Career development is the bedrock to attaining career growth. Many working professionals who maintain a gradual but constant career development experience enviable boosts in their career potential. They realise that the current job they hold is a stepping stone to the bigger goals they aspire to reach.
It is also true that there are many professionals who have over time ignored or forgotten to invest in their career development with dire consequences. Whilst some of these professionals may still be employed, the chances of rising to an enviable position becomes much slimmer.
While some companies provide training to help their employees improve on their job, the kinds of training they offer might not be a great fit for your career path. The decision to advance your career prospects in the direction of your goal lies solely with you.
Whether you are still searching for a job or currently employed, this decision will ultimately decide how far you can go in your career. Research shows that employers are more likely to hire professionals with proven skills for coveted positions.
What is Your Role as a Professional
As a professional, you need to realise that to reach the summit of your career pursuit, you will need to do more than just have a routine job that pays the bills as this will not set you apart from other colleagues. You will need to understand that the job you currently hold might cease to be or that a more lucrative job might turn up that requires a higher level of competence and qualifications than your first job.
Being ready for these possibilities means you are on your way to bigger challenges down the road. To be sure you are on safe ground, start by objectively evaluating yourself and testing your qualification by applying for advertised jobs. An honest reflection will reveal just where you stand and whether you have been putting your career development in jeopardy.
Start challenging yourself to attain those goals you dreamed of. You can achieve that by following the below actionable tips aimed at giving your career prospect a jolt.
Tips to Start Boosting Your Career Capital
These tips do not follow a particular order. You just want to make sure you make them part of your professional life going forward.
Acquire Advanced Studies and Certification
Acquiring additional skills and knowledge increases your overall value. This might include getting a certification to specialise, taking an advanced course online, or exploring other fields.
Regardless of what you choose, the important thing is that you will be increasing your knowledge and your career capital for the future ahead.
See Also: How To Change Careers Without Losing Your Mind
Set a Goal and Pursue It
Professionals don’t always set goals after they land a job but this is something that should be taken seriously. Setting a target pushes you to go beyond your comfort level.
Be assured that reaching that milestone is worth the effort as the attainment of such a goal will increase your value and relevance. For instance, you might have started out as a content editor, but you can also set a goal to pass the Google Analytics Exam.
See Also: 4 Sure-Fire Ways to Motivate Yourself to Reach Your Goals
Be Active on Social Media
The advantages you can reap from professional networking are real and far-reaching. By staying active on social media and widening your support network, you have ensured access to pipelines of information, some of this communicated to you in real-time. They could include information on emerging trends, job openings, career fair, direct access to employers, and much more.
Use Seasoned Professionals and Mentors
Mentors are valuable guides who can help you make important decisions during your career. This could include what skills you need to develop, when to ask for a raise, and if you are ready for fresh challenges.
You will need a mentor when starting out and even when you are established. To have a mentor means you get experienced grooming, insight into exclusive opportunities, and much more. You can avoid pitfalls and common mistakes along the way.
Participate in Career Conferences
Participation in career fairs is important to better understand recruiters and companies looking to hire the best talents. You can strengthen and grow your professional network during these career fairs and also get guidance from industry experts.
You can…
- Get access to onsite interviews from companies
- Get the opportunity to meet experts and influencers
- Get an insight into companies look for in candidates
- Networking and meeting other professionals is guaranteed
- You can literally put a face on your application by being participant
Develop an Entrepreneurial Mindset
The reward of good work is rising through the ranks. However, with performance comes more responsibility. You will be required to perform other functions in management and administration.
In such cases, you will have to explore and acquire skills in other verticals. When you start to rise to an executive or management position, you might assume responsibilities that require making decisions crucial to the performance of the company. In such a case, you should start thinking in management and business terms.
The below infographic by Market Inspector aims to capture these tips that will help professionals increase their career capital.
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Author: Olawale Ajayi
Olawale Ajayi is a content developer working at Market Inspector, a B2B marketplace. His passion for writing comes from an early age where he entered into competitive poetry writing on poetry.com, he now writes about technology and human development. When he is not writing, Olawale is working on website development and optimisation.
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