1. Nine Tips for
Muslim
Professionals
Managing Your Career and
Excelling In It.
Junaid Mirza

2. 1. KNOW YOURSELF
 Honestly complete your own SWOT
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
threats) analysis vis-à-vis your job and
organization
 Find strengths to exploit, weaknesses to
work on, weaknesses to hide, opportunities
to go after and threats to manage
 Understand how each of these may impact
your career

3. 2. FOCUS ON YOUR SUCCESS
 Find role models a level or two above you
and emulate their good traits
 Set your personal performance goals
based on standards for the next level
 Understand your value to the organization
and increase it
 Always be well-prepared and never be
caught off-guard in a meeting

4. 3. FOCUS ON THE SOLUTIONS
 Never take just a problem or an issue to your
team or supervisor – always suggest one or
more possible (and plausible) solutions as well
 If you cannot think of any solutions to your
problems, ask your peers before you ask your
supervisor
 If you still cannot come up with a solution,
explain to the supervisor the effort undertaken
to find a solution

5. 4. KNOW THE OPINION
LEADERS
 Never have high opinion of your own work
– it does not mean much and it inhibits
continuous improvement
 Ensure that your team appreciates your
true value and commitment to the work
 If you are not being recognized, either your
work is not up to par, or it is perceived as
such – and both are equally bad

6. 5. FIND AND ENGAGE
MENTORS
 Have multiple mentors, both at your
workplace and outside
 Have frank discussions with mentors on
your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats
 Have your mentors at work watch out for
your best interests (e.g., in performance
review meetings or promotion decisions)

7. 6. HAVE A SUPPORT NETWORK
 Find a diverse group of team members that
like you and/or think highly of your work
 Ensure that they watch out for your best interests
by watching out for their best interests
 Help them whenever they need it so they can
help you when you need it
 Use your network to be in the know
 Never be the last one to find out important
information affecting your career

8. 7. LOSE NEITHER THE FOREST
NOR THE TREES
 Be detail-oriented in your work and never
make small mistakes (e.g., spelling,
grammar, calculation)
 Be objective-oriented in your outlook (i.e.,
know the value of your work and what it
needs to accomplish)

9. 8. NEVER COMPROMISE ON
VALUES
 Ensurethat those you work with know your
value system and/or religious obligations
 Make it non-negotiable but at the same
time a non-issue (i.e., assure the team that
your religious obligations wont compromise
quality of your work)
 Findhalal alternatives for teaming instead
of ignoring it

10. 9. EYES ON THE PRIZE – ALWAYS
 As Muslims, the goal is the Hereafter, so
understand – and be motivated by – how
your work helps you achieve that
 A good Dunya-Aakhirah Balance™ means
never compromising on the Aakhirah (and not
that you do some good deeds to balance the
scales)
 Seek out ways to do da’wah through your
personal excellence and through making
yourself available to discussions
 Know that when a Muslim screws up, it is Islam
that screws up!