Career readiness isn’t always something that we can be prepared for – it takes time, diligence, determination and a lot of grit. Luckily, we know someone with pretty great experience in career readiness.
We sat down with Managing Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Capital One, Theresita Richard, as she shared 4 ways you can prepare the next generation for career readiness, and why it’s so important for their future.
4 Ways You Can Prepare the Next Generation for Career Readiness
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Can you start by telling our readers a little bit about yourself?
“I think about myself as this creative, artistic soul who’s been put on Earth to expand how we see humanity and possibility and ultimately humanity as possibility.
My career has had many different chapters. I started out as an engineer before entering the world of human resources, and then moving into innovation and design. In each role I always found myself drawn to creating spaces for people to thrive. From innovation and designing experiences both for customers and for the workforce to where I am now with leading diversity, inclusion and belonging.
What has been consistent over my 20 plus year career really has been a commitment and a drive to create a world where people are seen, valued, heard and ultimately able to grow into the best versions of themselves.”
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What are 4 ways you can prepare the next generation for career readiness?
There are 4 “Be’s” that I would say, it’s: be curious, be open, be coachable and be ready.
- Be curious: Be curious around the idea of who you are and what you have been placed on this Earth to do, and then carry that curiosity into everything.
- Be open: Be open to how that thing is going to manifest. There are things about ourselves we can’t see, so when you go out and seek feedback, you’re open to how your career may take shape as it continues to help you evolve into a better person.
- Be coachable: We don’t know all of the things even when we think we do. If you can receive coaching and wisdom from others, it will help you go a long way.
- Be ready: You never know when that door is going to open and an opportunity is going to come forward. Show up and show out!
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Why is career readiness so important?
“One thing I’ve learned along the way is your performance alone is not enough. Your talent alone will not be enough. You have to be intentional. Readiness is the intentional act of preparing yourself for what is ahead. In order to have the rich and fulfilling career that you are deserving of, you have to be intentional and deliberate with your relationships, the skills you build, the experiences you gain, and the “you” that you put out into the world.”
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What’s one gem you would like our readers to leave with?
“I know you asked for one but I’ll leave you with two that have carried me through my career. First, when you’ve done the work around who you are and why you’ve been placed on this Earth, you have to continually ask yourself if you’re in alignment. Are you in alignment with your values, purpose, and mission? If you find the answer is no, you need to act and take the necessary steps to get into alignment. Secondly, be courageous and take some risks. Walk through that open door, as scary as it may be, because you never know where it’s going to take you.”
This article is presented by Capital One. To learn more about ways you can prepare the next generation for career readiness, visit bosswomen.org.
