Building your career in 3 easy steps.
Let's face it, everyone wants to build their careers and get ahead at work, but it's so easy to get stuck in a rut and forget to do the things that are necessary to reach that goal. I know that for me at least, it is a real challenge. I get comfortable with my workload and stop striving for more.
The thing is, building a career is an ongoing process, not just something you do when you are unemployed, under employed or looking for a new job. It should be a part of your every day work life.
If you think that you have gotten too comfortable at your current job or are looking for ways to polish your star, here are 3 easy ways to build your career:
Be the best at what you do – I know this may sound like a no-brainer, but it is an important step that many people forget. In order to be the best at what you do, you have to keep striving for excellence in every aspect of your career. Show your boss that you are someone who can deliver results with any assignment. Being the go-to person in your department will make you indispensable. To be the best, you have to keep working on improving your skills in three key areas:
- Have a passion for what you do. It doesn't matter if you are someone who saves lives or someone who sells peanuts, whatever you do, be passionate about it.
- Create enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Even if you aren't happy with the job you have, simply having a positive attitude can make your day more pleasant. A negative attitude can hold you back and keep you from learning and growing.
- Do more. Just because it isn't in your job description doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Doing more than what is expected of you shows that you are a team player and gives you the chance to learn new aspects of the job.
Keep developing your skills – Just because you are the best in your office doesn't mean it's time to rest on your laurels. Like any other skill, practice is the key to sustaining high performance. Taking a training class, reading development books or just selecting areas and working hard to improve them will help you keep your skills strong and make you a more well-rounded professional. The three key areas to develop are:
- Master the technical skills and your industry knowledge
- Improve your people skills and strive to be a better communicator
- Master time management.
Create a strong professional network – Building a professional network isn't about sucking up or being a brown-noser. You can build strong relationships with your peers, co-workers and even your boss. The goal is to have people that you can ask for advice and learn from. Make connections with people who are currently working in the position you want and find out what they do to be great at their jobs. You can build this type of support group by:
- Always offer to help others in your office.
- Show that you are a team player and not a glory seeker
- Work with others on projects and get comfortable with collaboration.
Being enthusiastic about what you do, committing yourself to constant improvement and working with others will help you become the type of employee that bosses love to promote. When your goal is excellence it shows in everything you do.
What do you do to improve your career? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comment section.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for Administrativejobsblog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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