If the first female CEO of Big Blue thinks she’s under-qualified, one wonders how the rest of women are stacking up on the self-confidence and self-promotion scales? There has been a lot of discussion recently about women’s tendency to think of themselves — and promote themselves — less assertively than men. These calls to action are inspirational, but maybe there’s another way for women to think about this issue–a way that’s less about inspiration, and more about cold, hard math.

Here’s where I think women get it wrong: we are perpetually rounding down, where, by all rules of mathematics, we should be rounding up. And that slight miscalculation has huge repercussions in our professional lives.

In school, if you graduate with a 3.76 grade point average, you round up and call it a 3.8. In politics, when the polls tell you candidate A is leading the pack at 28%, you can sure bet the numbers didn’t shake out to a perfect integer. And when economists talk about our federal deficit, they’re rounding up (or down) to the nearest gazillion.

This isn’t fudging the numbers, or being deceitful; it’s an accepted mathematical tool that says that when the amount by which you round is small in comparison to the magnitude of the quantity you are measuring, it’s just as well to go with a, well, “round” number.

But that small difference can still have a dramatic effect. Take Vegas, where the casinos have built a hugely profitable business model on seemingly tiny odds. The house advantage in blackjack is a mere 0.17% on a single-deck game (The advantage goes up from there–potentially as high as 0.66% for multiple decks). But that 0.17% edge is all the house needs to make heaps of money over the long term. For women, a seemingly small delta could be equally powerful. 

And yet, women aren’t using this mathematical convenience correctly, or to their benefit. Instead, we inevitably place outsized value on the downside of our calculations, on the outstanding risks, on the unknown. Similar to Rommety thinking she wasn’t qualified for the job, women round down: if we’re 60% qualified for a job, we give ourselves a 0 and don’t apply. Why round down rather than up when we’ve long been taught that a 0.5 gets rounded up to 1? And even when we feel 70%, 80% or 90% qualified for a job, we’d never be so bold as to round ourselves up to 100%. We look at that margin of error and assume the worst, not the best. But rational math actually tells us that we should be rounding up in that scenario.

A female CEO of a commodities trading firm once told me about her internal hiring challenges. She said that every time she posted a job opening requiring eight qualifications for a candidate, she would have a trove of men banging down her door demanding the job or promotion. They would invariably tell her they were the absolute right person for the job while actually only having four, maybe five of the qualifications listed. She’d then notice that no senior women approached her about the job. So she would reach out instead, and time and time again, the women would respond, “I wanted to apply, but I only have six of the qualifications, so I’m not the right person.” The men rounded up, often lobbying for the job when they had a mere 50% of the stated qualifications (not even 51%!) while the women with 75% of the skills needed, took themselves out of the running. The men, masters of rounding up, had given themselves a chance, while the women, more qualified than any of them, had simply bowed out.

What a revolution we could unleash if women simply started using principles of mathematics to round correctly — and to prove to ourselves that our ideas are brilliant, our contributions worthwhile, our monetary value equal to that of our male counterparts! This small but cold, hard, rational tweak in our thinking could have a major impact on our outcomes: higher salaries, better jobs, and a real, true strength we’ve been afraid to admit is ours.

The old saying goes “size doesn’t matter” but you seem to think that it does– and in fact bigger is not necessarily better.  Can you explain that?

Size doesn’t matter. But satisfaction does. Too many entrepreneurs are told and believe that bigger is always better. As a result they pursue a “growth for growth’s sake” business model and make steep compromises in the process. Instead we encourage entrepreneurs to be very clear about their own motivations and goals and then build a company that is big enough to achieve that. Only your specific goals can determine the right business size. Very small companies can be very successful and satisfying or limiting depending on those goals. But it’s misguided and unsustainable to think that success comes from having a bigger business – more employees, more customers, more locations, etc. You can’t measure success with external comparisons or by following “proven” business models. You can only achieve success by making sure you get what you want from entrepreneurship.

What should your goals be as you start your own company?

We aren’t in the business of telling people what their goals should be. Instead we are in the business of helping people to identify and honor their goals as their build their companies. I think people underestimate the variety of reasons that entrepreneurs strike out on their own. Some want freedom, others autonomy over their time; others desire creative control, while others can’t stand being told what to do. Each wants to make money – but that amount can vary greatly. No matter what your specific motivations are, they have profound implications for not only how you initially structure your company but how you continue to grow it as well.

How does this approach impact you and your partner Amy Abrams, in launching and running your own business?

