Co-Author, Charisel Dela Peña
The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down in just a few months. Almost overnight, the way we work, study, and live has drastically changed. Without any warning, the “new normal” has arrived.
In the Philippines, over one million workers were displaced due to the coronavirus outbreak. As much as businesses wanted to continue operating and paying their employees, the lack of cash flow has made it difficult for them, especially those in the most highly affected industries.
For people who have adapted to online technologies for work and learning years ago, the anxiety or the fear of uncertainty was of lesser extent — though not totally stress-free. For those who have been caught off guard by the pandemic due to lack of skill sets and tools needed to navigate the “new normal,” this pandemic is a total reset. And for those who have lost their jobs either temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic, this crisis offers an opportunity for them to rethink their career choices.
Whatever situation you’re in right now as the pandemic continues, it will be up to you to decide how you will bounce back when the crisis is over. As you make career choices on whether you’re changing jobs, staying in your current company, or starting to explore other opportunities, learning from other professionals will help you make better choices and decisions when it comes to your next career move.
We put together these pieces of advice from 86 Filipino professionals on LinkedIn. These will inspire and guide you through the post-COVID-19 time, which we call the new normal. Here’s what they have to say:
#1. Be authentic. Ask for help if you need one. Always be willing to help if someone needs one. — Ken Lerona
#2. You can never be too small to dream big. Be the most absorbent sponge who can learn from others, no matter how different they are from you. Be the pineapple despite moments of stress: stand tall, continue wearing your crown, and stay sweet. ???? — Jonathan Yabut
#3. Never stop learning. Connect and always welcome opportunities. — Patrick Jess A. Dimayuga
#4. “SMASH”! This is an acronym I made up (and is one of my more popular Motivational Talks) which stands for: “Success is a Matter of Successful Habits”. We all know what it would take to succeed. It is not a mystery at all. The trick would simply be to “smash” through the wall that has been limiting our progress forward. — Ben Ampil
#5. Never say NO to any assignments, projects, and opportunities that will come along your way. Always be ready to learn something new or something more. Life will never stop teaching, so keep learning new things and even relearn what you have thought to have known. — Oliver Requilman
#6. Think big. Work hard. Keep learning and be the best you can ever be. — Francis Kong
#7. The world owes us nothing. We work for everything, but this is by no means an excuse to be selfish. GIVE whatever it is you have, no matter how little, for it is only in giving that we truly become successful. — Jose Enrico V. Libunao
#8. Value each second that you have as well as the people you meet. Always look for an opportunity to help people, learn from mistakes and keep moving forward. — Paul Garcia
#9. Have a better understanding of where you really stand. What’s impressive for you might not be impressive for others. The more you know, the more exposed you are, the more you know where you really stand. — Patt Soyao
#10. Aspire to Inspire; Create Leaders that can help change the world. — Darwin Rivers
#11. Always be positive, work hard, never give up and never forget where you came from. My dad started working the rice fields at age 7 in the province of Nueva Viscaya. He was then in the military, a seaman and eventually migrated to the US to start a landscaping company which he has owned for close to 40 years. — Jordan Mendoza
#12. Remember the saying: you first form your habit, then your habit forms you. Develop a habit and attitude of learning. Listen more. Take down notes. Acknowledge your mistakes and grow from them! Read! The world’s best mentors are literally within your reach. Be conscious of how you spend your time. — Mark Laurence Relova
#13. You don’t know what you are capable of until you step out that door, and do what you’ve got to do. You have a purpose that only you can fulfill. You have gifts that can make that purpose happen. Pray for it, discern it, and your life will never be the same again. Don’t go for success, go for significance. Believe in a cause greater than yourself. Make the world a better place, one day, one person at a time through the work that you do. — Raymond Victorino
#14. Failure is part of the process. It’s not the end of all ends. It helps build courage, confidence and strength. Keep moving forward. — Sheena Yap Chan
#15. Love & Believe in yourself. Be the uplifting friend to yourself. Recognize your strengths & use it to your advantage. Stay positive & Be happy. — June Myrrh Dueñas
#16. Don’t let a day pass by without learning anything. Life will always give us lemons but if we don’t make a lemonade out of it, we will gain nothing. There is always a silver lining in every bad situation. What’s important is you move on and move forward. Keep on learning and gathering experience till the day comes that you need not introduce yourself anymore. — Froilan N. Aloro
#17. Reinvent to become the best version of Y-O-U! — Dennis De Silva
#18. Be a lifelong learner. Learn from successes and failures of business leaders. — Josiah Go
#19. The “right people” are not always those with already excellent skills but mostly those who have the enthusiasm to learn and contribute. There has never been a sure formula in finding such candidates, and this, among other things, is what makes recruiting a challenge. — Luigi Felix D. Simbulan
#20. Understand yourself better first before you listen to, get inspired from or follow what others do. — Rey Baguio
#21. It is a lot of work. You have to have guts. Be committed and always remember that nothing is temporary and if you work hard enough, you will prosper. — Maria Korina Bertulfo
#22. Our careers, like life itself, is always a continuing journey with peaks and valleys. Always focus on the experience and learnings as you go along. Never forget to be grateful for the blessings that you receive, and always share them when you can. — Ian Santos
