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I'll never forget the moment the news director gave me the green light to take the camera equipment out in the field on my own to shoot and edit my own stories.
At my first job, I worked in a newsroom for a TV station in New York City. I was the youngest employee. I came into the job as a former intern, which comes with advantages and disadvantages. But the experience taught me what it takes to earn respect and responsibility in a competitive, fast-paced corporate environment. By the end of my first year working there I produced a large number of stories including one story that earned an Emmy.
1. Understand Your Purpose
I came into my role with the mindset that it wasn’t about me. As a recent graduate and alum of a program called the Emma Bowen Foundation that afforded me the opportunity to intern at the news station from the age of 17, my performance was not just a reflection on me. It represented the efforts of those who poured into me and sacrificed or invested to create the opportunity for someone like me to work in journalism in the number one market right out of college. The role was bigger than me because it also could impact the chances of another to come behind me. It’s not the typical piece of advice but as a Black woman making my way in a world where not many look like me there’s a deeper level of responsibility not just to myself but to my community.
2. Build Trust
You build trust by doing your job. Become the star by building a reputation on meeting deadlines, and following through. Transitioning from college where you likely were the decision maker and able to act on ideas quickly and into the real world where you're lowest on the totem pole is an adjustment. Don’t seek accolades or advancement too soon. Instead focus on demonstrating your competency and capability to handle the small tasks. The small tasks in the beginning serve as an opportunity to earn trust, respect, and credibility from your colleagues through flawless execution of those tasks. Focus on the task at hand and leverage it. Don’t throw away that big project idea but hold onto it until the time comes for a deserving pitch.
3. Understand The Value Of Your Presence
I did not turn my nose up at the tasks that seemed minuscule because there’s lessons in those too. Everything from printing and bringing scripts out to the anchors on set, to actually writing scripts for the show were things I’d been tasked with. Bringing out scripts seemed like an intern task, but if I didn’t do it, a more senior producer would have to do it (in between cutting video and writing scripts for the show). So my presence and willingness to do even that small task added value by allowing those above me to do their job without worrying.
In the beginning days of my job I was answering phones on the assignment desk, and in doing that proved I could recognize a good story, and find accurate information quickly and under pressure. Not only did I find surface level details but I would dig and find photos, phone numbers and get access to the people behind the story that otherwise would not be accessible.
4. Speak Up
Every morning there was an editorial meeting. Everyone was welcome and offered the chance to contribute in meetings. Volunteer to go to every meeting you can. Speak up and put forth your ideas. You won’t be perfect and you have to abandon the desire to wait until something is perfect before you present it. You may think your silence is fine because you’re still mulling over what you have to say, but your coworkers and superiors likely interpret your silence as disengagement. Content strategist and former TV Producer Victoria Reitano recommends using meetings to observe things like “Watching who is on the boss' ‘good side’ and, especially, watching what the (white) men in the room do. The older the man, the better. They take up space, they share ideas without apologies and they take their moments boldly. It helped me be more assertive in meetings and now, as an entrepreneur, I confidently interact with clients online and offline because of those lessons.”
5. Look For Ways To Add Value
Use being the youngest in the room to your advantage, just come correct. As a new employee in a brand new role there was no blueprint but I needed to be mindful of crafting my role in a way that made sense to my employer and adhered to my experience level. In crafting my tasks and setting expectations I engaged heavily with human resources to ensure structure and responsibilities were set accordingly. Then, when it came down to the execution I mastered the task and then looked for ways to add value. For example in the case of breaking news I didn’t wait to be told what to do. Instead, I used social media to jump into action and find eyewitnesses and videos we could potentially use on air. Soon, this became my niche and it became requested of me.
6. Be Solution Oriented
This goes for everything from the small tasks to the big ones. You’re new so there will be a lot of things you don’t know but that should not be an excuse. Seek solutions and answers by putting yourself out there, by not being afraid to ask and utilizing the resources given to you. As one Her Agenda subscriber (Charell Strong) put it, “often the answer is hidden beneath hardwork.”
7. Build Relationships
Build a connection with senior level coworkers and peers by going out of your way to engage through assignments, shadowing, or lending them an extra hand. If they offer, be sure to follow up and get on their calendar for lunch or coffee. Send them occasional updates about your wins and specific questions about work-related responsibilities. Your HR person should be your ally in providing guidance on the best people for you to reach out to, and if they’ve been in that position for a long time they’ll have insight on the best ways to approach particular people. Keep in mind, it’s also great to build connections across departments. A great way to do this is signing up for affinity groups within the company. But don’t stop there! Create connections outside your office. Join professional networks within your industry and attend the networking events, panels and conferences.
8. Be Transparent
Don’t work in silence. I get it, you’re used to the college way of working where you get an assignment, and hand it in when it’s done as you work on it on your own time. It’s easy to get assignments and work on it in your silo until it’s complete, or simply execute on a task without circling back to say that it’s done (since you’re likely thinking oh, my boss will see that it’s done). This is wrong. Your boss or colleagues shouldn’t have to check to see if something is complete, they should be notified by you directly with a link to the work, a screenshot or attachment of the task. This shows you are on top of your stuff, and that you’re thorough.
Humble yourself, learn as much as you can about your industry and your craft, and continue to network inside and outside of the office to set a strong foundation for your career.
