Welcome to Work Smart, Powered by Ed Bray

I never had plans to create a website. I also never had plans to write a book, get a puppy, shave my head, grow a crazy beard, or get two tattoos. But 2020 happened, and I did all of those. As you know, this quirky year, a worldwide pandemic, and the work-from-home thing gave us time to think, reflect, act, and learn more than we ever knew—about ourselves, our world, our goals, and the sloppy habits of our roommates.

So when I woke up one morning in March 2020 reflecting on the fact I have worked for ten companies reporting to seventeen different managers over the past twenty-five years, I said to myself, “Is what I’ve learned in my career valuable to anyone?”

To which my teenage daughter said, “No, Dad, what you know isn’t all that relevant to anyone else (eye roll), can I borrow the car?” I knew I was onto something.

I thought about Jeopardy! Nope. My information is too narrow to successfully answer any category beyond “Things employees learn after working in ten companies for seventeen managers.”

Maybe I should share my wisdom with my family at the dinner table. Maybe for five minutes until three kids are back on Insta and I’d lose my captive audience.

How about employees starting their first job? I’ve worked in human resources and witnessed firsthand what it takes for an employee in their first job to succeed and what causes them to fail. I’ve met thousands of you fresh from college or other training. I know your fears and excitement. I know your questions. I am you.

I ran to the whiteboard (yes, I have one in my house [eye roll]) and started jotting down all the ways to work smart in a first job, including critically important actions like developing a relationship with your manager and understanding when and how to use your academic knowledge within the company’s four walls—and when to leave the schoolbooks at the door to your new workspace.

After I scribbled, and erased, and wrote more, and edited the whiteboard a hundred times, I was confident I had enough valuable information and resources for a book and website targeted to assist those starting their first job. Is that you? [Or your son or daughter? A friend just starting out in the world of work?]

As you launch your career journey, I’d like to be by your side with my first book, Hello, Career: What You Need to Know to be Successful in Your First Job, and with the resources available here on this website on the Resource Hub.

Welcome to my website. Thanks for stopping by. I may not be as entertaining as cat videos on TikTok, but I promise you I will deliver stuff you need to know to be successful, and then you can make and monetize cat videos on TikTok.

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