It means that we have trained ourselves to ask very different questions when considering a particular opportunity. Instead of asking if people will buy it or whether something will make us more money, we ask questions such as: Is this really the business that we are in? Is this want we want to be known for? Will this give me the opportunity to do more of the work I love or less? Will this require me to compromise on something that is personally important to me? Will this help me achieve the kind of success I am looking for?

This kind of continual evaluation isn’t easy but it’s worth it!

As you ask in the book, what do you (and Amy) do best?

We do very different things best. I love information gathering, writing, thought leadership, strategy, execution, and learning. I am very good at details when I want to be but if my role is too-operational I get bored. I am also fairly introverted. It’s easy for me to spend a lot of time with my computer. I’m less inclined to meet people in person without a structure or purpose. Doing the interviews and promoting this book has required a lot of in person time but because there is a structure I’ve surprisingly been very comfortable with and energized by it. I love having time to explore and learn online (via blogs and social media) and reading magazines (like Businessweek, Newsweek, Inc., Fast Company) and business books. If I don’t have enough time to do that I lose energy. I have a really high sense of urgency so working for myself is a good fit. Operating under someone else’s slow timeline is excruciating for me.

There are lots of parts of my business that are well-suited for my skills and traits…and that is by design. But I’ve also had to surround myself with others who really thrive off of regular in-person connectivity and interaction. That’s why my partner is a giant extrovert!

What’s the one thing every entrepreneur should take away from this book?

It’s never too late to make your business work better for you. We all get it wrong from time to time and we’ve all been off-track. But no matter the compromises that you may have made, you are still the boss. It’s up to you where to go next and how to best achieve the rewards you want. Entrepreneurship isn’t being right or wrong it’s about continuous adaption and evolution. Your business gives you the opportunity to have the work and life you want on your terms, but you need to take advantage of that opportunity because it doesn’t happen on its own.

Adelaide Lancaster is an entrepreneur, speaker and co-author of The Big Enough Company: Creating a business that works for you (Portfolio/Penguin). She is also the co-founder of In Good Company Workplaces, a first-of-its-kind community, learning center and co-working space for women entrepreneurs in New York City. She is a contributor to The Huffington Post, a columnist for The Daily Muse and writes The Big Enough Company blog for Forbes.com. She lives in Philadelphia, PA with her husband and daughter. You can follow her on twitter here and here and on Facebook too.

Back in the day when I was growing up (think early 80′s) there wasn’t an adult whom I didn’t address as Mr. or Mrs. so and so. Grown ups were addressed with deference, distance, and formality and we kids knew what the protocol was. Today, I have a four-year-old whose friends all call me Jodi — and if someone were to address me as Mrs. Glickman, I’d do a double take and assume they were talking to my mother.

As goes our social world, so too goes the workplace. Addressing people by their first name is now the norm in corporate America (though not in the rest of the world — to the ongoing consternation of business travelers). And while there are critics and bow-tied traditionalists who will decry such an outrage or indecency or informality, I think that we all need to get with the times.

Using first names to address colleagues, clients, and bosses at work is good for both young and old, junior staffers and senior executives alike. For junior employees, it levels the playing field; for senior or “seasoned” managers, it implies accessibility — a commodity of increasing value in today’s social and digital age.

Level the playing field

When, as a young person, you address someone as Mr. or Ms., you immediately establish yourself as either a) younger or b) lower status, neither of which is particularly helpful to your cause professionally. Instead, walking into a room confidently with a “Hello, John, nice to meet you. I’m Jodi Glickman. It’s a pleasure to be here” establishes you as both confident and mature. It minimizes that status gap rather than amplifying it with a “Hello Mr. Smith, I’m Jodi…”

I learned and saw the value of this lesson early on. I was 29 years old when I started as a junior associate on Wall Street. I looked 25 if I was lucky. I was immediately thrown into meetings with senior bankers and corporate titans. My associate class was told by senior management explicitly to refer to everyone by first names, and not to use Mr. or Mrs., even with CEOs, as it would diminish our own standing. We were professionals, after all, just like the VIPs we were interacting with.

For me, knowing I had the backing of senior management to address clients by their first names helped with some of the fear I had of working with people much older (and presumably a lot smarter) than myself. That first name basis set the tone for future interactions and communicated to the lofty CEOs that we, the junior bankers, were in fact valued and had real contributions to make to the conversation.

Accessibility wins the day

As for managers and executives, the flat organization is where it’s at. Hierarchies are seen as stiff, outdated, stifling — in today’s social and digital age, innovation is the name of the game. Age and status cease to have a corner on the market. The move to the use of first names is part of this cultural shift of power to the people.

