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Your Voice: Accept your mentor’s sound advice for success at work

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After earning your Ph.D. degree, you become an expert in the field of your research. You then train your mentees in the workplace for the benefit of the company. What is the best piece of advice you have received from your academic mentor? Here is some very valuable advice from my mentor, Emeritus Professor Brian O’Connor at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

 

Your job security correlates with the value you bring to the company

One of my goals is to be a valuable employee by performing my daily tasks in an efficient manner and meeting all deadlines. I also want to train my colleagues for the benefit of the company. To achieve this goal, I deliver all comprehensive reports on time, help others to achieve their goals, and become the best scientific colleague at work. Why is this the driving force for me? I now understand that I am acting on my scientific mentor’s advice. Professor O’Connor said that one’s job security always directly correlates to the value and benefits one adds to both customers and colleagues at work.

 

Interpersonal communication is very important when dealing with people

Another great piece of advice from Professor O’Connor was to achieve publishable results when undertaking research, and then publish in renowned journals. In achieving excellent results, the interpersonal communication of team members is vitally important. In this regard, I collaborate with my colleagues every time I discuss experimental results and review papers prior to submission, including how we deal with an editor’s comments based on reviewers’ reports. 

 

Choose your Ph.D. mentor wisely

Additional advice from Professor O’Connor relates to wisely choosing your Ph.D. mentor. Selecting a Ph.D. mentor is one of the greatest challenges in our careers. This challenge will influence many things, ranging from our mental health and happiness to deeply improving our knowledge. The close relationship that develops during a Ph.D. program ideally continues beyond graduation and leads to a lifelong friendship between the former student, his or her supervisor, and their families.

 

Take care of your co-workers’ development in their research

Another amazing piece of advice from Professor O’Connor was that I needed to take care of and train my mentees well. Since I joined Aramco, I have extended this great advice to collaborate with my mentees and co-workers so as to enable work to be completed accurately and on time. I also train them patiently for the benefit of the company.

 

Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the publication.