Have you ever felt stuck in your job? Do you feel like you’re ready to take on more responsibility and advance your career? It can be difficult to move up at work if you don’t know what steps to take. Here are 10 tips to advance your career.
Go Back to School
Whether it’s a higher degree in your field or learning a unique trade, more education can have a positive influence on your career growth. With more businesses offering tuition reimbursement, now is a great time to explore higher-learning opportunities.
Learn New Skills
The skill sets required of employees are constantly changing as new technologies and software are developed. New skills make you more valuable and open you to more opportunities.
Be an Asset
Strive to be someone that your company relies on. When your co-workers and management know you are a dependable and hard-working member of the team, you will be seen as irreplaceable.
Take Responsibility
Taking responsibility can mean multiple things. One interpretation is admitting when you make a mistake and working to fix the error. When you don’t try to make excuses for your mistakes you are seen as honest and humble. These are admirable traits that make a good employee.
Define Goals & Success
What does success mean to you? Do you define it by your job title, salary, or job responsibility? You will have trouble accomplishing your goals if you haven’t defined them. Determine what is important to you and what you need to accomplish to consider yourself successful.
Develop and Follow a Plan
Once you have determined how you will measure success, develop a strategy to achieve your goals. If you want to become a manager in your department, look up the job description to determine what qualifications are needed for the job. If you want a certain salary, find comparable jobs with those salaries and talk to management about a raise. Creating a plan to follow through with your goals makes them more attainable.
Discuss Goals with Management
Have you ever heard the phrase “the squeaky wheel gets the grease?” If management isn’t aware of your goals or intentions to advance within the company, they can very easily overlook you for future opportunities. It’s important to be an advocate for yourself and let management know what you hope to accomplish. This way, management can help you achieve your goals by telling you exactly what they need to see to move you up within the company.
Volunteer for New Projects
Patrick Swaney, Vice President of Human Resources at Evans advises: “Don’t be afraid of the unknown; growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone.” Swaney goes on to say, “Deliver on your commitments on time with results that are accurate and valuable to the company.” You never know what you can gain from new experiences. Volunteer for new projects at work to show the company your willingness to go the extra mile with your job.
Communicate with Other Departments
It’s always a good idea to be aware of what the other departments at your company are working on. By getting to know people in other departments, you can keep informed and create a better work environment by building a relationship with your colleagues. You’ll also have a better idea of who to talk to about new projects.
Be a Team Player
Another tip from Swaney: “The key to success in any position is being an asset to your peers, supervisor, and the company. You must be a team player and support others to help them, and the company succeed.” A business’ success is determined by the hard work of its employees and how well they are able to work together. When trying to advance your career it’s important to show your leadership qualities, but it’s equally important to show that you can work well in a team. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a supportive role in a project and be willing to help when needed.