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Young professionals need to start saying "CYA" — that is, "Cover Your A**." Why? Because it's the best way to avoid being taken advantage of, being taken for a ride and being taken for granted. In one study, 46% of employees said they took on tasks simply because they couldn't say no. Once you understand the importance of taking care of yourself and the work you do, you'll be untouchable in the eyes of someone who wants to make you, the young professional, their scapegoat. I know. It happened to me early in my career.
My hope for all of humanity is that we each have positive role models and mentors who help us along our path. Finding good mentors can be difficult. Unfortunately, many seasoned professionals do the opposite. Some reasons could be that they feel threatened by the younger workforce coming up the ranks. Or perhaps they feel a need to teach in a tough way — to put people through the same stress they felt early in their careers. Hurt people hurt people, after all. And let's be real, it's easy to pin problems or blame on a young person who might not yet have the guts to speak up for themselves. I like to think I speak for the youth.
In my personal life, I experienced a situation where, as the youngest person in the office, I was unknowingly chosen to be the go-to for all the angry phone calls we received (and, believe me, we had quite a few in my customer-facing role). My job was to either approve or not approve applications based on numbers generated by a computer — without regard for the actual picture of the person behind that number.
I learned quickly that the department that actually made the final decision was telling applicants "I" wasn't approving the application ... I was bombarded with angry emails and phone calls and even some frightening walk-in appointments at times. When I realized what was happening, I was furious and I started saving all of my paperwork to show the applicants I was on their side. I had to cover my own you-know-what. And I've been doing it ever since.
Related: 8 Steps to Surviving Workplace Bullying and Salvaging Your Reputation
Cover yours today
The professional world is like a sporting event. You must play on the offense. This does not mean to be offended or to be offensive in an obscene way. I mean you must be playing offense at all times. Be able to back up your work and defend your decisions. For example, double-check or fact-check any details in your writing or research before sharing notes with your boss or with clients. The last thing you want is someone to undercut you in a meeting and make you look unprepared. Back up your info with solid data. Keep it in your back pocket should you ever need to answer to anyone looking to question your credibility.
Another tip: Save your emails. In fact, leave a paper trail when you can. If you are looking for clarification on what's been said or requested of you, ask for it via email so you can reference back to it in writing. So, if someone decides they want to go back on what they've said, you'll have it in writing. It really all comes down to being prepared with confidence. When you can confidently say, "CYA" to your supervisors or to clients at times, you not only are developing a habit of always being ready for what's ahead but you're also establishing your work ethic in front of leaders — positioning yourself as a leader as well.
Use your resources
Whether you're writing, creating content or anything else, be sure to use every resource available to you to make sure your work is up to the standards it needs to be. Tools such as Grammarly can help keep you on track with particular writing styles and proofreading. Other tools, like GPTZero or QuillBot, can protect you against accusations of plagiarism or the overuse of AI-generated content. These days, there really isn't an excuse to not use the endless amount of tools on a regular basis. And if you don't have access to what you need, ask for it. A good leader recognizes the initiative and the courage it takes a young professional to ask for tools and resources that will make them better at their job.
Related: How to Protect Your Career From Those Who Try to Undermine You
Your reputation — your name — is on the line
At my company, Bear Icebox Communications, we have been challenged before about how content is developed. I get it. We are in a generative AI era, and anyone, anywhere can log into ChatGPT and have it spit out words that pretty much make sense. But we, just like other agencies in the content creation space, need to be on our toes and buttoned up about how we leverage these tools. It's a question of our integrity as an agency.
The truth is that AI is changing the way agencies function as well as the expectations of the clients we serve. For a young person entering the workforce, my biggest advice is to keep your name clean. You'll move from job to job. You'll ask for letters of recommendation. You will have a list of references as you apply for new jobs. Your name is everything. How are you prepared to defend it? Think about this with everything you do.
Follow your company's policies, and document that you did it. And keep a vigilant eye on your superiors. Identify people who are willing to mentor and guide you. Build upon those types of relationships. Likewise, identify when someone doesn't have your best interests in mind — someone who doesn't respect you or talks down to you. Learn it now and be able to say "CYA."
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