Many people have aspirations to take their career to the next level and reach the top but are unsure how to do so. It will always be a challenge to take the next step in your career, and it can take a lot of hard work, patience, and commitment, but this makes it all the more rewarding when you get there, and you should find that this commitment to self-improvement can enrich your life in other ways too. There are several big steps that you could take, like earning an online MBA, along with many smaller steps, such as taking pride in your appearance each day, so read on for all of the best ways that you can take your career to the next level.
Determine Your Goals
The first step to take is to identify your goals and the next step in your career, whether you want to climb the ladder within your existing company or perhaps branch out into a new industry. It is hard to take the next step in your career if you do not know what this is, so identifying your goals will help you determine what steps need to be taken to reach these goals.
Speak to Your Superior
Another smart step to take early on is to speak to your superior and let them know that you are looking to take the next step in your career. This is helpful because it will plant the idea in their mind, and they will be able to inform and possibly help you achieve this, whether this involves training, increased responsibilities, or putting your name forward for a potential promotion. Importantly, speaking to your superior also shows that you are serious about taking the next step and suggests that if you cannot take the next step here, then you may start to look elsewhere, and they could lose you.
Start Looking Around
Following this point, you should also start looking around at other jobs as you might find the perfect opportunity at a different company. It can be difficult and stressful to move to a different company, especially if you have been in place for a long time, but if you are serious about making it to the top, then this is often an essential step, and you need to be willing to make a big change. Keep in mind that the major cities are often the places where you can make progress, so you may even have to be willing to move. However, the rise of remote working means that you could potentially find a position in a different place without having to move, so this could work in your favor.
Improve Your Day-To-Day Performance
You cannot expect to take the next step in your career and earn a promotion if you are not a top performer in the business. This is why you need to make sure that you are performing to a high standard every day, including going the extra mile and seeing things from a business standpoint instead of just through your role. A few ways to stand out are by coming forward with ideas that would benefit the business, volunteering to take on new responsibilities, and providing help and support to your co-workers. Employees like this are valuable for companies, and they will want to do all that they can to keep hold of them.
Study an Online MBA
Leading on from this point, if you want to progress to leadership and management, you need to have excellent knowledge of business strategy and principles and leadership skills. An online MBA will allow you to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence required, and an online MBA can greatly improve your earning potential. This makes an online MBA a good investment in yourself, and it is amazing the difference that this can make when it comes to attracting employers and improving your personal performance. Not only this, but an online MBA can be much easier to fit into a busy schedule, so it should not interfere with your workplace performance too much.
Avoid Burnout
While you certainly need to be working hard and bolstering your resume with a valuable qualification like an online MBA, it is also critical that you avoid burnout. This is something that many people suffer from when they are trying to stand out and take their career forward, but this can do long-term damage in terms of your workplace performance, mental health, and personal life. This is why you need to make sure that you are enjoying your free time, leading a healthy lifestyle, and trying to stop work from interfering with your personal life.
Take Pride in Your Appearance
It might seem like a superficial and minor aspect, but how a person dresses says a lot about themselves, and it can also have a big impact on your self-confidence and how others perceive you. This is why you should always take pride in your appearance at work by dressing smartly, having a sensible haircut, grooming, and making personal hygiene a priority. You should find that this helps to lift your confidence; it will impress others and show that you take pride in yourself (and will therefore take pride in your work).
Improve How You Communicate & Present Yourself
Leading on from this, you may also need to work on how you communicate and present yourself to others. Those who excel in the business world can communicate effectively, including listening to other people and speaking with confidence (but not arrogance). Similarly, it would be best if you thought about how you present yourself to others and try to do so with confidence by shaking people’s hand, looking them in the eye, and being friendly yet professional.
Some people are indeed more confident and better communicators than others, but these skills can be developed over time. You will find that research will be helpful, but ultimately it comes down to practice – many people find the saying “fake it till you make it” helps in terms of projecting confidence, so you might find it helpful to try and copy someone that you admire and exudes confidence.
