You must be networking and communicating with your mentors, working hard and having the qualification needed to climb the corporate success ladder. But still, you will not be able to pace up with your career progression.
No need to worry! Just like all problems, even this problem has a solution.
There are a few things that you can do to speed up your career progression and help you reach a position where you want to reach faster.
But before that, have a clear idea of what exactly is career progression!
What is Career Progression?
Career progression is one of the most vital elements for satisfaction as well as retention of employees at a company. It is about how progressive or advanced you are in your career.
For example: Say, you have got a job in your favorite industry, but you will never want to stay in the same position forever. If you are in the same position for years, then this implies that your career or job is not at all progressive.
If you are not getting enough chances of promotion in your current job and even not getting recognition for your skills and hard work, then it symbolizes that your job is not fitting for career growth.
In simple terms, career progression is a process that helps you to have a successful growth in your career.
Get Ahead in Your Career:
Now even if you are in your dream job or in the career which you love, you will not have job satisfaction if there is no progress in your career.
So moving forward in your career is essential. There are few professions which give you opportunities to grow, whereas in some you have to work on your own.
If you do not have any idea on how to start working on it, then it is better to take the help of your seniors or managers.
5 Things You Can Do For Advancing Your Career:
Here are a few things you need to try for progressing in your career.
1. Find a mentor:
Mentors can help you choose the right way to progress your career. They also support you at times when you have any problems.
2. Use your appraisals:
It is obvious that in appraisals you not only can gauge your development goals but are also given feedback. So take it positively and work on it.
3. Make a plan:
After setting up the goals, you need to start working on them to achieve your goals.
4. Know your industry:
You should always be updated about the developments that are going on in the market, especially on your niche sector.
5. Network:
This is one of the most important things that you should never stop doing. Meeting people and making a connection will help you in the long run.
Setting Goals:
Goals help you keep focused on your work and maintains a seriousness in you to achieve your goals. They automatically help you advance in your career.
SMART way to make goals:
SMART can be defined as
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-bound
Use this formula when creating goals and planning your tasks.
Career Progression Planning:
Career Progression Planning can also be termed as succession planning.
Career Succession Planning can be defined as a vital sector of the organization’s human resource strategy, which works for the growth and success of the company.
Career progression planning deals with the processes like planning and development which deals with the main goal of the organization.
Five Steps to Career Planning:
Here are a few steps that help in your career planning. They are
- Gather information and Self-Evaluation
- Explore and research
- Decision-Making and Goal Setting
- Gaining Experience
- Implementation
Importance of Career Progression:
When you are working in a company, you should not only look for the growth of the company but also about your personal career development.
If your career is providing you best of opportunities then its best, but if it is not then that can be the biggest con.
Here are a few reasons that help us understand the importance of career progression.
- Evokes a sense of purpose
- Will have good job satisfaction
- Helps you reduce stress
- Provides new opportunities
- Boosts your productivity
3 Common Career Progression Questions:
When you are working on your career development, you come across many difficulties and chaotic situations.
As earlier mentioned, finding a mentor will be the best and easy way to come out of this phase. Understand that enjoying your current job is one thing, whereas feeling unsatisfied is another thing.
Here are a few top common career progression questions
- How do I ask my boss for a promotion?
- How can I determine which career direction to pursue?
- What can I do to prepare myself for my next career move?
It is imperative to get the answers for these above-mentioned questions and start working on it asap.
5 Definite Career Growth Tips:
Do not assume that career growth is something that will come to you naturally over time. Even if you work very hard in your current job, the advancement of your career is possible only if you take a few steps.
Indeed, achieving a goal is not an overnight thing, but planning and working on a few strategies can surely help you achieve your goals and progress in your career.
Here are few tips to follow that surely guarantee your career progression
1. Take the responsibility of your actions
2. Make an effort and higher up the game
3. Never take any shortcuts
4. Effective Communication
5. Do not compromise and settle down
Importance of Career Progression Plan:
Each person has some vital career goals or aspirations that they expect to accomplish soon in the future. For most of the individuals, this is a long term career plan that they want to achieve.
While some of the objectives might appear difficult to achieve, they can seem more manageable with a proper and well-strategized career plan. Although the future is unpredictable, a strong career plan can serve as a trustworthy roadmap to help you achieve your eventual goals.
The other reasons why a career progression plan is important are:
1. Career Progression Plan Helps To Grow:
With a realistic career plan, it is possible to achieve personal development and growth. If you don’t have goals to accomplish then you will find it difficult to identify a perfect direction for your career.
At the same time, it will be difficult for you to plan future and specific timelines to accomplish the things that you have jotted in your plan.
2. Career Progression Plan Keeps You Motivated:
Another reason why a career progression plan is important is that it keeps you well-motivated.
When you have an effective plan outlined then you will never lose motivation. It keeps you reminding about your future goals and accomplishments. As a result, you stay motivated to work hard and to strive to achieve what you have desired.
3. Career Plan Helps to Maximize the Potentials:
A career progression plan offers you the path to achieve your career goals.
Besides offering you the accountability to work towards achieving your goals, it helps you with an opportunity to maximize your true potentials.
It is because you are always grooming your skills and want to always land on the winning side. As a result, you are always maximizing your potentials to the best possible extent.
4. It can Help You Land Your Dream Job:
If you desire to land to your dream job or desire to reach a much-desired position then a career progression plan can be your roadmap to reaching there.
There are numerous job portals out there offering available positions, but they are not the most competitive and desired ones. It is because the most desired job positions require a vast amount of skills, experience, knowledge, and qualification.