As Gary Hamel said in The Future of Management, “Hierarchies are good at aggregating effort (coordinating activities of many people) but they’re not very good at mobilizing effort — inspiring people to go above and beyond.” In our tech-savvy, hyper connected and social world, management innovation almost always pushes power downward and outward.

Demanding an underling use a more formal title now seems ridiculously outdated and perhaps even pompous. Richard Branson is a Sir and he goes by Richard and Oprah bared all in her behind-the-scenes show this spring — not once did I see a staffer call her Ms. Winfrey. By having your subordinates call you by your first name, you emphasize your accessibility without (as you may fear) diminishing your own authority or status.

It may be counterintuitive to look a powerful CEO in the face for the first time and call them boldly by their first name. And it may be hard as that CEO to swallow it. Maintaining the balance between informality and proper lines of authority and deference can be difficult. But this shift echoes the larger move to a more open, informal, and egalitarian business culture. To get left behind is to risk branding yourself as a dinosaur, and a less powerful/authoritative one at that.

Tempting as it may be, just because you are offered a promotion doesn’t necessarily mean you have to accept it.  In fact, self-aware employees consider the extra responsibilities that come with a promotion and turn down the job if they feel the job exceeds their capabilities.  If you are a rising star who senses that you’ve been offered a promotion you may not be ready for, here are some issues to think through:

Can you handle the workload? How are others at this level getting along?  Are they drowning or are they able to maintain some semblance of work/life balance?

Do you want the workload? What are the daily responsibilities of individuals at this level?  Do their days involve activities you enjoy, like traveling, attending strategic meetings, and managing finances?

Will you be adequately compensated? Will the increase in your salary be worth the extra hours and responsibilities?

Does this promotion take you in the right direction? Will this promotion allow you to clearly map your path over the next five years?  Will you be able to continue your climb, and is the final destination be somewhere you want to be?

Are you prepared to manage the staff? What do you know about the people you are inheriting?  Do you already have positive relationships with some individuals?  Is there a collaborative spirit among the group?

What if you’ve carefully considered these questions and you feel that accepting the promotion is not the right move to make?  It is indeed possible to turn it down without losing your job.  Best practices for saying no to a promotion include:

Give it a few days:  Even if you think you know your answer right away, nothing can be gainedfrom jumping the gun.  Tell your boss you’d like to have 48 hours to consider the offer and you will come across as mature and thoughtful rather than brash and ungrateful.

Be gracious: Speaking of which, when you re-approach your manager about the offer, start by thanking him for the opportunity and telling him how much you appreciate his faith in you (for example, you might say:  “I’m really flattered that you feel I’ve made such strides, and I’m looking forward to making X, Y, and Z contributions in this role next year ).  Be careful not to act as if his decision was a bad one (for example, don’t say:  “I just don’t think I’m the right person for the job”).

Sell them on the status quo: Tell your manager why you feel it’s best for the organization if you stay in your current position.  You might say, for example, that you really love your job and still feel like you could add a lot of value to the role.  You might also talk about uncompleted projects that you want to personally see to fruition.

Be flexible: Remember that by turning down the promotion, you are creating a problem for your boss – now he has to fill that job some other way.  So as best you can, try to compromise and perhaps even come up with an alternative solution.  For instance, maybe you can volunteer to assist in hiring a more senior individual and take on more responsibility until that person can get up and running.

Turning down a promotion is a difficult rite of passage in a rising star’s trajectory, but it’s better for your long-term career to exceed expectations in your current position and move up when you’re ready than be forced to wear shoes you can’t possibly fill.

Want to learn more about how you can protect your career from myths like “it’s best to climb the ladder as fast as possible”?  Check out Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success (Penguin/Berkley, October 2011).  You can also learn more about Alex at AlexandraLevit.com or follow her on Twitter at @alevit.

So, at twenty-one years old, 20% of us knew the field we wanted to be in (and would ultimately succeed in) and 3% of us got both the job and the industry right out of the starting gate.

Gen Y’s, don’t worry: this isn’t a cautionary tale; it’s a reprieve. Don’t worry so much about your first job — you’re probably not going to get it right anyway, and that’s okay.

What’s more, there are better things for you to worry about that will ensure that, no matter what job you choose today, you build skills and create options for the long-term.

Instead, worry now about learning, earning, and contributing. Those three areas will get you much farther than nights of stress worrying about what interviews you’ll get and which networking opportunities to approach.

