As part of Avanade’s culture of mentorship and learning, every employee is assigned a career adviser (CA) who guides them through their career, helping everyone at Avanade grow professionally and feel inspired, confident and cared for. Career Adviser Spotlights shine a light on Avanade CAs who go above and beyond for their advisees.

This post features James Lin, Infrastructure Consulting Manager based in Los Angeles, California.

How long have you been a CA at Avanade?

6 years

What’s the most rewarding thing about being a CA?

Without a doubt, watching my advisees grow and become successful in their own ways.

What's the most challenging thing about being a CA?

Building trusting relationships with my advisees can be one of the biggest challenges for me. It’s a commitment to learn each person’s style, how they communicate, how they learn, what motivates them, and what hidden hurdles prevent them from realizing their potential. Some I can just click with right away, but others are more reserved. I have to be willing to try different things, but also realize that I won’t always succeed.

Describe a moment where you felt inspired, confident or cared for as a CA.

I still keep in touch with a lot of my former advisees. Seeing how they’ve grown in their careers and having them express appreciation for the positive impact I had is very rewarding and motivates me to keep doing it.

What advice would you give to fellow CAs?

CAs can have a very meaningful influence on someone’s career progression and success. Take the role seriously and do it well.

What advice would you give to someone in their first week of being a CA?

1. Get familiar with the Career Adviser Portal. The resources available to new CAs has really improved over the years. You don’t have to study all of it, but knowing what’s available and where to find it when you need it will go a long way to help you in your new role.
2. Talk to your fellow CAs to gain different perspectives. An experienced CA will have a wealth of personal anecdotes to share, while a relatively new CA can share their thoughts and experiences on what you’re going through now, since it’s still fresh.

Thanks James for sharing your perspective and for being a great CA!

When asked about what kind of CA James is, this is what we heard:

James Lin is a very dedicated CA. He has been part of the Career Adviser workstream in the Engagement Council working on different ways to improve the recognition of Career Advisers. I have seen how he genuinely cares for his advisees through note-taking, follow-throughs on actions both from his and his advisee’s side. He reaches out to his CA to get additional perspective and suggestions on addressing some of his advisee’s concern. This displays his passion for helping his advisees become successful both in their projects and in their careers.