#23. My number one advice for Filipino professionals is to be more generous. Be more giving without worrying or thinking about what you will get in return. The best things I’ve received in my life were during moments where I just gave it my all, without thinking of what I could receive or get back in return. So go ahead and give more. Want to get that promotion? Do more than what is expected of you. Want to close that client? Catch them off-guard by giving a sample size of your work for FREE. Want to get closer to that mentor? Offer something that would benefit him/her first. Be generous and think more about how you can add value to others. Start there, and you’ll be on your way to an amazing journey of abundance. — Nix Eniego
#24. Take responsibility for your life. Dream bigger, believe in yourself and take action. Practice persistence and remember, we can all be the best version of ourselves. — Ana Maria (Penny) Bongato
#25. Find your voice in the global stage and fearlessly and melodiously transform the world through excellence, creativity, and kindness. — Eric Riego de Dios
#26. Adapt a mentality of being helpful to others. A true leader is someone who makes a conscious decision to look after their team members, even if they don’t hold high positions in the organization – never wait for you to be promoted before you start leading because leadership has nothing to do with rank. — Shekinah Anne Ong-Garcia
#27. Be on LinkedIn. You can get a lot of learning and motivation. This will somehow guide you on your career aspiration and life goals. It will help you to find your “purpose”. — Jextaire Fabian
#28. Your professional growth will depend on two things; your ability to accumulate knowledge, and your courage to use them. — Edwin Ebreo
#29. God has given each of us a mission, our own race. Seek to find that race, and run it. Set and beat your own goals and lastly, aim to finish well. — Jeff Manhilot
#30. Let’s not create limits on ourselves. I’ve met people who, the moment they see a wall in front of them, they stop and retreat, not knowing that most walls can be scaled over, and most walls can be avoided. As long as what you’re pursuing is not immoral and not illegal, keep on going forward. When God opens a door, don’t be afraid to barge into it. If what you’re pushing to pursue is worth it, fight. Keep running and one day when you look back at life, you’ll be surprised with what you’ve learned and achieved. It definitely won’t be a loss. — Frances Rachel Kong
#31. Choose Passion. Think of how you can contribute to making the world a better place to live in without having to think of what the world can give back to you. — Mikel Leroi Balansag
#32. Fight for your goals and never give up on your dreams. If you fail, it is okay but you get up again and persevere more. It’s also important to find a job that you enjoy, so you are motivated to go to work everyday. — Sheila Lobien
#33. Take advantage of the myriad of influences that you have gained through the years and use these to mold you into a global citizen that can lead people of whatever nationality in whatever field or industry you are in. — Ernesto ‘Boogie’ C. Boydon
#34. Don’t be afraid to fail. — Gina Romero
#35. Never settle for their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations to just forever stay as they are. The Filipino people’s greatest challenge is not in thinking. It’s in doing and being consistent in and focused on it. — Myron Sta. Ana
#36. Know what you want and plan it. Work your plan and do the things that will help you achieve your goals. Never give up. — Fulgencio Jeronimo Reyes
#37. Do not let other people define SUCCESS for you. And please STOP measuring your success based on someone else’s achievements. You, alone, can give the best definition. You, alone, can plan on how you can achieve it. and YOU, alone can MAKE IT HAPPEN. Also, be SOMEONE you dream of shaking hands with. — Melany D. Punzalan-Tagalogon
#38. Now is the best time to take advantage of the Linkedin platform. Seek what you can do and help rather than looking for what it can give you. The rewards will come at the least expected moment. — Remy Timbol
#39. Get out of the Filipino bubble. There is so much happening outside your own immediate circles. We miss out so much on not interacting with people from other cultures and backgrounds. — Gino Borromeo
#40. How to be a good employee? Think like you own the business. How to be a good employer? Think and feel like your own employee. Empathy works when people are open to other people’s views. It can never work with you looking at it in just one direction. Balance is the goal. — Cielo Marte Presas
#41. We now live in a global arena where traditions and cultures are lost in the name of globalization — NEVER PRETEND who you are not. Love your own culture, heritage, roots — and above all, in a global arena, the best move is always one that is genuine and truthful. — Alfredo Villagonzalo Primicias III
#42. The gap between knowing and doing is greater than the gap between ignorance and knowledge. Getting things done is half the process. So, go now and do it! — Boris Joaquin
#43. Aim to be globally competitive, globally recognized and be at par with global standards. — Ma. Coreen Atencio
#44. Keep hustling. — Steve Sy
#45. Be the best that you can be; Make things happen not let things happen; Change starts from us; Build leaders who can change the world. — Ericson A. del Castillo
#46. Find a problem you so passionately want to solve and build a career out of it. — Miggy Azurin
#47. Love yourself by honing your craft. Love your organization by helping build a great employer brand. Love your country by paying it forward. Love God by touching the lives of your fellow and making them a better version of themselves. — Mark Lord D. Limson
#48. Always empty your cup. Be a lifelong learner. Never stop learning. You can only find the value of who you are and what you do by the impact you contributed to the bigger success of people around you. Do not be afraid to go out of your comfort zones. And lastly, arm yourself with sound personal finance foundations so you can help end generational poverty in the Philippines. — Katherine Castro
#49. Have GUTS.
