The Power of Saying Yes and Why it's a Career Superpower

Written by: Dina Yaneva

Say yes!

 I'm only in my second year in my degree but saying yes has done more for me than anything else. You might be wondering why, so let me break down why leaving my comfort zone led to both success and development in my journey so far.

1. Part 1 of Stepping out of my Comfort Zone: Networking

I started using LinkedIn just before I started university. I used it to learn more about my university, my industry and companies within it. My first post was about starting university and how excited I was. The first couple of months at university I would post about different things I was getting involved in. Shortly after, I started to grow my network. From adding my peers and lecturers, to employers I’d met through career events and then strangers who I thought were inspirational and I could learn something from.

Then, I actually started to enjoy using LinkedIn and started being known as a "LinkedIn Warrior" which I very much take pride in. I was checking it every couple of hours for updates, looking for internships or professionals I could reach out to learn more about marketing.

In April, the first opportunity to say yes came up. I saw a post advertising an internship in my university's town for a social media role. I didn’t have anything to lose or a lot of experience so I commented "interested". Within a couple of hours, I had arranged to meet with the person helping to hire and the founder of the business. I was buzzing and I found myself more and more interested as well as excited to get it.

In the end, I did. All because I had a passion and took a risk by commenting!

Announcement of my internship at Caffeinated Closet

2. Part 2 of Stepping out of My Comfort Zone: Just Say Yes

Today, I'm still in that internship role at Caffeinated Closet and have successfully secured other roles based on my experience learning so much through each role.

I consistently post on LinkedIn and share insights into a range of topics including:

• A piece of advice I wish I knew earlier

• Something I've recently done whether through my studies or my internship

• Something you can get involved in such as, job opportunities you can find on platforms like gradvisor

If I didn't say yes the first time, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm still very early in my career but I'm gaining a range of industry experience, growing my network and beyond excited to continue my journey! If there is one thing you can take from my story, just take the risk and say yes!

Start today and think what's one thing you can say yes?

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn below

Dina Yaneva