You may want to progress in your current line of work, or you want to change career route. This can be stressful and a long process, but with the right tips to follow you should get their quicker and successfully.
Some people will remain in their current job for years and years because they do not think they have got what it takes to be anything else. The comfort of knowing what they are doing in their current job is enough to keep them stuck. However, you could be miserable in your job or lacking job satisfaction and that is really important for your mental health, especially as you will be working full time for the rest of your adult life until retirement.
Here are 5 tips to help you make a change and progress.
1. Research Where Your True Potential Lies
The only way to see what other choice out there for you is to research them. You could perhaps take a career quiz, or you may have always thought that a particular job looked fun or interesting. Now before you think up all the reasons why you would not be for the job, start thinking of how you could be for the job. Just because you may not have the normal type of experience that most people that go into that job do; it does not mean you could not bring something to the table.
2. Make a Plan
When you are thinking about career progression, it may be a good idea to have a plan. If you do not have a plan you may not make the step and remain stuck. A great thing to do is have a notebook for your career goals. You can write down the end goal and all the stages in between. You can also note down time frames where you should perhaps make a meeting with your boss and start talking about the next steps in your career.
If you are thinking about progressing in your current company then perhaps research how long it takes on average for a person to be promoted at your role and you can note down a timeline. You do not want to be stuck in your current role for so long that you miss out on progression.
3. Make a List of Your Skills
Once you have decided what you would like to do with you career, the next stage is to think of all your professional abilities and skills that you could bring to the role. Further, you will want to find out the skills that are needed for that career progressions and find out if yours meet up. For example, I may write that I am:
- Great at communicating
- Have emotional intelligence
- Time management
- Organisational skills
- Legal skills from a law degree
You can incorporate your skills from your education, previous work or personal skills that you could ask your family and friends about.
4. Take a Course to Up Your Potential
You may find that the job that you want to go into requires a few more qualifications than you can give. The good news is that you do not have to undertake a whole 3-4 year degree, you can take online courses. The College of Contract Management in the UK provides a whole range of short courses which can give you reputable qualifications.
Short courses can be a great way to add to your skill set and work full time. They are offered part time and on weekends, so they are as flexible as possible to suit your needs. Many people tend to continue education in adulthood for this exact reason, to progress in their industry or make a career change.
5. Make an Impression
Depending on whether you are wanting to progress into a higher up role or change career path, the way of making an impression will be different. If you are wanting make career progression in your company, make sure you communicate well with your manager and always be open to new opportunities. You could ask how a person progresses in the company and if there are any new opportunities popping up.
If you are hoping to change career path you are going to want to brush up on your interview skills. In your interview you are going to want to show how your previous work can be applied and be useful for the new job. Of course, during the interview you are going to want to make a great impression to be noticed and stand out from the crowd, so perhaps use some of these interview tips to help you with the process:
- Practice, practice, and practice again, when preparing for an interview you do not want to seem unprepared or get too confused by the potential questions that you underperform.
- Research the types of questions that will be asked throughout, for example, you may be asked situational based questions which are designed to assess your suitability to the role with experiences from your professional or personal life.
- Learn about the role and the company. It is important that you know what the role that you want to progress in involves. You may be asked a question regarding what you think your day to day tasks will be. Furthermore, you may want to make a good impression and know about the company’s history, what their values and views are and any great moments for the company.
Final Thoughts
Career progression is absolutely possible, and you should not shy away from that prospect. With a notebook full of plans, a recognition for your professional abilities and making a good impression you can be sure to see some changes. Take that step and schedule a meeting with your boss or apply for that job that you have always been interested in. If you stick around in your same job for years on end you will fail to feel any sort of satisfaction or reward.