Career progression is not about the promotion milestones you set for yourself; instead, it’s ongoing growth and learning practice that gives you the knowledge and skills to succeed in your long-term and short-term goals. It’s all about personal growth and development. While some people feel fulfilled and content in their current positions, others are hungry for progression and development. No matter where you’re in your career journey, it’s important to note that change and growth are inevitable, and it’s always good to have career aims and aspirations.
If you have room for career advancement, you have the chance to exercise your full potential, boosting job satisfaction. For employees hungry for career growth, finances are not usually a priority. However, career progression comes with significant financial freedom. Having achieved it all in your current position, it’s wise to consider career progression as it opens up new challenges to strengthen your skills. It also boosts your confidence and future-proofs your profession. Below are ways to speed up your career progression.
Learn and grow your skills
After being in a role for a while, you become comfortable and get accustomed to the routine of responsibilities you’re expected to complete. At this stage, avoid sitting around assuming that your knowledge and skills will continue to grow at your daily job. Expand your horizons through learning and taking short skills courses to enrich your career profile. You can start with free online resources and later commit your finances for further training. Look for the best online MBA programs and other short courses to expand your knowledge and skills for accelerated career progression.
Mentoring and coaching
Mentoring and coaching are usually closely linked and often confused. Coaching is more formal and with an excellent set structure where the coach is in charge of everything. In mentoring, the mentor and mentee set their standards and expectations of the mentoring program. You can seamlessly speed up your career progression with the right mentors and coaches. A mentor helps you navigate the professional world challenges, advises, and guides you on certain career aspects, including interview training, managerial challenges, industry insights, and many other elements.
While finding the right mentor for your career development can be difficult, you can look for a reliable and trusted platform that offers mentor matching services to pair with your dream mentor. Coaching is another option to speed up your career progression more formally and structurally.
Leverage a reliable personal organization system
Career progression highly depends on personal organization skills. While technology can help, effectiveness in personal organization depends on using suitable systems and your habits. For example, successful professionals know how to run meetings. Additionally, they can thrive in a rapidly changing environment without complaining about the pace of change.
Take advantage of the benefits given to you
When working in a big organization, you may have several benefits at your disposal. At first, you may think of retirement and health benefits, which are essential and well-deserving of your efforts. If any complicated paperwork or forms need to be completed, create time to fill them in so you can access your benefits. Using these benefits accelerates your career as this practice reminds you of your worth.
Regularly set small achievable goals
When it comes to yearly reviews, there are a lot of goals to focus on for the whole year. Considering that a year is too long to set tangible, attainable goals, it could be wiser to set smaller goals and achieve them throughout the year. Thinking about your daily work, determine what you can do to elevate it. Ask yourself if there are skills you can learn to advance further. After thinking of the possible areas, you can improve, write them down and set a timeline for each. Check it off the list as you meet each goal until all are met. This will help you gain the knowledge and skills necessary for career progression.
Career networking
Career networking is a highly effective way to achieve career progression. Learning how to network, knowing its benefits, and where to network can help with your career development. Career progression is mostly about looking for opportunities, connecting, and being visible, all of which you can achieve through professional networking. Networking helps you:
- grow and boost your skillset,
- remain on top of emerging trends related to your industry,
- keep an eye on the job market,
- meet potential mentors, clients, partners, and
- get access to the resources you need for your career development.
Networking enables you to strengthen your connections, get fresh ideas, advance your career, gain access to job opportunities, more knowledge, career support, and advice. It also helps build your confidence, get different professional perspectives and develop lasting professional relationships. All of these factors work towards accelerating your career progression.
Talk to your boss about it
Asking is among the most effective career progression ways. Talking to your manager, the human resource department, or the company directors about your career progression is an efficient way to get ahead. When you ask your employers how you can progress your career, you’re showing that you’re keen on improving, developing, and climbing the ladder.
The ideal employer will then encourage career development and then progression. Large organizations usually provide career development schemes and programs that you may not know of. However, after asking, the company may offer you free training for your career progression.
Protect your health through fitness
Trading your health for career advancement can be dangerous. Fitting in workouts in your daily schedules can make you highly productive. Maintaining your health is suitable for your career progression as physically fit people have better focus and more energy to stay focused throughout an entire day.
Build conflict management skills
Along the career advancement path, you’ll face conflict. People have different interests and goals, which often cause conflicts. Learning conflict resolution techniques can help you work through such issues, contributing to high chances of success.
Endnote
Whatever your career aspirations and goals are, you can achieve them with a clear career plan. A career progression plan helps you grow, keeps you motivated, maximizes your potential, helps you land your dream job, and can also help you identify where your passion, interests, and strengths lie. Use the above tips to speed up your career progression.
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
