Once you secure a job, it’s a good idea to start thinking about ways that you can advance in your role. This may involve transitioning into a management position or enriching your skills and knowledge to become an expert in your chosen field. A new promotion can increase your salary, boost your job satisfaction, and improve your work-life balance.
Here are eight surefire ways to advance your career:
1. Keep a positive attitude
The people who get promoted and work their way up the career ladder are usually those who have a positive, can-do attitude. Show your manager that you can keep calm under pressure and try to be a positive role model to those around you. This will demonstrate your management potential and put you in a strong position where promotions become available.
According to advice on Indeed.com, you can have a more positive attitude at work by using a positive vocabulary (and avoiding negative words), showing gratitude, taking regular breaks, and surrounding yourself with positive people.
2. Complete a postgraduate degree
The best employees are constantly looking for ways to improve their skills and expand their expertise. Completing a postgraduate degree can enhance your employability and give you a competitive edge over your peers when the next big opportunity comes up. Most online postgraduate degrees offer flexible learning and can be completed alongside full-time employment.
The kind of postgraduate degree you get will depend on your prior education and career goals. For instance, a registered nurse can complete MSN to DNP degree program to advance their career and secure a nursing position in senior leadership or advanced nursing practice.
Acquiring a postgraduate degree can be an effective way to boost your job prospects and progress in your career. However, studying for a postgraduate degree is a lot of work and requires significant financial investment. You must therefore do your research and make sure that it is the best option for you and your career.
3. Have a strong work ethic
Having a strong work ethic is crucial if you want to elevate your role and secure a more senior position within your company. Employers look for people with this positive mentality, especially when they are trying to fill leadership roles. According to spherion.com, “a strong work ethic will keep your career moving upward and give you greater job satisfaction because you will be fully engaged in what you are doing every day.”
Forming good habits, such as always being punctual, completing work tasks in a timely and efficient manner, being a problem-solver, and maintaining professional standards will help you demonstrate a strong work ethic that will impress your employer.
4. Show your management potential
If you are keen to move upwards in your career, then you must show your employer that you have management potential. Support those around, focus on business results, and volunteer to take on small management responsibilities, for example to plan a company event. Senior roles also require employees to have the traits of a team player because they help to create a supportive environment for collaborative working, which is essential in most modern workplaces.
Following these steps will help you take your career to the next level by demonstrating that you are ready for a leadership position.
5. Discuss your career aspirations
Managers are busy and they may not notice your hard work and recognize your ambitions. You should discuss your career aspirations with your employer and make them aware that you want to advance in your career. Most employers have a structured career ladder and you can ask your manager about upcoming advancement opportunities.
Discussing your career aspirations will demonstrate drive and put you in your manager’s mind when promotions come up. Your manager may also be able to put an action plan in place to help you advance your career and achieve your professional goals.
6. Take care of your mind and body
You are not going to work to the best of your ability and be offered a promotion if you are feeling run down and have regular sick days. This is why it is vitally important that you take good care of your mind and body. Good health will help to ensure that your career lasts and prevent you from feeling burnout and stressed.
Here are some tips to help you stay physically and mentally fit:
- Make exercise part of your daily routine. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should do at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. Being active will lower your risk of chronic health conditions and help to reduce work-related stress.
- Follow good nutrition. Eat three balanced meals a day, drink plenty of water and rely on energy from healthy snacks rather than junk food.
- Aim to get between 7 and 9 hours of quality sleep every night.
- Make time for self-care. Find effective ways to relax and unwind and pursue your hobbies and passions outside of work.
7. Create goals and a timeline
Creating goals will keep you motivated and give you something to work towards. Make sure that your timeline is realistic and remember that you won’t advance in your career straight away. It may take several weeks or months of hard work before you are rewarded.
8. Look for opportunities elsewhere
Moving up the career ladder takes time and you need to be patient. However, if you feel like you have been doing your best at work for a long time and haven’t progressed in your career, then it might be time to look for job opportunities elsewhere.
You can find new opportunities by visiting job sites and forums. Look for companies that offer advancement opportunities in the form of training, regular appraisals, and a structured career ladder.
Summary
Getting noticed for your hard work and advancing in your role is not always easy, but there are lots of ways to improve your job prospects and move up the career ladder. Try the above suggestions to help you achieve your professional goals.