Coming from a family with a strong work ethic provided Sarah Carey with the necessary strength to overcome adversary and learn many life lessons which benefitted her in her business career. Her family business encompassed auctioneering, retail, teaching, farming as well as a strong involvement in local politics, her father William was a councillor on Meath County Council for 47 years.
These life lessons stood her well through a range of careers which included: marketing roles with Esat Telecom and Cape Clear, strategic consultant and writer with Cuil, the internet search engine, radio presenter with national station Newstalk, newspaper columnist with Irish Times, Sunday Times and Irish Independent, a Director of Strategic Communications with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) as well as chair, MC, facilitator and speaker at many national conferences and events.
In this conversation with Jim and Ellen she discusses the ups and downs of this varied career. She entered Trinity College to study history aged 17 and although always wanting to be a journalist, immediately on graduating she went to work with the Education Building Society (EBS).
On advice from a friend, she wrote to entrepreneur Denis O’Brien seeking work with the newly formed Esat Telecom. She went through some intense interviews and was given the choice of three jobs; she chose one in marketing. When she told her boss in the EBS he told her that if it didn’t work out there would always be a place for her at the EBS. Although she later saw examples of misogyny in various workplaces this was one of the many men, she worked with who had no such attitude towards woman.
Describing her career, she said that there were lots of bumps along the way but also events that energised her. Writing a blog while at home following the birth of two of her children led to becoming a columnist with the Sunday Times. It was something she was reluctant to take but the Irish Editor at the time would not take no for an answer, say that as she was writing a daily blog called GUBU- “An Irish woman’s social, political and domestic commentary” she would be well capable of writing a weekly column.
Her lessons and advice from what she terms her portfolio career included:
*Get involved. Her involvement in debating, research and networking in Trinity College stood to her in her working career, particularly now when chairing, MCing and facilitating at conferences and events.
* If you are facing adversary, keep going, you have no choice.
* Understand what’s on social media is only a tiny tiny part of life.
* Don’t stay in a negative environment.
* For management. If having an issue with staff, listen to them.
* Stay calm under pressure.
This is an energetic conversation covering a whirlwind of a career.
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#Career tips #Trinity College #Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School #Marketing #Overcoming adversary #Irish Independent #Irish Times #Sunday Times #Newstalk #Appeals Board of the Architects and Chartered Surveyors #Denis O’Brien #Philip Boucher-Hayes #Tom McEnaney #Fiona McHugh #Terry Prone #Enda Kenny
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