Network
Networking remains one of the best and most effective ways for someone to progress their career. Building a large network of professional people can open new doors, improve your professional reputation and help to develop your confidence, so this needs to be something that you make a concerted effort with. It is a good idea to network online and to have a professional website that you can direct people to, but you must not overlook the value of networking in person as this can be much more impactful.
Industry-related conferences are an incredibly valuable tool, not only can you keep on top of the latest developments, but you will have the chance to network with people that you might not have thought about connecting with, which brings its own opportunities.
Crucially, maintain these relationships over time and show a genuine interest in others – people can sense when someone only wants to network for professional development, so you need to try to build relationships and be willing to help others if you can.
Stay Current in Your Industry
An online MBA is useful and will develop skills and knowledge that will stand the test of time, but you also need to be aware that every industry goes through change, and you will need to stay up to date with the latest developments, trends, and challenges that are happening. This will help you adapt, improve your performance, and see the big picture that will help when it comes to taking the next step in your career. Fortunately, it is easy to keep up to date with new developments in today’s day and age thanks to the internet, so you should dedicate some of your time to reading blogs and online publications, listening to podcasts, and generally researching what is happening in your industry.
Tailor Any Job Applications
When it comes to applying for jobs, many people mistake firing off the same CV, cover letter, and message to every job that they apply for, whether it is in an entry-level position in a business or a temporary retail position. People can sense this, showing that not much thought has been put into the application, which will be an immediate deterrent to potential employers. This is why you should always tailor any job applications, including your resume, cover letter, and message to every single job that you apply for. This will allow you to make your application stand out, address any specific requirements that they have and show that you have attention to detail and have paid attention to the job you’re applying for.
Practice Interviews
It is also useful to practice interviews beforehand, especially if you have not had one for many years or this is an area that you often struggle with. Of course, interviews are the key stage in securing a new job, but many people struggle with this and often feel extremely anxious beforehand. Some anxiety is fine and expected, but if you feel overly anxious, this could affect your performance.
Preparation is key to success with interviews, so you should always practice interviews beforehand, research how you can improve your technique, and learn as much about the business as you can beforehand. It is also good practice to ask for feedback after an unsuccessful interview – although it is confronting and can be challenging, this is the best way to learn how to improve and could make all the difference for your next interview.
Streamline Your Performance (And Life) With Tech
You will find that technology can also be of great help when looking to improve your workplace performance and life. Tech could help to increase your productivity, automate certain tasks that need doing and help you to stay organized, so it is a good idea to stay current with the latest tech developments and consider ways that it could be used to streamline your performance. It can be tricky when tech seems to be developing rapidly, but you should find that business blogs and podcasts cover helpful tech or specific tech blogs that you could be reading, which will help you stay current.
Track Your Progress & Achievements
A simple yet often overlooked step to take when you want to develop your career is to track the progress and achievements you make over the years, whether completing an online MBA or successfully completing an important project. This is extremely useful because you can show this to your superior or an interviewer to show the steps that you have taken in recent times, plus it is also helpful for building your own self-confidence. Many people struggle when they are asked what they have achieved or what they take pride in, but if you have a list of your accomplishments, it can do wonders for your self-esteem.
Identify Flaws & Work on Them
It is also important that you identify your professional flaws and then work on them so that they are no longer a vulnerability. This is one of the most effective ways to progress and develop your abilities, but it can also be the hardest and most confronting. You may also find it helpful to speak to others and encourage them to be honest as often people have a flaw that they are unaware of. Working on your flaws often involves stepping outside of your comfort zone, but this needs to be something that you can do as this is when the most progress is made and where self-confidence is built.
Taking the next step in your career can be challenging, but these are the best strategies that will hopefully help you achieve your goals. It can be a lot of hard work, but this makes the reward even sweeter, and you should find that many of these strategies could improve your entire life in unexpected ways too.