At a recent event, I got asked for my best pieces of career advice.

Here are the 10 pieces of advice I shared:

(things I wish I knew at 22)

1. Build a reputation for reliability.

You can get pretty damn far by just being someone that people can count on to show up and do the work. Being reliable is entirely free.

2. Be the person who can figure it out.

Early on, you'll be given a lot of tasks you have no idea how to complete. There's nothing more valuable than someone who can just figure it out. Do some work, ask key questions, get it done. People will fight over you.

3. Work hard first (and smart later).

It's trendy to say that working smart is all that matters. Wrong. If you want to accomplish anything significant, you have to work hard. Work hard early—take pride in it. Then you can start to build leverage to work smart.

4. Build storytelling skills.

World-changing CEOs aren't the smartest in their orgs. They are exceptional at: (1) Aggregating data and (2) Communicating it simply & effectively. Data in, story out. Build that skill and you'll always be valuable.

5. "Swallow the frog" for your boss.

This is one of the greatest "hacks" to get ahead early in your career. Observe your boss, figure out what they hate doing, learn to do it, and take it off their plate. Easy win.

6. Be a "yes" person early in your career.

Saying "yes" expands your luck surface area. It may mean you're a bit overwhelmed at times, but the benefits from the increased luck outweigh the downsides of feeling stretched.

7. Wake up early and work out.

When you wake up early and work out, you do a hard thing to start your day that sets the tone. You start to self-identify as a winner. That has ripple effects all across your life. There's no such thing as a loser who wakes up at 5am and works out.

8. Dive through cracked doors.

I recently had an experience to bring this to life: A young guy saw on my story that I was at a coffee shop working. He messaged me asking if he could come by and ask a question. I said ok. He got there an hour later and we hit it off. Turns out he lived far away and made it work. I'd always bet on people with that kind of energy. If someone cracks open a door that may present an opportunity, dive through it.

9. Show up early, stay late.

Showing up early and staying late is a free way to materially increase your luck surface area. The most interesting side conversations come up before meetings start or after they end. When you're in the room, you're more likely to get pulled into a follow-up call, coffee, or discussion. It pays off handsomely in the long run.

10. Do the "old fashioned" things well.

Look people in the eye, do what you say you'll do, be early, practice good posture, have a confident handshake. It sounds silly, but these things are all free and will never go out of style.

***

Embrace those 10 pieces of advice and you'll stand out and be on the right track.

If you enjoyed this, share it with others and follow me @SahilBloom for more in the future!

Swallow the Frog for Your Boss

The single greatest hack to getting ahead in your career:

(1) Observe your boss
(2) Figure out what they hate doing
(3) Learn to do it
(4) Take it off their plate

A clear way to put up a win and build momentum.

Another way to think about the importance of reliability:

It’s the best strategy in the short run and the long run.

In the short run, it is much harder to be exceptional than it is to be reliable.

In the long run, being consistently reliable makes you exceptional.