You can land your dream job only after years of planning and lots of intelligent work. With a career plan, you can isolate most of the obstacles and identify things that are better for your career. As a result, your possibilities for success are very much higher.
5. You Can Identify The Fields of Your Strengths, Interests, and Passion:
With a career progression plan, you can have clear ideas about what you want. It will help you avoid all the pitfalls of your career match.
A career progression plan helps you isolate all the obstacles and at the same time help you know your strengths, weaknesses, passion, and interest. If you lack having a career path then you might not be able to achieve everything that you desire to fulfillment into your career.
Ways to Speed Up Your Career Progression:
1. Be Hardworking Always:
Even if you find that the work you are doing is below then your qualification and skills still you must practice doing it.
When you are performing well, even when you are overqualified for a job then your ethics of hardworking and positive attitude will remain and get recognition from others.
Also, when your employer will keep a check of your performance, then he will find you as a suitable candidate for doing other responsibilities and tasks.
2. Be Dedicated to Your Work:
You must always be available to work on time and ready to take on additional work as and when needed. This will show the employer about your dedication.
Dedication and commitment towards a job are the core skills to possess, that the majority of jobs require and is always expected from the employees.
3. Look for a Mentor:
Most individuals assume that having a mentor implies having a formal relationship with each other. But this is not true!
Rather you have to be respectful towards your mentor rather than being friendly or formal.
Perhaps, you can always have more than one mentor belonging to the same field that you are considering to transition. To reap multiple perspectives, you can find a mentor within your organization and one that is outside your organization.
Make sure that the mentors are professionals and you must admire as well as respect their decision. If you are finding difficult to find a mentor then you can always join the professional mentoring services and groups available online.
4. Enhance Your Skills Set:
In the modern scenario, you don’t have to spend tons of money and time to gain a formal degree to avail knowledge about new skills set.
There are various online courses available, which you can plan doing in the field of your interest and career. These online courses offer certification for every profession. You can practice doing them even when you are doing a formal job.
Once you are done with the course, you can then list them down on your resume. This will help you develop your skills set throughout the path of your career. It is even great for your career advancement.
5. Promote and Market Yourself:
Rarely people have managers who can advocate them and can offer them an appreciation for their hard work and skills.
Don’t wait for others to recommend you and talk about your praises. The best way is to promote your work in a non-abrasive manner. This can be done by conducting meetings with your boss and get your work reviewed in detail. Also, you must be engaging with others and if anything is going wrong then you must always convey the same to the HR.
6. Network well with Everyone Around You:
Networking must be practiced not just within the organization but also outside the company. You must network with everyone you meet.
Within your organization, you can set up small conversations with people in the functional aspects of the levels that are of high interest to you. This may include your colleagues and peers. Before you begin networking with others, you must have a set of questions prepared with yourself so that you can begin the conversation on a healthy note.
External networking is also healthy and can help you land a suitable job. You may ask your friends and develop new connections on LinkedIn as well as other platforms. This will help you network with people having the same background and interest. Prepare yourself well before you begin a communication with others.
7. Attend Professional Events:
Another excellent method to build up strong professional networks is to attend all types of professional events that draw people together belonging to various types of career fields.
Such meetings help you to engage with others on a different level than you can engage with them through technological devices. Also, you can develop more meaningful and long-lasting relationships with them. Such relationships can also be used as a means to future referral for any job that you have checked with that person.
8. Take on Projects that are Crucial to the Company:
You must try to take on a few projects that are crucial to the company but are slightly difficult to achieve. They are usually ones, that no one would want to do.
Look out for projects that would encourage teamwork and will help in structuring a better communication network. You can do them in your free time. If you can complete those projects than your teammates, then you will be able to add value to your work.
Furthermore, completing such projects will help you earn respect for others. Also, it will show clearly that you are a strong team player as well as can perform well on an individual basis.
9. Ask for Accountability:
If you are not offered with any much important work, then you can always ask for the same from your employer or team head.
If you feel that you are responsible enough and can do the job then you must willingly take responsibility. If you take on the responsibility willingly and complete it in the best manner, then this will be a highly attractive trait for the managers.
10. Work on Some Side Projects:
If you are not doing enough challenging job that can provide you with lucrative results, then you may look for side projects that can be great for your career progression.
You can identify some side ventures and ideas as well as look for side projects by working as a freelancer to reap enough gains on the professional front. These works look great on the resume and can be of great interest to the recruiter or entrepreneur looking for a person with high versatility.
Just make sure that you can stand your professional as well as personal career. This way you will be able to develop your skills to a great extent and help you learn along the way.
11. Keep Learning New Skills in Your Life:
One fine way to boost your career progression plan is to enhance the new skills in your life. This is one of the best ways to avail a big leap in your career.
When you discover new passion and skills during your work then you can utilize them later on in your new profession or career role.
Just make sure that if you wish to continue the job with your present employer then you must not allow your side jobs to hurt your productivity. It is because such skills intend to make you more attractive to the employers and not to make you get fired.
12. Maintain Your Focus on Results and Not on Time:
Many of us look for a career that can help us earn more money. But, we fail to remember that it is more important to gain quality experience and develop skills rather than focusing on the amount of money we earn.
Conclusion:
If your job can create value for your skills then this implies that it is adding to your career progression. If you are focusing on results then you will work hard to achieve them. If you are just sitting idle then eventually the company will lose on its reputation. As a result, this will hamper your goodwill and put a question mark against your skills.
There are numerous ways to move towards your career and achieve your career progression path quickly. But remember one thing that, hard work is always better than shortcuts. So, put in all your efforts and follow these necessary steps to fulfill your goals faster. Might be you can discover novel possibilities along the way.
