Tips for Moving Your Career Forward
Ready to progress your career? Do you have a great job but want to move into a role with more responsibility or a better salary?
Read on to find our tips for moving up the career ladder.
- Decide on your next step.
Do you aspire to hone your skills to become a deep specialist in your field? Or do you prefer to move up the management ranks, developing leadership skills? These diverging paths require you to consider what skills need refining and how best to show your manager that you have what it takes for the next promotion. Think about what parts of your job you enjoy the most, and where you see yourself in the future. Deciding on the specialist path vs the management path is critical for the next steps you take.
- Volunteer for more tasks or responsibilities.
Naturally, you don’t want to be exploited, but taking on more is the best way to demonstrate you’re actively driving your career. With a trusted employer, you can volunteer to take on tasks or responsibilities when a team member is absent for a short or long period. This gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills and gets you on the radar for promotion.
- Get things done.
Deliver what is asked of you on time, on budget and without errors. Always double-check the requirement before you complete it, and triple-check for errors. Develop a reputation for being reliable, punctual, and dependable, and you will quickly get spotted as someone keen to move up the ranks.
- Anticipate questions.
If you submit a report and your manager replies with “what is the next step if we proceed?”, you’ve missed an opportunity to show you understand a problem from all angles; make sure “next steps” are included in your next report. If your manager replies with “what accounts for the discrepancy on line 23 of the spreadsheet?”, that’s a piece of analysis you could have included when you submitted the workbook. Before you hit “send”, read what you’re sending from the viewpoint of the recipient, try to anticipate what their responses may be, and address them within your submission.
- Find a Mentor.
Is there someone in your organisation that you admire? Someone who has achieved what you aspire to? Consider approaching them and asking if they are open to mentoring you. It could be as little as a coffee once a month or quarter to discuss your career, or as much as them actively assisting you to identify opportunities and grab them.
- Be a Mentor
If there are juniors or newbies in your organisation, consider taking them under your wing and helping them on your journey. You can hone and demonstrate your technical skills by teaching them, and/or hone your leadership skills by establishing yourself as a trusted senior.
- Activities outside of work.
Look for conferences, meet-ups or competitions in your field and participate in them. Write a brief report on the experience and share with your manager, highlighting what you learned. Or submit a blog article on your area of expertise to be published on your company website, or on another site, demonstrating your skills. If you’re a social media buff, consider establishing your own website, youtube channel or using other platforms to educate on your area of expertise. Just make sure you check and comply with the Social Media policies of your company.
- Move on
If there are no opportunities to move up the ladder in your current company, consider making a move to a new firm. A large company can offer many growth channels, while a small company can allow you to broaden your skills and increase your responsibilities.
Considering a move? Visit our jobs page to find the perfect job to advance your career!
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