Dealing with feedback uncertainty — Early career advice
Earning people’s trust in a business environment requires time and effort. It‘s common for professionals in entry-level positions to focus on performing better and better on their technical activities, but it is also necessary to invest in complementary skills that are even more important than the skills that their technical assignments require.
Be prepared is necessary to actively manage professional relationships, solving conflicts and facilitating collaboration. Additionally, professionals must also manage their time efficiently, with organization and punctuality, observing the appropriate language and stance for each environment and situation.
A way to get more confident regarding your performance is asking your manager for feedback. Although it’s common for managers to proactively provide feedback, approaching your manager for feedback is equally professional.
If your activities include client-facing, it can happen for you to not be sure about the clients’ satisfaction only by assessing the delivered work. Although the professional should always be cordial, attentive and helpful with clients, it may be possible to notice signs of gratitude or discontent during communication. Pay attention to formal compliments and complaints as well. It is not advisable to request feedback directly from clients without your manager acknowledgement, so try to gather feedback from your manager, since they’re the primary source of information.
In case of not-constructive criticism, from clients or peers, you should avoid taking it personally and focus on what’s best for you, the team and the company. Make sure you address constructive feedback, however you should try to avoid absorbing meaningless criticism. If you feel harassed, talk to your manager or HR business partner, they should support you.
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