Tips to accelerate your career to achieve success at any age
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- June 23, 2021
Thanks to the competitiveness of today’s world, it’s becoming increasingly harder for employees to enjoy career advancement these days. That’s why self-career development plays such an important role in your career success.
Looking for ways to take control of your development and accelerate your career growth? Here are some tips:
Clarify your career objectives
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Clarifying your career objectives helps you to clearly define what a better job is to you which offers you direction to achieve your career goals.
This is essential because we tend to leave an awful lot to chance, making adjustments to our careers only when a crisis happens.
Rather than leave things to luck, a better strategy would be to think about what your career objectives are and come up with specific plans to achieve them.
View career paths as fluid
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If you find your career plateauing, you can consider moving sideways to find a position with similar title and pay in another organisation or department with more advancement opportunities.
Alternatively, you could also choose a role with lesser pay or less prestigious title in a fast-paced startup with plenty of learning opportunities.
Whichever the case is, it’s important to remember that moving forward isn’t the only way to advance. You can also take your career to the next level when you take a step to the side or back by applying the knowledge, experience and skills gained through these moves.
Adopting the right mindset for the future of work
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The journey to career growth starts with adopting the right mindset needed for the future of work. Coupled with the normalisation of remote work and the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to the workplace, the future of work is where continuous learning and adaptability is of utmost importance.
Additionally, because careers will be non-linear, being flexible and resilient during change is imperative. A mindset that’s resilient and flexible will help you to adapt to the changing factors that affect your career and mould it according to the situation.
Boost your daily productivity
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Accelerating your career requires you to make small changes one day at a time. As such, you’ll need to put your best foot forward to maximise your work hours efficiently and boost productivity.
This can involve putting your phone on “do not disturb mode”, creating to-do lists, blocking off time for activities like checking your email or browsing social media to ignore productivity killers.
Leverage your network
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Surrounding yourself with the right people can make or break your success. You need to surround yourself with a diverse set of people to overcome challenges and accelerate your career.
If you’re facing trouble reaching out to your peers, find an excuse to strike a conversation. You don’t have to go into a full blown conversation right away and can share an article or talk about common professional interests to get the ball rolling.
Seek feedback — even if it’s negative
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Asking for feedback plays a crucial role in helping you to accelerate your career. Doing so allows you to evaluate your proficiency and identify areas that you need to work on.
The absence of criticism makes it hard for us to be self-aware, which can hinder career and personal growth.
When asking for feedback, we recommend trying to be as specific as possible and focus on the areas that you truly need help with.
Find a mentor
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Mentors can leave a profound impact on your career by helping you to develop new perspectives and gain a better understanding of your industry.
On top of that, having the guidance and support of an experienced mentor enables you to develop confidence in yourself. This enhances your ability to carry out tasks which ultimately improves your performance at work.
Featured image from Unsplash
