5 Brilliant Career Tips from Career Coach Eloïse Eonnet

Career coach Eloïse Eonnet, Director of Coach Connect, usually offers career advice 1:1, but Fairygodboss recently asked her to host an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session where she spoke directly with women looking to push themselves in their careers to become the most valuable member of their team. Five key takeaways stood out—tips and lessons that we can all benefit from, no matter our level, pay grade, or industry. Read on for Eonnet’s best advice for bringing your best to your job, starting today. 

1. Harness the power of “context and objectives” 

“One topic I repeatedly come back to is how to prepare strategically for meetings so that you can contribute with confidence and also drive the conversation toward clear and tangible outcomes. A structure you can play around with is what I call ‘Context and Objectives.’

“Context: Prepare for any meeting (those you run, those you participate in, and the impromptu ones too) with clarity on what the context is for this meeting. Context for a meeting is 1. The background: important information about what preceded this event, 2. The relevance: the rationale for why this event is taking place at this time, with this group of individuals, and 3. The big picture: broader information about the subject matter at hand.

“Objectives: These are the three or so things you want to achieve during the meeting to have it be successful. Defining this in an outcome-oriented way ahead of time will help you drive that meeting forward with clarity, and contribute to it with specificity. These are tangible things like: ‘I want to discuss the options presented by our client so that we can make a decision on how to move forward by Tuesday EOD,’ or ‘I want to brainstorm concrete directions we will take in Q4 so that we can present informed ideas to the board in two weeks.’

“For any meeting, be clear on what the context is and what the objectives are. It will be really powerful in building your executive or leadership presence.”

2. Advocate for yourself and get that raise

“You should absolutely engage with your manager about a raise on a yearly basis. It’s essential to time it right and to come to the conversation very prepared. Every year skipped is money left on the table.

“Timing: Leading to making the ask, make sure you track your successes, big and small, for a few months. (Doing this regularly is recommended). During those few months, make sure to discuss and showcase these successes to your manager so that they begin to see your value compound over time. Next, if you can, plan on making the ask just after you’ve accomplished a successful project, consistently met or exceeded metrics your manager looks at, have been recognized for your work cross-functionally or at a company level, or any other way you and your manager recognize success.

“Come to the table with clarity on the context for your ask. Context could be your recent accomplishments, inflation, the length of time since you asked for or received a raise, praise from your direct reports on your management of the team… all the context around deserving or needing the raise. Paint the full picture so that you show that you’ve put in a lot of thought and that your ask is not coming out of the blue. Next, you can say, ‘Given this context, I’d like to discuss a raise that not only meets inflation, but also takes into account the value I’ve created for the company since that time.’

“And remember, this is a conversation that can last a few weeks. Keep engaging positively and keep discussing until you feel like you have gotten what you want, or as close as possible to that.”

3. Vary your communication and feedback style by person 

“I would approach giving feedback differently depending on your communication style, the company and team culture and dynamics, and your coworker’s style, but a pretty foolproof way to engage in giving feedback is to use coaching questions. These are open-ended questions that ask the other person to reflect and share before you can engage in discussing the topic together. It is a softer, more collaborative way to engage in giving feedback, and I encourage you to give it a try. 

“Here are some great coaching questions you can inspire yourself from: What is the opportunity here? What is the challenge? Could you share an example? I want to make sure I understand your perspective. What do you mean by _____?”

4. Active listening is a fast track to success

“I find that most if not all of my very successful clients are true active listeners. Being an active listener means they have the skill to 1. be fully present in the moment, 2. truly connect to others, and 3. think critically about what is being shared with them.

“We often focus so much on strong communication as being a strong speaker. But those who listen more than they speak are often the leaders who not only gain the most respect from others, but are those who drive the most value.”

5. Look for career stepping stones

“I’d encourage anyone who is looking at breaking into the industry in the role you have experience in as a stepping stone to getting to the role you actually want. You’re faced with two hurdles that are not impossible to overcome at once, but if broken down, might be easier to tackle: 1. get into the desired field, and 2. shift roles within the field. You’re probably saying, ‘But Eloiiiiiise! I want both now!’ and I get it. And we can try! But thinking a little longer term can actually help make it happen in the end.

“Show you’re eager and hungry to learn: Take courses, get certifications, and share about it on LinkedIn when you complete a LinkedIn learning course on the industry you’re targeting. Show that you are in it to win it and that you will take the steps needed to upskill. This is very attractive to hiring managers.

“Show interest in their pain points and the strategies they’re considering to overcome them. For example, when you land an interview or set up a networking conversation with someone in the industry—or even better, the target role you’re aiming for—be curious about the pain points they have and how they are approaching overcoming them. This will help you build the right vocabulary, start asking even better questions, and sound like someone who has done the job before.”

For more of Eloïse’s insight, visit the AMA page to find additional advice and expertise shared in the thread.