Looking to move up? Don’t miss out…
Whether you want to progress in your current career, or go down a totally different route, it can often be difficult to dictate your own career progression – and make it a reality.
Achieving your goals won’t be an overnight job, but making sure you plan effectively, create clear objectives, and generally impress your employer could definitely push you in the right direction.
To help motivate you, here are five tips to guarantee your career progression:
Take the blame (and the praise)
The ability to take responsibility for your actions at work is essential, whether it’s for the successes or for the failures.
Taking credit for positive outcomes makes your accomplishments clear to your superiors, but admitting to the occasional mistake (and demonstrating how you’ve attempted to fix them) will reflect just as well when it comes to your professionalism and maturity.
Not only does this mean you’ll be better recognised, it also shows that you’re willing to take full responsibility for your entire role and everything that comes with it. Whether it’s good or bad.
On the other hand, someone who never accepts accountability when things go wrong, or fails to acknowledge their achievements, is unlikely to be seen as the next person in line for promotion.
Up your game
You might think that as long as you keep doing your job, progression will come naturally – but don’t assume. Competition for higher up positions is often strong, and if you don’t make more of an effort to stand out from the crowd, you could be undeservedly overlooked.
To avoid this, use every possible opportunity to show your passion and enthusiasm, and always be open to taking on extra work if needed, demonstrating your flexibility.
It could be that your boss needs a hand with that hefty project proposal, but it’ll mean working slightly outside your regular hours. Or maybe your workplace is especially busy and someone needs to stay late to help out.
Whatever field of work you’re in, putting in that extra bit of effort demonstrates your commitment to the company and the job you do – something that will always put your in your employer’s good books.
Play fair
Engaging in workplace politics can be tempting, especially if it means getting yourself ahead. But be warned.
In reality, playing games, gossiping, or blaming others for mistakes to improve your own career progression chances will never work in the long term. Even if you try your best to keep it quiet, in the majority of workplaces word gets around quickly.
Rather than getting you a promotion, you’ll simply come across as someone who only cares about themselves. Something which is unlikely to endear you to your employers as a future leader.
So resist the temptation to play dirty, and use your genuine skills and suitability for the job to actually impress your employer – in a way that doesn’t negatively affect your colleagues.
Speak up
No matter how motivated you are to move forward in your career, if you don’t make it obvious to your employer, your career goals might never be fulfilled.
Take the time to ask your boss about career progression opportunities, and discuss the potential ways you could develop within the business. Various development opportunities exist within most businesses, and finding the one that suits you best could be the key sending your career in the right direction.
So, share your career goals with your employer, and let them know exactly where you’re planning to go in the future. If you’re stuck, consider creating your own Personal Development Plan to help show succinct objectives and actions.
After all, if they want to keep you on board, they’ll be happy to help your career keep moving in the right direction.
Stop settling
Most importantly, never settle.
So if the company you’re currently working for doesn’t allow career progression in your preferred direction, it might be time to move on.
The last thing you want is to be stuck in a dead end position, just because you had some hope that it might, possibly, someday, turn into the career you actually want.
So, broaden your horizons, make a plan, and if you can’t move forward where you are, see what else is out there. You could be missing out on pursuing your dream career path without even realising it.
Whether you want to stay in your current industry but you’ve reached your peak at the company you’re at, or you want to change careers completely, finding a new position might be the best way to fulfil your career goals.
Career change cover letter template
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