Starting Your Career as an Extrovert | by Salvatore Marziano
Extrovertism can often be defined as being outgoing and expressive- personality traits that for the most part are looked upon quite positively. The extrovert is usually seen as confident and charismatic. In truth, there is more to an extrovert than one might think and there are many sides of an extrovert's character that may be blockers, especially at the beginning of your career.
I consider myself to be an extrovert therefore, I know firsthand that this does come with its drawbacks, especially in unchartered waters. So let's start at the beginning. When I first arrived at Multiverse as a business administration apprentice within the admissions team, it was evident that this was my first career as I wasn’t very used to the correct professional terminology. Consequently, the more I spoke, the greater the risk of unprofessionalism was- and as an extrovert, I spoke a lot! I often used language and tone that weren't appropriate to certain scenarios and even threw in a number of expletives.
I was just happy being me and letting out my full character. There’s nothing wrong with this, however, the saying “there’s a time and place” is very much applicable here, which was something that I had to learn. (and there’s nothing to do with this. What is even more frustrating is that this does take a while and is a gradual process of trial and error. This is why an apprenticeship was such a good opportunity for me. There was a mutual understanding of not being the finished article. I think my colleagues had a good understanding of this and were honest but kind in their feedback on areas where this could be improved.
Overall, I think an apprenticeship can be an excellent opportunity for an extrovert. This is because it allows them to make mistakes of their own accord and really learn how to be themselves in the most effective way in the workplace. After all, it is better to make these mistakes early in your career rather than when you are more of an experienced and established professional. Below are a few tips for using your extroverted personality to your advantage within your apprenticeship and early career:
- Accept that you will make mistakes - You won’t be perfect and you won’t get it right 100% of the time, so just see it as your opportunity to learn.
- Jump at the opportunities presented - Being quite expressive means that you can throw yourself into many new activities which may lead you to something that you love doing.
- Shout yourself out - Make your wins known, it is NOT arrogant and your team will be so proud of your progress!
- Share your learnings - Just because you are an apprentice doesn’t mean that others can’t learn from you and your experiences. After all, every individual is different and you will have valuable knowledge to transfer.
To conclude, it doesn’t matter whether you are introverted or extroverted but instead, it is more about how you utilise your personality to your advantage and showcase your best self. Embrace your strengths and your weaknesses and find a style of working and learning that best suits you.
Salvatore Marziano is a Candidate Success associate, business administration alumnus, and current Business transformation apprentice. Here's more about him:
"I enjoy discourse and conversation. My aim is to present the reality of university alternatives and share the experience of my journey whilst including the highs and the lows to its full transparency."