Updated May 31, 2023
Career progression – Career progression nowadays is harder than it was previously. In the decades that followed the Second World War, several opportunities were available due to steady economic growth. In today’s world, people are divided between the aftermath of the recession of 2007-2009 and the incredible opportunities which have been described in the book “Abundance: The Future is Better than You Think” by Steven Kotler and P.H. Diamandis. Distress, as well as economic problems, exist in the world today, and you can choose whatever you desire to keep your focus on.
In your work life, you will come across times when you might feel that things are progressing very slowly. It may be because you might have outgrown your job and need new challenges, or you might have been asked to move at the rate at which your slower colleagues are moving. Such feelings can turn out to be frustrating and can stall your mobility in the upward direction. However, these are things that you can take control of by means of your own actions. Please recognize that you want to accelerate your career progression and commit to doing what is necessary to make it happen. A few ways to do this are provided below.
Tips for Speeding up Professional Career Progression
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Work on Important Goals
When you do not care about your day-to-day work, it is not easy to move ahead. Therefore, pursuing exciting goals is essential. In the context of your career, there will be a probability of receiving annual goals from either your client or your employer. If such goals do not excite you, then you should at least set the goal of advancing your career by learning new skills in the ongoing year. Gathering the enthusiasm required to advance will be difficult without stimulating goals.
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Use a Personal Organisation System that is reliable.
For moving ahead, an essential skill that is needed is personal organization. Even though technology provides assistance, effectiveness in this field ultimately depends on using the right systems and habits. For instance, successful professionals have the knowledge regarding running a meeting. Besides this, you should be capable of thriving in a world that is changing rapidly, so there should be no complaints about the pace of change.
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Learning to Develop Your Skills and Earn More
Being able to deliver more value in your career is a vital skill that is required to move ahead. After spending ten to twelve months in a particular role, several people become comfortable with the daily work they are expected to finish. This is the reason why you cannot consider that your knowledge, as well as skills, will keep growing at your day job. You need to expand your horizons, which can be done using various training resources. To begin with, you can use the resources available freely on the internet, but the attention and the effort are more likely to be committed by you when you pay, which is your own, for the purpose of training. You can make decisions regarding the best ways of learning. You can even experiment with various approaches like traditional classes and self-study, such as reading books and hiring somebody for the purpose of giving you career progression advice and individual training.
“There is no replacement for getting a head start with a great education.”
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Your Focus should be on results and not on Time.
Several people begin their careers earning money in terms of hourly wages. This, unfortunately, signifies that you are equating “time worked with value created”. However, this is very far from the truth. If you are just sitting in your chair and staring out of the window for the entire day, the company will lose money, and your reputation will be put at stake.
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Exploit all the benefits that you have.
If you are working in a large organization, you might have a number of benefits at your disposal. You will probably think about the benefits related to retirement and health at first glance. They are very crucial and worth the effort that you put in. If there is paperwork and complicated forms that need completion, this is a small price you may be paying. You might have to sacrifice a few lunch hours to sort out the benefits, but it will be worth the effort. Making use of all the benefits that you have will result in career progression, as this practice will remind you of the value that you possess. On the other level, you are training yourself to work your way through the corporate bureaucracy for the purpose of achieving your goal.
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You should give attention and time to your Network.
You can network inside as well as outside the organization. Inside the organization, you can set up brief discussions with the person working in the functional areas or at those levels that interest you, including your senior colleagues and peers. Prior to the meeting, you can develop a set of certain insightful questions to ask them. You can also take down notes.
You can also benefit by continuing to work externally while you already have a job. Take the help of your connections and friends on LinkedIn to connect you to the people whose backgrounds you may find intriguing. You can create a list of questions you may ask every person you meet. You can exchange emails or phone calls if meeting in person is impossible.
Other opportunities that can be utilized are social and professional events that help draw together people related to the career you are interested in. Meetings in person allow you to engage with them on levels that are distinct compared to the technological means, which are impersonal in nature. This way it is possible to develop long-lasting and more meaningful relationships. Clicking with that person could also mean a referral for a job in the future.
Your networking makes a difference in getting ahead in your career, particularly at the senior level. Most of the best roles do not have online postings or application forms but rather the people in your network. Some people like to respond to desperate pleas related to assistance for job hunting. You need to begin by giving value to the network you are part of. You can remember birthdays by sending a gift or a card, introducing people through the use of emails or by any other means, and just staying in touch with everyone in the network.
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Promote Yourself
Managers usually lack the time and inclination to be your advocate, and it is rare that you will find a boss who does that. You should not wait for other people to praise you. You can promote your good work in a non-abrasive manner. This can be done by setting up check-in meetings with your boss. This will help you review your work in detail and discuss what you should be doing to make it to the next level. Speak to HR and determine what steps can be adapted to advance the process.
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Find a Mentor
Formal mentor-peer relationships are not always necessary or expected. There can be more than one mentor, also. Find mentors both inside and outside the company for multiple perspectives. You can admire the work of professionals or respect the opinion of professionals. In case you are not sure of the way in which you can identify mentors, you can either take help from your peers or the organization’s human resource representatives. They will introduce you to various other people. Several cities have professional mentoring groups. You can also join any one of them.
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Do Good Work
A long-term career progression plan is essential regardless of your perceived level of work or education. Your attitude of putting in hard work and your ethics will be remembered if you perform well, even if you feel that the job is below your level or you are overqualified. It requires when a future employer checks your performance by calling your previous employer. You should be willing to take up additional duties and help an overstretched colleague at times. This will show your teamwork and dedication, a skill required per most of the job descriptions.
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Make a Plan
Several people have the tendency to bounce through their career as a pinball does in a game of pinball. However, to achieve your full potential, a career progression plan is required by you. A plan is a sort of blueprint or a roadmap. A smart person should have a long-term career plan with interim steps to reach their pinnacle. Implement the plan in the initial parts of your career, and adjust as you move along.
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Be Indispensable
You need to put your boss in a position wherein he cannot afford to lose you. Achieve this by inventing new programs to save money for the organization or becoming the go-to person for clients. You should document your successes. Be visible by being vocal with clients and going to lunch with them. Show others your success without bragging.
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Develop Skills in Conflict Management
In the world of career progression, conflicts will have to be faced by you. We know that different people will have other interests and goals. There are many types of conflicts; Such differences often give rise to conflicts. People who are not successful have a tendency to struggle with such conflicts. Rather, you must recognize that you can utilize conflict resolution techniques to work through these issues. A hallmark of highly successful people is the ability to handle conflicts confidently.
Employing these strategies can help secure a strong foothold in a shaky economy. When the opportunities for obtaining promotion begin to solidify, these tips will put you among the first people in the line to advance upwards. Don’t let a lack of challenge in your current position slow your career progression.
You can take action to ensure that you are learning something new continuously and achieving growth as a professional. This will open new doors for you in your current and other organizations.