Learn

When I graduated college, I headed off to the Peace Corps in Latin America to travel and change the world. Travel I did. I’m no so sure about changing the world. And I didn’t end up in the international aid field either.

But what I did do is learn a whole lot about myself, about relating to others, about adjusting expectations and managing difficult workplace environments. The Peace Corps demanded that I think outside the box, overcome challenges, problem solve in non-traditional environments, and push my self beyond my comfort zone (and then some). Beyond using those skills in my day-to-day work, I often use examples from that time period when I need to highlight my abilities.

Whatever first job you land after college, there is learning to be had. Be an observer of people and your environment. What is the team dynamic like? Why do people love (or hate) the boss? Who can you emulate or model yourself against as you move through the ranks? Why do the jerks who bring in the most accounts still get ahead? Who wields power and influence and who is relegated to the sidelines? How do people who always solve problems do it?

Earn

Doing what you love and making money doing it don’t always coincide. But making money often helps you ultimately do what you love. There is no shame in honest work. If you can’t land a job at Google or Groupon, don’t despair. Go get a job waiting tables, working at a call center, or freelance for a small business. Moonlight as an artist and build out your social media profile and skills. Blog on the side and work retail during the day. Just do something to make some cash, be able to support yourself, and hopefully start building a nest egg. I had multiple periods of “not having a real job” during my twenties. I temped, waitressed, barista’d, babysat, worked multiple jobs — I did everything I could to make ends meet between jobs and while searching for my next “real” thing.

That focus on earnings gave me flexibility and created choices. I was able to fly to D.C. (on my own nickel) for a long-shot interview (I got the job). I was able to take a GMAT class when, out of the blue, I decided to go to b-school. And years later, I was able to launch my own business as an entrepreneur after socking away my Wall Street salary post MBA. I’ve never had to forego a twist or turn in the road because I couldn’t support myself doing something new — continually being able to pay my bills (no matter how humble the job) has provided me with a sense of pride and a sense of empowerment.

Contribute

What Gen-Y’s (and in truth, everyone) most want is fulfillment and a sense of purpose. If you’re not utilizing your “highest and best” value in the marketplace, take that energy and enthusiasm and apply it elsewhere as a force for positive good. Do charity work on the side or join a non-profit board. Get involved with a cause or an organization you care about. Take the skills you’re hoping to build a career on and apply them to a local organization that needs your help. You’ll demonstrate your passion and conviction to future employers, and you might just make important connections that will lead to your next big thing. Crazier things have happened than landing your dream job because of volunteer work.

Even though it’s hard to imagine right now, the economy will turn around. Things will get better; they always do. As you wait out this recession, don’t think that your college degree is worthless: it’s not. Your lifetime earning potential is higher, your chances of unemployment are lower, and the benefits of the network you’ve built are incomparable and long lasting. And, as first generation digital natives, your tech savvy skills are invaluable.

Whatever you’re doing today or trying to do, keep in mind the learn, earn, contribute trifecta. If you can check off one or two at a time, you’ll ultimately end up with all three along the way — and find that career path or job or circuitous round-about path to happiness and prosperity somewhere in between.

October 11th: Biggest communication mistakes @ work

October 18th: Best practices in “managing-up”

October 25th: Social media in the office – what’s acceptable and what could get you fired

November 1st: How to prepare for a performance review

November 8th: Project management: Leading a team that delivers

November 15th: Feedback: How to give it – how to get it

November 22nd: Brand You: Building your reputation for results

November 29th: Productivity power: Best practices in time management

December 6th: Wellness @ Work: Healthiest habits for office life

December 13th: Career planning: How to figure out what you *really* want to do

We can’t wait for you to join us!  Got any other topics you want to discuss?  Leave a comment here and we’ll add ‘em to the line-up.  See you tonight on Twitter!

Guest Post by Annie Favreau

Informational interviews are one of the best, most under-utilized career tools at our disposal. These focused meetings with an expert in a field can give you first hand industry knowledge and help you greatly expand your network.

So why don’t more people use them? Informational interviews aren’t the sole domain of job seekers or new grads looking for their “big break.”  They can actually be gold for anyone looking to get ahead—whether that’s starting a blog, getting a book deal, or trying to take their career to the next level.  Here are five tips for making the most out of these short but sweet (and powerful) meetings:

1. Do Your Research

Before you schedule a meeting, make sure you’ve thoroughly researched the field or project you’re interested in. Whether you’re flipping through management books, scanning online resources, or talking to friends and family, this first step is vital.   You need to have some general ideas about the industry or the role of the person you’re targeting.  You shouldn’t walk into that meeting knowing absolutely nothing about what the other person and his company or organization does.

