The modern professional world moves at the speed of light and is becoming more and more competitive. Taking steps to advance your career in your field is a necessity to stay relevant and be successful in the future. Making decisions when it comes to your career and ways to advance it can be difficult and very confusing. There are so many different variables to consider and it’s hard to know where to start and how to get going in the right direction.
Thankfully, hundreds of successful professionals from all walks of life have come before you, and many of them have cracked the code to taking the next step in your professional career!
1. Establish your goals
Goals are one of the most important places to start when embarking on any journey in life. Setting good goals for your professional career will help you visualize what you want to achieve and help you understand what steps you will have to take to achieve your goals. Sit down with a pen and paper and think about where you want to be and what you want to have in the next five, ten, or even twenty years. Write it down big and bold and in a lot of detail. Writing down your goals will help cement them in your mind as a priority.
Once you identify the big idea, break it down and plan out steps to achieving these goals. Think about smaller goals you can set that will help you achieve your bigger goals. Having smaller steps, you can strive for in light of the big picture will help you keep your end goal in mind and be continuously striving for progress in the meantime.
Set deadlines for your goals. Whether they’re years out or something that you can accomplish in the next few days, plan it out and mark your calendar for when you need to have them done to stay on track. Getting your goals organized and cemented in your mind as a priority for your life will help you take the first few steps to advance your professional career.
2. Identify your skills
Everyone has skills and talents in life and all successful professionals identify the things that make them unique from all the other people in the workplace and use them to their advantage. With your goals in mind, think about all the things you’re good at, both in your career and in your everyday life. Think about social abilities, areas you have more experience or knowledge in, and other aspects of you that make you stand out from the average professional.
Once you understand where your strong suits are in life, you can put those talents to good use in the workplace to advance your career. You can also use this knowledge to identify your weaknesses and either work to improve on them or work around your limitations.
Homing in on your strengths in your career and learning to use them to your advantage will help you take the next step in your professional career!
3. Make connections
Most of the modern workplace is centered around collaboration and having good social skills to work with your coworkers and other people in the office is crucial to becoming successful in whatever you do. It is important to connect with the people around you to improve your relationships with people so you can work better with them, learn from them, and make positive connections for the future. Being a positive and collaborative coworker is crucial in the modern workplace. You should try your best to get along with the people around you and work with them instead of against them. The more people you collaborate with in a positive way, the more people you have the opportunity to connect with for the future.
While at work, you are exposed to a wide range of people you can learn from through collaboration. Everyone can benefit from learning new tips and tricks around the office from each other and if you work hard to foster meaningful connections you can get some insight from your coworkers on the ins and outs of the industry.
If you make a good effort to have positive and productive relationships with your coworkers, you can make useful connections in the future that may come in handy. There may come a time and place where calling in a favor or having someone put in a good word for you will be the extra hand you need in achieving one of your long-term goals.
Fostering good relationships and working hard to be a good collaborator in the workplace will always work in your favor when taking steps to advance your professional career!
4. Polish up your resume
Taking steps to advance your professional career almost always includes spicing up your resume. The resume is the first thing people look at to see your credentials, experience, and why you’d make a great choice for a position. Having a compelling and professional resume to show off and present to future employers is crucial to working your way up the ladder.
Keep your resume fresh and up to date. As you progress in your career, make sure you add the relevant information and take out anything that’s too old or isn’t as impressive for what you’re going for. Schooling and certification are a staple, but the volunteer hours in high school probably don’t mean much when you’re going for the big bucks.
Whipping up a killer resume can be overwhelming, so when in doubt, call in the professionals! There are hundreds of expert resume services to help you spruce up or completely rewrite your resume. They can make you a general reference sheet to have on you, or tailor it for a specific position you’re looking to secure.
Whether you do it on your own or bring in the resume pros to help you out, taking time to polish a killer resume to show off all your best qualities is crucial to nailing any interview and taking steps to advance your professional career!
5. Stay motivated
Staying motivated is not always easy and the road to professional success is long and full of ups and downs. It can be difficult to stay on track and keep your eyes on the prize when the going gets tough. Revisit your goals often. Sometimes all you need to pick yourself back up is to remind yourself what you’re working towards.
When things go wrong, take a step back, evaluate what happened, accept it, make a game plan for the future, and keep on keeping on. Don’t let a bump in the road derail your success and take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes.
Reminding yourself to stay motivated and learn along the way is another important step to making progress in your professional career!
6. Take the next step
Taking steps to advance your professional career can be challenging. The modern world is complicated and full of fierce competition, so sticking to your guns and standing out amongst the crowd is crucial to finding success in your field.
Thankfully with a few simple tips and tricks, taking steps to advance your professional career can be easy and effective!
