Your career is easily one of the most important areas of your life. If you want to make the most of it, climbing the ladder at your job is crucial. Here are four tips that will help you take your career to the next level and ensure both advancement and pay increases at work.
Express Interest in Advancement
Simple as it may sound, letting your superiors know that you eventually want to move up the corporate ladder is a great first step toward actually doing it. If your boss knows that you want opportunities for advancement, he or she will likely help you find those opportunities. Making your interest known will also help you stand out from potential candidates who may be more retiring about directly taking about promotions.
Seek out Coaching and Mentorship
Having help and advice from someone who has already achieved career success is one of the best ways to meet your own goals. Asking your boss or other high-ups in your company to mentor you is a great option. If this kind of mentorship isn’t available in your company, an executive coach can help to fill in the gap.
Make Sure Your Education is Sufficient for the Job You Want
If you want to reach the upper echelons in your company, you may need to go back to school to further your education. In most cases, corporations look for candidates with at least master’s degrees to fill high-level positions. If you only have a bachelor’s degree or feel that a different graduate degree could help further your career, going back to school will be a good investment of both time and money.
Make Strategic Transitions
In some cases, the position you’re already in may not be the ideal one for career advancement. If you want to set yourself up for a promotion, you may have to go work in another department of your company. Many companies have certain departments that serve as the main pool of candidates for upper-tier positions. If this is the case in your company, a lateral move to that department will help you to position yourself for advancement in the future.
These are just a few of the best ways to promote your own professional success. Of course, every career is different, so you may have to pick and choose the best tactics for your own personal situation. Putting together a plan for your career can help you to decide where you want to go and what the best way is to get there.
Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky Snowball.