As an early-career professional, I have learned – through experience and an amazing set of mentors – that two of the most crucial qualities that can impact your career opportunities are: Integrity and Credibility.
Integrity depends on us as individuals. It compels us to practice professional skepticism in the information we obtain, employ and monitor as IT governance and security professionals. This is central to our day-to-day role and forms a baseline for all the work that we do.
Credibility, on the other hand, depends on our colleagues and clients as to whether they can place trust in our work or not. As an early-career professional, creating this sense of trust allows my colleagues and clients to have faith in the work that I deliver. This has helped increase the level of independence I have enjoyed on my projects and given me the chance to learn how to manage projects from planning through to completion, within a year of starting out in my role as an Associate in Risk Assurance Services at PwC.
Here are a few things that have helped me create trust in the work that I have delivered over the past two years:
- Question Everything: No question is a silly question! Professional skepticism is key. My initial lack of experience compelled me to raise questions around details on the documentation and processes of the IT audits I was involved in, which in turn helped improve the overall quality of detail within our testing. Sure, some of them weren’t the smartest of questions, but this inquisitiveness gave my managers the confidence that I was making an effort to fully understand the client’s IT environment. This translated into me leading more client interviews and developing my relationship with them.
- Think about the Bigger Picture: I remember initially being so focused on the tasks on my to-do list for each project that I’d often lose sight of the purpose of the project itself. Over time, I’ve realized that understanding why I’m doing what I’m doing has not only helped improve my ability to independently execute on my deliverables but it’s also given me a deeper sense of appreciation for the work that I do every day. I now have the confidence to respond appropriately whenever my work is questioned. This confidence has given me a sense of ownership over my work and enabled me to gain the trust of my managers and clients in the work that I deliver.
- Build Relationships: You know that small talk before a meeting? I used to detest it! But through virtual work, I have realized just how important these conversations are. For instance, how my client’s cat sent out 500 feedback tickets from their laptop takes precedence over all other agenda topics. This mindset has helped me break through my Zoom exhaustion and ease into the agenda. Over time, these conversations have also helped me develop a stronger rapport with my colleagues that has often translated into interesting assignments. It’s more natural for us to trust someone if we enjoy working with them.
- Be a Team Player: No matter how busy you think you are, more often than not, your managers are 10x busier. By taking on more responsibility over one project, I have helped reduce the respective project manager's workload by a little bit in the short term. Over time, this has helped me develop new project management and technical skills that I have been able to apply to my other engagements, and thereby help with the overall workload of those teams. By creating this sense of reliability, I have helped develop a stronger relationship with my project teams.
There’s obviously a lot more to be learned and reflected upon as I progress through my career. That said, honing my credibility and integrity by practicing these tips has not only made me develop a greater appreciation for the work that I do at PwC, but it has also led me to the promotion that I have been working toward for the past two years!