2. Know the Purpose of Your Meeting

Understand why you want the informational interview in the first place. You typically have twenty to thirty minutes to make a good impression and learn something, so “I want information” is not a compelling end goal.

Do you want to learn about a new industry or a specific work environment? Are you curious about what hurdles to expect when beginning a career as a graphic artist, production assistant or copy editor? Or are you interested in discovering the ins and outs of applying for a position with MTV?

Make sure to prepare questions in advance that will answer questions related to your objective.  If you want advice about starting a blog, ask your interviewee about which blogs she reads regularly or how she came up with her first editorial calendar.  If you’re interested in breaking into broadcast journalism, ask how your contact first got started or what she’d suggest a newbie do now to separate themselves from the pack.  Alternatively, if you’re just looking to pick someone’s brain about how they achieved success in their career or what advice they’d offer a newcomer, that’s okay too.

3. Do More Research

Don’t ask any questions you can find the answer to online.  That’s a waste of everyone’s time.  If you do your research well, you’ll avoid asking surface level questions when you get to the actual meeting. The kind of information you can learn in an informational interview is unique and highly valuable  (i.e. your contact’s personal, boots-on-the-ground experience), so don’t waste her time with meaningless, overly general questions.  Don’t be afraid to ask about opinions on general trends or the latest industry developments—just steer clear of facts and figures you can pull from the Internet.

4. Network, Don’t Job Hunt

The #1 cardinal rule of informational interviews for job seekers is this: don’t ask for a job. You may ask your contact for a limited number of introductions to other people in the field, but your goal is information gathering, not scooping a position.

The #2 rule is equally as important: be respectful. This means follow your contact’s lead as to when, where, and how (on the phone, in person, etc.) the meeting will take place. Taking notes during the meeting is highly recommended, but check that your contact is comfortable with that set-up before whipping out your paper and pen.

As for length, even the most successful interview should last no more than 30 minutes. It’s better to wrap up early and err on the side of politeness than to overstay your welcome. Remember, making a good impression leaves the door open for future meetings, networking opportunities, and a strong professional relationship. Making a bad impression with endless questions will kill your chance of building a meaningful and productive connection.

5. Pay it Forward

Say thank you immediately following the meeting by sending an email (if the interview was online or over the phone) or a handwritten note (if you met in person) expressing your appreciation for the other person’s time.  Moreover, think of yourself as your contact’s colleague, rather than simply as someone asking for a favor. Even if you’re not currently in a position to give back, be on the lookout for ways to repay their generosity down the line.

Annie Favreau writes for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site where people can discover what opportunities exist and learn what paths can take them there.

Originally posted in Harvard Business Review

Interns take note: energy and enthusiasm are no longer enough. You’ve got to bring something more meaningful to the table.

A friend and senior executive at Yelp recently shared how busy she was balancing a demanding job, a busy travel schedule, and a newborn at home. We were catching up at aNorthwestern University alumni event; so naturally I suggested she take on a student as a summer intern. She looked at me square in the eye, without a trace of irony and stated, “I have no time for an intern.”

Isn’t the whole point of an intern to make your life easier? When an overworked young Gen Y executive says she has no time for an intern, isn’t something wrong with our system? Interns aren’t supposed to be a drain on time, energy or resources.

In practice, however, they can be. In today’s competitive economy, where everyone is doing more with less, you’ve got to figure out a way to be value add from the start. Interns, you might just have to come up with your own projects, figure out how to insert yourself into team projects, or just navigate this crazy world of work all on your own. Here are several ideas of how to do that:

Take charge

One of the best ways to get ahead at work is to make your boss’ life easier or better. If you want an internship at Yelp, Everyblock, or with a small-business start-up, go ahead and propose your own projects. Think about areas that interest you and where you can add value. Then go ahead and pitch yourself as an integral part of the team. Show your new employer how you’re going to solve a specific problem, fill in a missing need, or simply be someone who can hit the ground running on a specific and manageable task. The “here’s what I can do for you” line is a lot more powerful than an “I’m excited to learn and do whatever you ask of me.”