G – God. Believe in God and in yourself. It all starts with believing.
U – Understanding Accountability. Have a complete understanding of accountability. Making sure that you’re doing all your tasks for your business or career goals.
T – Thankfulness. Be grateful for everything. Even if things aren’t going well or according to plan, always look at the brighter side.
S – Share. Share some resources you have. Whether it’s time, knowledge or even money. Yes. I’m a huge believer in tithing. Giving 10% of my sales to the church where I belong. I believe that everything belongs to God and I’m just a steward. Isn’t it better to give than to receive? If you give, you’ll surely receive 10x fold. — Jane Martinito
#50. I always advise professionals to continuously learn and improve their craft. Take time to meditate, reflect and practice mindfulness everyday. Build your network horizontally and vertically (depth of relationship) and above all- share what you know. — Roy Marvin E. Quejada
#51. For Filipino Professionals, Entrepreneurs and Freelancers , I recommend including LinkedIn in your top 3 Social Media platforms to use to attract business opportunities and for professional advancement. — Delby P. Bragais
#52. Be authentic by knowing who you are to the core — your passion, values and purpose. It is by knowing who you are and bringing it online that you get to attract people who share the same interests as yours. When you get to that point, it is so much easier to build trust and establish relationships. — Jennette Cajucom
#53. Lead based on who you are, not what others want you to be. — Lloyd Luna
#54. My advice is for Filipino professionals to work hard and to not be afraid of trying new things that may help them succeed. — Gerard Peter B. Que
#55. Never force yourself in a career that doesn’t make you happy. People don’t thrive where they don’t belong. When there’s no longer intent to thrive or a lack of understanding of what sustains you, when there’s no more fulfillment, when it has become stagnant, don’t hesitate. It’s time to walk away. You can’t force a career to grow if that career is not meant for you, know your purpose and so you can find where you’ll thrive and grow better. — Michael Ronquillo
#56. You can achieve anything you set your mind to but you gotta be willing to pay for the price to achieve greatness. — Mikki Sachiko Flores
#57. Make connections and Be gritty. Generation Z already hit the workplace last year. Millennials already occupy the majority of the middle management posts and some have taken risks into entrepreneurship elevating them as CEO’s of their business. Continue to be passionate in what you do, understanding that courage isn’t always measured by how loud you shout and say fight! Oftentimes, it is that soft whisper to yourself, “I can do better tomorrow!” — Paul Abello
#58. Reach out to professionals who share your beliefs, your passions. Collaborate. You’d never know what you and the others can do together, which you normally won’t be able to do alone. Connect to do more, to give more, to be more. — Adolfo Aran Jr.
