You worked extremely hard to get to where you are today; you spent years sitting through school lessons in order to be able to have the career that you want. When you first started out, the career that you have now seemed like the dream – it was everything that you wanted and more – but now that you’ve been working in your role for a couple of years, you’re starting to yearn for more. You love the industry that you work in but you feel limited by your role and want to start moving your career forward.
The truth is that you probably assumed that your career would naturally progress and move forward, but for one reason or another, that hasn’t happened yet, and you’re starting to wonder why that is. You thought that your career would naturally move itself forward but as that hasn’t happened, you’re starting to wonder if there are steps that you can take to move your career forward yourself. You’re keen to start to climb the career ladder but you may be unsure about the best way to go about it.
Don’t panic – moving your career forward is far easier than you might think, it’s just a case of knowing what steps you need to take, that’s all. Keen to learn more about how you can propel your career forward? Have a read of the tips and advice below!
Take control
When it comes to moving your career forward, it’s important to recognise the fact that it is you who is in control. If you want to see success from your career, it’s important that you understand that you’re in control of your own success; you might not make the hiring and firing decisions but you are in control of how well you succeed at what you do. You are the one who is creating your future, so it’s vital that you take back control and acknowledge that whatever happens in your career is down to you and the steps that you take. If you want to see further success from your career, you need to take a more proactive approach and Learn to Learn. This means that if you see something that you want, you don’t wait, you just go after it. This might be a scary step to take but if you want to achieve your goals and take a more proactive approach to your career, you can’t be scared to take a leap of faith.
Set goals
Talking of proactive approaches, when it comes to your career it’s vital that you understand the importance of setting goals to follow. Instead of just sitting back and waiting for changes to happen in your career, take steps to make those changes happen for yourself by setting a list of goals to aspire to meet – these can be both short and long term goals. Whether there are things you want to achieve this week, next month, or next year, it’s a good idea to take the time to write them down, and then plot out the steps that you would need to take to achieve them. It’s easier to meet your goals if you put simple steps in place to follow to get there. To make tracking your goals easier, it might be worth starting a career goals journal where you map everything out and tick each goal off as you meet it. Don’t fancy using a journal to track your goals? Consider using an app instead to keep track of your goals – there are plenty of goal tracking apps to choose from, it’s just a case of finding one that’s a good fit for you.
Keep your resume updated
When it comes to seeing success in your career, it’s easy to forget to keep your resume up to date. If you want to see career growth, make sure that you keep your resume updated properly. It’s also worth updating any virtual resume profiles that you have on a regular basis, such as LinkedIn, for instance. If you want to make sure that your resume reflects your current experience level, it’s vital that you take the time to keep it updated. Perhaps you could aim to update your resume on a monthly basis, adding in any new skills of experience? If you want to see your career progress, then you need to put time into your resume.
Enhance your experience
Whenever you have the opportunity to develop new skills, make sure to take advantage of it. The fact is that when it comes to moving your career forward, developing new skills is a fantastic way to encourage growth, so it’s definitely something that it’s worth taking the time to consider. If you know where you would like your career to move to, such as specialising in a certain area within your industry, then take the time to source courses so that you are able to enhance and improve your skills. For instance, say you work in a medical facility and you want to specialise, you might consider taking a course to become a drug testing technician, or say you work in a school, you might want to take a course that would allow you to offer counselling.
Network
One of the best secrets to career success is also the simplest – taking the time to network regularly. You know that saying, ‘it’s not about what you know but who you know’? Well, there’s actually some truth to it – yes, what you know is vital but who you know is just as crucial, because the more people you know, the more career opportunities you will have. That’s why taking the time to network is so vital to your career progression. There are lots of ways to make networking easier and more enjoyable – these include joining a local business networking club, attending networking brunches or dinners, and taking part in virtual networking via social media. When it comes to virtual networking, LinkedIn is an incredible tool to utilise, so take the time to hone your LinkedIn channel and start building up your connections and network. You might also find that Twitter networking chat hours are a great way to build up your connections and network.
Find a mentor
Another step that you can take to help move your career forward is to find yourself a mentor. When you’re feeling a little stuck, having someone on hand to help support you and show you what steps to take to make meeting your goals a little easier, can be hugely beneficial. If you are serious about moving your career forward, then you might want to consider sourcing a mentor. You can either look for a mentor via a mentorship program where you are matched with someone who should be a good fit for your needs, or you can opt to ask someone who you respect and look up to if they would consider being your mentor and helping your career to progress. Having a mentor should help to guide you through the process of moving up the career ladder; you will also be able to benefit from an objective opinion when it comes to how you are managing your career.
The fact is that moving your career forward doesn’t always seem simple and straightforward, but with the right approach, you can make the process of moving your career forward and seeing results a little easier and less stressful. Hopefully, the tips and ideas above will help to make moving your career forward, and achieving the progress that you are keen to achieve, far more doable.
