1. Dani Ticktin Koplik
dtkResources
11 Hidden Ledge Road
Englewood, NJ 07631
Alumni Webinar: What Every Young Professional Must Know to Succeed
Top 5 Tips
Very excited to speak with you today and share some tips that I hope will give you
not only a leg up on the competition but also the architecture for a successful
career going forward.
But let me just say, I don’t sugar coat --this is real and positive stuff for a
challenging time and it’s important to know the Current Reality before you can
move forward in a meaningful way.
So,let’s start: We may be technically out of the Recession but economic indicators
change by the minute, which means uncertainty and unpredictability are the givens.
This may seem difficult to tolerate but it all depends on your mindset and how you
choose to see it.
SLIDE:lessons
First, the two big lessons from this are:
1. The only thing that’s certain is ...uncertainty
2. We must distinguish between what we can control and what we can’t.
SLIDE: What we can’t control
In the end, the only thing we can really control is ourselves. Plenty of forces acting
on us daily but every day presents us with choices and it’s up to us to make the
ones that maximize our opportunities for success.
SLIDE: What we can control
Fact of the matter is that the only thing we can control is ourselves.
SLIDE: Hired
Most people choose to show up, do the work, make friends, go home and do it all
over again...and then wonder why their performance review is mediocre or worse,
they’re passed over for promotion. The truth is that while the economy was going

2. through its changes, so were the shape and requirements of the American
workplace.
In a nutshell, it’s no longer enough to just meet expectations. It’s not even enough
to work hard. The 21st Century requires a whole other take on what work...and
ultimately success...are all about.
SLIDE: Not enough
But the flip side is that not doing enough is for the other people, not you.
Now let’s talk about the 5 tips that will help position you for success:
1. communicate
• tentpole skill -- everything depends on this to a greater degree than ever
• live in a global community requiring both specificity and sensitivity
• closer to home: workplace is more diverse (and getting increasingly diverse)
than ever.
• more means of communication than ever, requiring exquisite care: verbal, non-
verbal, social media
• active listening
• importance of being able to receive, process and act on feedback
• reading the culture; key skills: listening and observing
QUESTiON:
SLIDE: Key Tools
verbal non verbal
active listening
sm
feedback
reading the culture
QUESTION: sm
private stuff on private time
companies having access: Times Square; lives forever
SLIDE
2. connect
• doing the work or working hard are not enough
• live in a relational time

3. • must, from beginning of career, start building a network (internal & external)
• people hire and promote those with whom they’re comfortable, those they can
trust and those they like.
• networking premise: what you can give, who you can connect
• as network grows, becomes sphere of influence. Influence is the currency of
biz -- it’s how things get done
QUESTION: temp job
look at it the way you should look at an internship, as an extended interview
3. perform
• work ethic
• self-management
• leading in place
• delivering value
• workplace values: critical thinking, innovation, collaboration, anticipation,
creativity, ability to infer and contextualize, being proactive
• problem-solver
• life-long learner: continue to learn and retool
QUESTION: listen and deliver
not mutually exclusive
4. develop personal brand
• professional presence: how do you want to be perceived
• components:
telling the truth integrity, follow thru, team player but w/ initiative, mastery of
biz etiquette and protocol, going above and beyond, ethical, dependable,
solution-focused, personable (easy to get along with)
5. self-advocate
• good news is that matrix management offers great and numerous opportunities
• to contribute but changing affiliations can mean that you go unrecognized
• must showcase skills without bragging: best when someone else does it
• keep track of accomplishments, keep boss up to date
• informal opportunities all the time but must prep for performance review: have
the back up
• volunteer for projects
• establish yourself in your industry
• mentors, sponsors