Yesterday we attended the event organized by Esade Alumni "Challenging the status quo: how to build a successful career in the Pharma & Healthcare sector by breaking gender barriers".

The event consisted of two parts: a presentation of ShePharma (group that was born with the aim of promoting female talent in organizations), and a colloquium in which different industry professionals participated who shared their vision, and some high-value career management tips. 

Although the pharmaceutical sector is a much more advanced sector in terms of equality and conciliation, to date only 20% of Spanish pharmaceutical companies are led by a female CEO. 

A part of the session revolved around this theme, then giving rise to the speakers to give career advice to all the attendees of the session.

Specifically, these are the top 10 career tips applicable to any professional:

1. It's important to have a career plan, but you have to be open to change it. 

2. Curiosity leads to chance encounters. Sometimes you have to get carried away by curiosity and not follow the plan strictly.

3. It is necessary to "accompany" the teams, not "lead" them.

4. Not giving feedback to people on your team is unfair. It is important to give them the opportunity to know how they are perceived by the rest of the organization. 

5. It is essential to have 2 or 3 trusted people as career mentors.

6. You need to find a balance between personal and professional life. Without that balance, the two lives fail. 

7. You don't need to be 100% ready for the next step. You have to take (calculated) risks.

8. In a team, every maternity or paternity leave is a golden opportunity to grow a team member.

9. The moment you realize you're feeling bored, it's time to change and look for a new position.

10. We have to take responsibility for our careers and take charge of it. A good tip is literally to draw black on white your purpose and path to follow to achieve it.