There comes a time in most people's lives when the proverbial door to greater opportunities finally opens, and only a small percentage of adventurous ones will leap through it. The fact is, even with the idea of something better, you're still going into the unknown, and that scares most people.
When it comes to advancing in your career, that fear becomes heightened because you have to consider a multitude of things that could go wrong. Or just make your life harder when all's said and done. Your concerns can come in through different thoughts such as, 'Can I handle it?', 'Will I have enough time for my family?', 'If I'm up the career ladder, who will tell me what to do?' and these are only a few that are the most recurrent. People fear different tasks or have certain insecurities that will stop them from even considering advancing in their careers.
What the majority of employees seeking better opportunities tend to forget is that there are benefits to climbing the career ladder, and they might be ready to do so if only they gave themselves that chance. Instead of looking at the potential difficulties and struggles you might face, reflect upon the advantages of having a higher position in your company. Will you have a saying in projects? Will you be responsible for more people, and is that something you love to do? Will you get a much higher salary and bonuses with that new role? Will you be able to make an impact?
Yes, these may be tough questions with even tougher answers, but if you're in your own way to ascend to the top, how can you ever truly improve in your life?
In this article, you will be presented with a list of tasks, questions, and options you need to consider and mull over for some time, which ultimately will help you leap towards the proverbial open door you want to choose and are ready for.
Ultimate checklist for advancing in your career:
Use this checklist to guide you in what steps you should be taking to advance in your career with the confidence and ease you truly deserve to achieve your professional goals sooner rather than later.
-
Brainstorm
First things first, you should think about every aspect of moving up the career ladder. Start by answering some of the questions above to give yourself an idea of whether this is something that is possible, for one, but also if it's the logical next step for you.
You should also consider in what ways you can advance in your career. Not all options have to be in a senior managerial role, for example. Maybe the right path at the moment is to shift careers, move to a different department or field, or even just ask for a raise. Either way, what all of these have in common is that you will be advancing in your professional career.
-
Plan ahead
After brainstorming and considering your options, plan thoroughly before jumping to any conclusions. Like looking into any managerial role, you need a clear map of what steps you should be taking and the potential outcomes for said actions.
Giving yourself a couple of hours every few months to sit with yourself and write down what you like about your job, what stresses you out the most, and what impact you would like to make will allow you the time you need to concentrate on what's important to you, but also prepare you for your future. You don't want to waste time or money, so a clear plan is crucial to advance in your career.
-
Discuss with your relatives
When in doubt, ask the people who know you and love you the most. Besides being in your life and having a great awareness of your likes and dislikes, your relatives will want you to succeed, so who better to help and guide in the decision of where you should be headed professionally?
Discuss with your loved ones and ask them for advice. You don't even have to give them all the facts about your goals or your own objectives. Let them give you their opinion, and maybe that way, you'll get unique and surprising answers you never thought of before. If their suggestions don't seem to ring any bells, then at least you'll know what you definitely do not want. You'll still end up winning.
-
Get qualified
If the area or field you'd like to move into requires certain qualifications, then obtain those to truly show your superiors how invested you are in making that move. Whether you'll need to get a master of engineering management degree for your managerial dreams or a certification in a new IT language you're not familiar with, make sure you are qualified for said promotion. You need to appear as if they'll be missing out on you if they don't give you that role or take you on for that job.
-
Develop your skills
You might not need an accredited qualification or certificate to prove your skills and knowledge in a specific area, but you might need to develop your skills. Constantly learning new skills and improving old ones shows you're motivated to do whatever is necessary to get you moving up.
Attend webinars, short-term courses, or even meetings you're not obliged to be at to prove to your company (or a new company) that you know what it will take to keep you as an asset. Besides, learning is always fun, and you might even find out you love a new field you hadn't yet considered.
-
Ask for help
Find a mentor or someone who has the same or a similar role you're thinking of getting yourself and ask them to guide you. Maybe even ask them if you can shadow them for a few days or a couple of weeks, so you can get a feel for what the job entitles and if that is something you're truly excited to pursue.
