like Microsoft Office — and maybe even more important, there are the soft skills. These are the skills that are almost impossible to learn without good mentors or role models. Luckily, Entity Mag mentors are chock-full of knowledge about both.
Over the past seven weeks, I’ve learned from the best how to conduct myself confidently as a woman in the workplace. Here are some of the soft skills that I’ve learned while from my ENTITY Academy peers and mentors.
Relationships and a network are crucial in any field. Whether those relationships be with your coworkers or your superiors, they will likely help you in the future. Not to mention, establishing relationships with people in a similar place in their career provides a great outlet for both collaboration and empathy among ENTITY Academy peers. My relationships with my Entity Mag mentors help make that ever-hazy landscape called the future seem a little less threatening as well. Mentors can be invaluable throughout your career.
Also, the state of my LinkedIn network now? Thriving.
So often, it’s imparted to women that emotion has no space in the workplace. It’s always struck me as odd that people are expected to completely compartmentalize aspects of themselves and somehow be successful while doing that.
Also, I hate the idea that emotion is inherently opposed to a productive workspace. Why is it perceived as such a negative presence? I especially have never understood this in jobs that involve marketing or writing because emotion is key to creativity, which is key to creating an environment full of unique ideas. It is those unique ideas that help a company stand out.
Above all else, it’s important to trust your gut when it comes down to it. A logical thought process is always helpful, but I trust my intuition. I know it doesn’t make me weak to listen to how I feel.
Communication is key. Confident communication is absolute gold.
Virtually every single career necessitates strong communication skills. Whether that be talking face to face with your boss, speaking out in a meeting, sending an email or presenting in front of a crowd, you need to know how to communicate, and communicate effectively. My ideas are valid and I need to share them with confidence. Even if they need a little tweaking, being clear and assured, while of course remaining open to constructive criticism, has always improved the quality of my work.
I’ve also found communicating ideas with my ENTITY Academy peers is a great way to come up with new ideas and produce the best work possible.
Through my experience with my Entity Mag mentors, I’ve grown into a better and harder worker. I know I’ll take these skills with me for the rest of my career.
