Tag Archives: Career

Dec6

How To Climb Up The Career Ladder

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How To Climb Up The Career Ladder

When getting started – in a career or a new company – most people start from an entry-level position. A lot of professionals think that it is best to skip this stage, but this is actually the perfect position to learn about the key insights of the industry, the inner workings of the company, and where you want to go in your career.

At some point in your career, you would feel that you have gained enough knowledge in order to advance to a higher role. What steps should you take in order to advance up the career ladder?

Gain clarity on how you want to advance in your career.

A promotion for the sake of career advancement is not a sustainable model for success. You might find out too late that you are not fit for the role or that you are on a career path that is not aligned with your goals. For example, a promotion to Operations Team Leader is not going to fit with a career goal of becoming a Training director. So, when you start planning your career path, you should be crystal clear about how you want to advance. Ask yourself what roles and responsibilities you enjoy working on. What are the other things you want to explore, career-wise? What does career advancement in that direction look like? Career advancement is unique to every company. Different leaders will look for different things. So, enlist the help of your manager or boss and ask for some pointers on what you can do to advance your career. What skills and capabilities do they think are important to being successful within the organization? Ask the people who have the power to help you advance your career about what they are looking for and work on developing those skills. The clearer your path to progress is, the easier it is to take the steps towards career advancement.

Build your network.

Build a network within and outside your organization. This will ensure that you won’t miss any opportunities for advancement. Your network will keep you informed about openings, industry insider information, and company news that might help you advance in the career ladder. Cultivate a healthy network.

Go beyond what is expected.

Doing the bare minimum when you want to progress in your career won’t cut it. You have to shine in your current role in order for management to notice you and open up doors to career advancement. Do this with a positive attitude and a happy outlook. Management is more likely to promote people who show enthusiasm for their work. When you consistently perform well and exceed expectations, you are ensuring that your name will come up on the list of people who can be counted on for more responsibilities and, therefore, ready for a more senior position.  

Do you have any career advancement tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Oct21

How do you measure your career success?

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How do you measure your career success?

It’s hard to measure success. Others perceive success as an amazing job title, others define it by a big salary, while some believe they’ve made it when they get the corner office. A lot of us fall into the trap of measuring success against other people’s standards. However, like any other area of our life, career success should be defined entirely by your own standards. Each has their own career path to embark on and what works for others may not be a perfect fit for you. 

So what should be the measure of career success if it’s not to be measured by salary, job title, or office real estate? Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you measure if you’re successful in your career.

No Sunday Night Blues

Do you dread going to work on a Monday morning? Do you experience Sunday night blues? Are you thinking of quitting your job at the slightest provocation? If you feel like getting a root canal is better than another day at the office, you are unhappy at work. Something different happens to people who are successful in their careers. They are excited to come to work and look forward to the week ahead. If you can honestly answer “are you happy at work?” with a resounding “yes!”, then congratulations to you. 

Making Waves

One of the biggest motivations for employees is relevance or how much clout they could exercise. Do you feel like just another cog in the wheel or do you think you’re making an impact at work? The answer to this will probably be the bar for how you measure career success. You see, people who know that they are influencing change and feel that they are making valuable contributions to the business go on to have successful careers. If you can confidently say that your opinions are valued and that you are appreciated at work, then congratulations to you.

Learning and Growing

Over time, you will develop a unique set of skills that makes you good at what you do. No one else will have the exact same skillset as you. The lessons you have learned and the experiences you have acquired will help you along your career path. However, trainings, certificates, and accolades will not only get you so far. The true measure of success is how you use your skills and what you have learned to improve yourself and help the people around you. Do you use your learnings to improve the business? Do you inspire and nurture future leaders? Do you create opportunities for yourself and for others? How do you react to failure? What challenges have you overcome and did you improve as a result? If you are still learning and continuing to challenge yourself to grow and improve, then congratulations to you.

How about you? How do you measure career success? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp