There comes a time in everyone’s working lives where they feel they’re ready to progress and climb the ladder. It may be that you’ve learnt everything you feel you can in your current role, or want to take on more responsibility by managing people or projects.
Whatever it may be, it’s important that you’re proactive and take the lead. You should never feel stuck in a rut, or as if you’ve hit a roadblock in your working life. To help you out, read on for our advice on the top four ways to progress within your career.
1. Make a plan
Having a career plan can be extremely beneficial. You don’t necessarily need to map out every stage of your working life. But it’s a good idea to understand your career prospects and how you can develop in the future.
For example, where do you see yourself in five years’ time? What do you need to do to get there? Be realistic with your aims. If you want to own your own business, is this feasible? If yes, then make a plan to make it happen.
If you want to work for a particular company, or in a certain role, think about what skills you need to develop to reach these goals. Having a better understanding of what you need to achieve will make your ambitions easier to obtain.
2. Find a mentor
Once you know where you want to progress to in your career, it’s worth considering who can help you along the way. Finding a mentor within your current company can be extremely beneficial. This may be your manager, or someone you admire within the business.
Think about what you want to get from the relationship. Have they had a particularly successful career path that you want to learn from? Are they proficient in skills that you want to learn more about?
You don’t need to spend too much time with your mentor, but a quick 30 minute meeting to hear about their story and discuss your plans could be all the motivation that you need to help you progress within your career.
What’s more, they could even connect you with other individuals, helping to expand your industry network and putting you in touch with people that could help to boost your career.
3. Be proactive
As covered in the above two points, proactivity is key. You are the core driver of your career, so it’s important to take full responsibility for your development.
Keep an eye out for opportunities within your company. For example, if a colleague leaves, could you pick up some of their workload? If someone is off sick, could you cover their responsibilities?
Employers favour team members who are proactive and willing to help. After all, it paints you as a positive and helpful individual. This will stand you in good stead when the time comes round for annual reviews and discussions around development.
Alongside this, consider attending industry events and keeping on top of what’s going on in the news in relation to your line of work. The more informed you are, the better your chances of progressing within your career.
4. Ask for feedback
If you’re not sure how you’re performing, it’s always worth asking for feedback from your colleagues of your manager. This doesn’t need to be constant: avoid asking how you did at the end of every working day, for example!
Instead, if you’re having catch-ups with your manager, make sure you’re asking whether they feel you have any areas for improvement. This means that you can adapt and make any necessary changes, rather than it being a complete surprise later.
You should always welcome constructive criticism. We’re all constantly learning and developing and no-one is completely perfect at their job. Take on board feedback and consider how it can help you to further your career.
Are you ready to progress in your career?
In order to keep engaged with the work that you’re doing, it’s important to constantly be challenged. If you’re looking to progress in your career and take on a new challenge, then take the above advice on board. We wish you all the best!
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