Play to your strengths

Gen Y: You and your peers are tech-savvy to a degree most of your Gen X and Boomer counterparts simply can’t match. You have an intricate and intuitive understanding of the power of social media and you’re harnessing it in your personal lives daily. Think about how you can leverage your technological, well-connected selves to bring new skills to the marketplace. Can you set up online promotions for a company? Launch a twitter campaign, create and manage a LinkedIn group or beta-test a Facebook marketing push? Everyone wants to jump on the social media bandwagon these days, but many organizations don’t have the technical know-how to do it. Social networking/marketing presents a great opportunity to work on bite-size, measurable projects that you can start and finish during a summer internship.

Use the multiple-choice strategy

Contrary to popular belief, asking someone “How can I help?” isn’t all that helpful. Sure, your intentions are good, but asking your manager or boss how or where you can pitch in creates work for him in coming up with something for you to do.

If you really want to impress, go to your manager and use the multiple-choice strategy:

“Chris, I want to be as helpful as possible so I’ve thought about a few areas where I can jump in and help out. Would you like me to start pulling together materials for next week’s meeting, compile results from last week’s polling data, or research the local statutes that we’re basing the data on?”

Give Chris two or three concrete ideas of ways you can help out. It shows that you’re thinking about how best to put yourself to work. It also shows that you’re in the know, demonstrating for Chris that you have some idea about the workflow that’s going on around you. More often that not, Chris will take you up on one or two of your ideas, or the offer may prompt him to come up with something different entirely. Either way, you’ll make it easy on him to put you to work. Mission accomplished.

Don’t give someone the excuse to say they don’t have time for you. Take charge of your workload, play to your strengths ,and make it hard for someone to refuse your overtures of help.

“No one cares more about managing your career than you do,” a senior partner at Goldman Sachs once said to me. So now that you’re in the driver’s seat, how do you manage your all-important internship? More specifically, how do you make the experience worthwhile both from a learning perspective and from a strategic perspective — i.e. scoring a full-time offer, securing a great letter of reference or simply making a positive impression on your colleagues to leverage going forward?

Here’s an instructive way to think about where you are now, where you’re going, and how to get there — it’s called Your Personal Matrix and it includes a snapshot of your Current Situation along with your Wish List of where you hope to go/be:

Current Situation

The midpoint of your internship is a great time to take stock of where you’ve been. What have you learned and/or contributed thus far and who have you worked with or connected with? Go ahead and draw up your list — projects you’ve worked on, teams you’ve led, assignments you’ve asked for and experience you’ve gleaned — then be able to communicate those achievements to others.

What are you particularly proud of? What do you find yourself speaking about with colleagues or at social events? This isn’t your resume; it’s your dashboard of exciting projects or proud moments, notable wins or important milestones. At its most mundane, it might simply be a collection of tasks that now warrant your designation as someone experienced in a particular area or an acknowledgement of certain people within your organization with whom you’ve built meaningful relationships. In effect, these are your talking points about your summer internship to date.

Wish List

Your Wish List is hopefully more fun to dream up and represents your strategic direction or goal post. Where do you want to be by summer’s end? What types of projects do you want to work on that are reasonable and realistic — aspirational perhaps, but not completely out of left field? What do you need to learn or master? What do you want or need exposure to?

Next, who are the people that can help make those goals happen? Who are the decision makers, power brokers or wheelers and dealers in your organization who you can and should establish and build relationships with? Who are the rock stars that you can learn from? Who are the people slightly senior to you that might serve as mentors? Who are the executives who might serve as champions? Have you reached out to anyone on your list? Have you begun to build friends and allies within your organization?

Now What?

Once you’ve got your matrix, you have your starting point (Point A) and your end goal (Point Z). Filling in the blanks of how to get from here to there just got a whole lot easier. Not easy, mind you, but easier.

Start plotting points that will get you from A to Z with tangible, manageable steps. You can sit down with your manager for an informal conversation or at your midpoint review and ask to work with certain people or projects on your Wish List. Volunteer for new initiatives, ask for a specific project or assignment or just highlight your desire to work with Ben, Steve or the product development team in the coming weeks.

Whether or not you actually share your matrix with your manager or mentor, use it to guide your discussions around career development and next steps. If you’re so bold as to whip out the sheet of paper and show you’re boss that you’re thinking critically and strategically about what you want to accomplish or learn and who want to work with, you’re likely to impress. Even if you simply use the information to start a dialogue around your career development, you’re still in great shape. Essentially, you’re doing your manager’s work for her by giving her an outline of how to best put your talents to use over the next several weeks or months. Who wouldn’t appreciate that?

Lastly, keep your Personal Matrix tucked away for that next job or career change — and update it as needed. It’s a tool that will come in handy not only during your summer internship but over time in lieu of those college professors and advisors guiding you along the way.