The document provides 9 tips for Muslim professionals to manage their careers and excel in them. The tips include conducting a SWOT analysis, focusing on success by setting goals and increasing value, always proposing solutions to problems, developing professional networks and engaging mentors, maintaining strong work ethic and values without compromising on religious obligations, and keeping an eternal perspective by using work as a means to achieve salvation.

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!