#59. Never be afraid to reinvent yourself and take risks. Continuously invest in your learning and building good networks. Never burn bridges. — Lorybeth Baldrias-Serrano
#60. Show up for others, set healthy boundaries. Sometimes the world will seem too big for you; other times it will feel so tiny you can hold it in your hands. Whatever space you are in, know that you matter and that your presence makes a difference. You can choose to add value to others, to serve, to lead and be led, and to live a purposeful life. Find your truth. And then find your voice. Learn to discern. You are more powerful than you think, so work hard, be kind, stay humble. In a world full of brains, we all could use more heart. — Jing San Gabriel
#61. Nihil Timendum Est [Fear Nothing]. Build value first, then everything follows. Anything that is valuable takes time to develop. Stick to your goals and be deliberate on what you wanted to do. Impossible can be translated to “I’m possible”. For everything else beyond your control, trust the Almighty. — Francis Gary Viray
#62. Be true to yourself and to everyone you interact with online. There’s no reason why you should fake your achievements or hide your moments of defeat. In fact, people would know when you’re just blabbing about your “success.” Be someone whom they can trust. ???? — Nica Valdeavilla
#63. Invest in continuing education because this will give you a lot of success options in your future. — Dr. Noel “Weng” Tarrazona
#64. Commit to life-long learning, encourage others to make calculated mistakes for this is the most effective way to engrave learning and share what you have learned. Aim to make a mark on other people’s lives. — Malissa Ancajas
#65. Build your digital presence, the benefits will surely amaze you. — Cathy Perez
#66. Find a profession that you would love. Embrace challenges to learn and grow from them. Never give up. — Christopher A. Suntay
#67. Be the best version of who you are. Stop trying to please people, and don’t let the opinion of others define you. Find a career that you love and give your best there, and your success will slowly fall into place. If you don’t give up, your season will come. You are an overcomer! — JPaul Hernandez
#68. Don’t stop learning. Don’t let challenges stop you, learn & grow from the challenges & always be the best version of yourself. — Leylord Marcelino
#69. There’s no elevator to success. Be diligent. Keep learning. — Emilio Macasaet III
#70. Decide what is the area that you want to change the world in and become a thought leader there. That means you’ve got to research and study the field and become an expert. Identify early on in the journey who are the specific people you want to help and take care of them then enrich the entire LinkedIn community by sharing information on the topics that are relevant to the people that you want to help, because at the end of the day you always receive more when you give more. — Francis Miranda
#71. Think global. The world stage is waiting for you. Focus, persevere, expand your network, continuously improve and use the Filipino value of ‘malasakit’ to conquer the world. — Jay Olos
#72. Stay focused and don’t lose sight of your dreams no matter how hard the path is. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. Live life with a purpose and when you reach the top, pay it forward by lending your hand to those who want to follow their dreams, too. — Jennifer Pacilan
#73. In today’s fast-changing world, you always have to be in the know. Never stop learning and reinventing yourself. If you want to be something, work hard for it and once you have it, learn to appreciate it. — Mohana Serrano
#74. If you want to be good at something, the quickest way is to always find a mentor who will guide you and point you to the right path! — Dominic Barrios
#75. Do what God called you to do. Seek for a higher purpose. Pursue significance over success. At the end of our life, people will never remember our achievements, but our acts of kindness. — Daisy Callanta
#76. Strive for excellence. But always have the heart to acknowledge our mistakes and try again. Value your character more than success. — Ronaldo Turla
#77. Keeping EMPATHY in mind will affect how you view the other person and influence how you deal with them. — Rock Cleo
#78. Understand yourself and expand your conscious awareness. Once you understand your capacity and amazing reservoirs of talent and ability as a human being, you can bend reality towards a life that truly makes you happy, fulfilled, and contributing regularly to this world in need of Love. — Martine De Luna
#79. Stay productive. Pursue activities with less effort but higher returns. Use your time wisely. Money is not your real enemy because you can always recover it. Time wasted is gone forever. — Jonah Chipeco
#80. Don’t just jump into the bandwagon because everyone’s doing it or you feel that there’s no other way. Remember you are not them and they are not you. Take time to really get to know yourself and intentionally design a career for yourself. You have all the answers, you are capable beyond what you think, and you have what it takes to turn your dreams to reality. — Kristine “Kurly” de Guzman
#81. Whatever activity related to your work, whether you like it or not, persevere to do it well. It’s not about liking everything that you do, it’s about liking to do it well in order for you to build character and the capability for whatever role/goal you choose to pursue. I can assure you that the dots will connect later on. — Tom Immanuel M. Santos
#82. It’s not all about salary. The greatest achievement and wealth you can attain as a professional are life-long learnings and relationships with your mentors, bosses, and other professionals. — Kristine Anne Taton
#83. In whatever you do, always strive to provide and to be of value. This comes in the big things such as quality of work output to the small things such as speaking up in meetings or sharing one’s suggestions and insights. By providing value you are not only improving yourself but also helping others and the organization you work for. — Ma. Monique Castro
#84. Always strive to strengthen the intelligence that is not artificial, add our hearts and hands to it, and be adaptive. Use technology to our advantage. — Veronica T. Estrella
#85. Be bold – the biggest obstacles to success are in our own heads. — Cara Wilson
#86. Learning something new each day has always been my guide post in all my professional actions and decisions and this mindset has served me well in developing my skills and expertise for the next amazing career opportunity that aligns with what I love to do and where I can most contribute. — Marla Garin-Alvarez
Now’s the time to take charge of your own career. Whether you’ve been laid off during the pandemic or you’re making career shifts and exploring other opportunities, remember that now, more than ever, you need to take charge of your own career.
Take what you can learn from these pieces of advice. And be ready to successfully navigate through the new normal as you make career choices that can change your life forever. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them on LinkedIn, and you might just receive a more personalized career advice from them!
