The ongoing pandemic has brought a lot of changes to our world, and one of the most important changes has been in employment. Not only are people opting to leave jobs more quickly, but people are increasingly concerned about work-life balance, as well as job benefits. Employers are also finding it increasingly difficult to fill positions, which give you the perfect opportunity to advance your career. If you are looking to change or advance your career, there are things you can do to improve your chances of moving up the ladder.
Improve Your Education or Certification
One of the most important things you can do for your career advancement is to improve the amount of education you have with companies such as Career Progress. They help enhance your knowledge by offering certification or college courses online. Learning online has never been easier than it is right now. If you want to take a six-week certification course or complete your college degree, you should be able to find courses online to help you.
In addition to college courses, you may want to look at individual coursework for career advancement. For example, you may want to improve your technology skills by taking a coding course, or a course to improve your proficiency in Windows or Google, as well as other software programs. Need to learn finance topics, human resource information, additional accounting, or even a new language? You can find all of these course topics online.
Build Relationships and Network
Need to get ahead in your career? You should work on your relationships and building networks of associates. While social media sites such as LinkedIn are great for building contacts, nothing beats talking with someone one on one and exchanging ideas and information. You can do this online as well as face to face, depending on pandemic restrictions in your area.
One great way to meet new contacts in business is to join civic organizations in your community, such as your local chamber of commerce, service organizations, or even charities. These community organizations can put you with other business people with common goals.
Find A Mentor
Business mentoring has become increasingly popular as a way to advance a career, especially if you are just beginning your career. Look for a mentor in the same or similar field as you. While some people want their mentor to be located within their company, other people feel it is better to have a mentor outside their company for a new perspective.
Some businesses offer group mentoring through management teams. In this setup, a new member of a team would be mentored by the entire group. This is very beneficial for new employees to an established team because it helps them train more quickly. Whether your mentor is an individual or a group, mentors can help you work your way upward in the company and advance your career.
Attend and Present at Conferences
You can add to your resume and advance your career by attending conferences in your career field. Many businesses have conferences at the regional, national, and international level, and these conferences provide you with information, education, and training you might not be able to get at home. Once you have been attending conferences for a while, you need to consider presenting at conferences. Presenting at conferences helps you expand your knowledge and gives your resume a boost. If you are looking to advance in a management or leadership position, you need to be a conference regular.
Improve Your Communication Skills
One of the elements you need to have to get ahead in your career field is to make sure you can communicate with employees you manage, employees you work with, as well as with your boss or manager. One of the reasons people lose jobs or promotions is not because they aren’t qualified, but because they cannot communicate effectively with other people.
It can be difficult to improve your communication skills, but one great way to work on your communication is by watching someone else who is great at communication work. Ask them questions about how they communicate effectively. Watch how they work to communicate with people who are below them and above them on the employment ladder. As you increase your communication skills, you can increase your chances for advancement.
You should have the ability to move up in your company, but what if you don’t see a way forward at the company you work for? There has never been a better time to change companies than right now. When you need to work toward advancement, you need to understand that the best way up may be out the door and up the ladder at a different company.