On the one hand, your relatives can help you by shedding light on what they believe is best for you or a good fit for your skillset, but someone from within the field will offer invaluable knowledge that will be the foundation of your move.
-
Update your resume
With a change in career, there should come along a new, updated resume. There are no excuses for sending out your old resume to new opportunities you're chasing. With only a click or two, you can find thousands of templates online, so updating your professional experience and education has never been so easy.
Edit out skills or work experience that are not relevant to the role you're applying for, add new qualifications or skills you've obtained to get a new position and make it inviting. If you want to make it stand out, add a personal statement of only a few sentences and describe what made you want to advance in your career and the steps you've taken to get there.
-
Put in the time
Climbing the career ladder may take up a lot of your time, which starts before you decide what to do. Thinking and brainstorming ideas, different paths, and potential outcomes happen before you start taking action, and that alone can take weeks.
Be prepared to put in the time to make this happen. You might end up not needing it, and things will flow much easier than for others, but as explained in point number 2, it is better to plan ahead and be prepared than to constantly be surprised when things don't go according to plan.
-
Put in the effort
Just like you're going to spend a lot of time on this, you'll also feel like you're spending most days working for it, too. Putting in the effort to get that managerial role is crucial to getting you where you'd like to be. This may translate into working overtime, taking a course after work, or spending time with a mentor who will give you even more work to do. It does involve a lot of effort on your part, and it won't be easy.
As said previously, if you're focused and clear on your path, then the steps required to take you there can be easier, but that doesn't mean your energy won't be sucked into this every second of the day.
-
Be active
Don't wait for the opportunities to fall on your lap. Chase them, corner them, so they won't have a choice but to look at you.
Be active in pursuing what you need to do to advance in your career. Whether that's finding the right mentor, putting in the time and effort (maybe even money), or working hard every day to prove you're worthy, be active in making the career you want to happen.
Once again, having a clear plan will help you keep up, and you won't waste mental energy thinking along the way because you'll know what the next step is.
-
Start looking around
If your company is still not showing interest in offering you the role, then don't stop there. Just start looking for other ways. By this point, you've put in the time and effort, learned new skills and improved old ones, you've sought help and guidance, and are ready for your new responsibilities.
So, if all that is not enough for them, don't be afraid to look around. See what else is out there and what other companies and jobs interest you. You might find just what you're looking for elsewhere.
-
Network
Go out and meet like-minded individuals who might have advice for you. When you surround yourself with people who share the same values or goals, chasing them together becomes easier. You can boost each other, point each other in the right direction, and might even share opportunities with each other that might not have worked out for you but might for the other person.
Networking is vital when climbing the career ladder, and you must open yourself to that path. Find events happening in your city or area. There are many websites that are specifically for networking. LinkedIn is also great for meeting new people who share the same professional goals as you.
-
Give it time
Patience is not everyone's virtue, but you'll definitely need some of it to see this through. While working hard to obtain qualifications or learn a new skill, spending more hours at work, or shadowing a mentor, you may become lost and start wondering if it's all worth it. This happens because things take time, and in today's society, we're not ready to wait and trust the process until we finally get what we want. We want everything now, delivered to you today, and decisions to be made ASAP.
Unfortunately, this hardly happens in business, so giving the process time to grow and lead you towards where you need to be is essential to making it through.
-
Revise the process, if necessary
If all else fails, maybe one thing you can do, besides giving it time, is to revise your process. Consider what steps you've been taking. Is this something you really want? What else could you be doing to make this happen? Have you exhausted all paths and options? Do you have someone guiding you? Are you still happy to make this change?
Just like in your professional career, where you should be questioning and analyzing it every few months, you should also do it during this time when you're looking into accelerating your career. If, after reviewing it, you still feel confident you're doing all it takes, then just go back to point number 13, and give it some more time. You're on the right path. That's all that matters.
In the end, just keep your head up and don't quit. You deserve to achieve your goals, and you'll succeed if you follow this checklist to help you take the necessary steps that will get you in the right position and direction.
Remember that climbing the career ladder takes time and effort, but you can do it if you're invested enough.
