When navigating various circumstances in life, many believe their skills and hard work will suffice. I beg to differ. There is an added element that is necessary. This element is called favor. Merriam- Webster defines favoritism as “the state or fact of being a favorite.” 

This leads to the question of what does favorite mean? It means “ especially: a person who is specially loved, trusted, or provided with favors by someone of high rank or authority.” Lastly, what is the definition of favor? It has many definitions. However, the one appropriate for this  blog post is “friendly regard shown toward another, especially by a superior.”

Favor is what separates the excellent from the good when the right opportunities present themselves. I do what to preface by saying that I am convinced that God is the source of this favor, but I also suspect that as the source, God can use people, whether they are aware or not, to orchestrate success and impact in your life. However, in this blog post, I want to focus on two main areas: college and work.

FAVORTISM IN THE COLLEGE

Obtaining a college degree is a collection of completing numerous mundane tasks. These tasks include but are not limited to attending office hours to get a more in-depth explanation of the subject matter, responding to classmates’ discussion posts, studying for quizzes and exams, etc. 

Time- management, sacrifice, and resilience are how many survive the grueling four years. There is no question that you, as a student, play a key role in your college education success. But is your effort alone good enough? I do not think so. 

There are a number of ways that you can use favortism in the workplace or considered a “favorite” by your professors. It is important to understand that this favortism in the workplace is subtle, implicit, and faceless. The pre-requisite is that you have to demonstrate to your professor, faculty, and others that you aim for excellence and you are committed to accomplishing your educational goals by doing what is required on the syllabus.

• HOW TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR EDUCATIONAL GOALS?

Do and complete the tasks your professor asks you to do on time and do them well. The professor has to see that you are trying. Attend office hours and bring questions along. Go to tutoring, and read the required reading before class. Ask for extra credit. These are examples of a student’s responsibilities. There are many more, of course.

• HOW TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR EDUCATIONAL GOALS?

Do a combination of the above. The good student only does what is necessary to get by. The excellent do what is necessary and more.

It is important to note that students can perform these tasks, and the professor will not budge or see your effort. It is their prerogative, unfortunately. However, if a professor notices your effort to be an excellent student, take note of it. They will be a resource for you in the future. This kind of professor will be able to attest to your abilities when writing recommendation letters for Graduate school, jobs, committees, etc. 

In some way, the professor trusts that you will serve an organization or someone in some shape or form. When it comes to solving the dilemma of what career path to take, the insight of a professor can be valuable and useful in making a suitable decision. A professor can give you information on how certain classes are better to take in the fall or spring instead of the summer due to the workload. The privilege of having an advocate i.e., your professor, to advance your academic journey is advantageous to you. This is the result of favoritism.

FAVORTISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Working in Corporate in the United States is not for the weak. Your performance alone will not get you the corner office, and being nice will not do it either. As a recent college graduate, I can assure you strategy is what you need, and if you think about it, we( other recent college graduates) have been doing it all along.

For instance, the interviewer asks you, “why did you leave your last job?” We learn to omit certain information because the actual reason does not serve a purpose for what we want. I do not know about climbing several positions on the corporate ladder as I do not have much experience as of now to share on how to do that. However, I have worked as an associate and been part of a larger group within a company. I have learned that there is one thing that can help you get recognized by the boss who makes decisions on promotions and project placements and ultimately is vital to your career.

• Provide usefulness to the company:

Your place of work provides you with income. Something that is within your control to maintain that source of income is to give your employer a reason why you are needed in the first place. Think bigger than your required tasks. 

There are usually two ways people provide usefulness, from my observation. One way is by saving the company money, and the other is by maximizing revenue. However, if you are a manager, I learned in my Financial Management class your goal is to maximize shareholder’s wealth. 

It is essential to be of value to your employer because it validates their decision to extend the job offer to you. It was not about improving their diversity quota or showing pity. Deep down, your employer believed you could bring something to the table that the other candidates failed to say or show. 

When you are valuable to the company, your boss ought to notice. If they do not, it is essential that you make your boss aware. It will give you leverage when you ask for a raise. As a recent graduate, see how you can become the only one that can provide a specific task or trait to become a necessity and, therefore, indispensable. This can be challenging because an employee is dispensable. But it is worth a try?

Ask yourself during your reflection time, ideally before your yearly performance review, do I provide solutions to my boss’s pain points, or do I offer solutions that my boss can gain from? If you need help figuring it out, what is a pain point for my boss? Ask the boss directly. 

They will appreciate that you are trying to lighten their load. It might even benefit you to ingratiate yourself with those the boss relies on significantly. Observe their interactions and see who can be your advocate if the boss is reluctant to admit the value you bring. The favor your advocate can bring is a subtle move but quite effective. Your performance + your boss’s awareness of the value you bring to the company is the Favoritism in the workplace you need to advance your career.

BOTTOM- LINE

Favortism in the workplace can take place in several forms. As new college graduates, we must learn how to use favor to our advantage to get where we think we can be. Favortism in the workplace is advantageous to you because it helps to progress your goals further. If you are interested in the video on how to stand out in the workplace, click here!

Thank you for reading!