10 Career Advancement Strategies to Act on TODAY

I'm about to share the details behind advancing that budding (or stagnant) career that you can apply immediately to make a positive impact on your future. Advancing in one’s career can be particularly challenging for anyone due to various personal, systemic, or social barriers. However, there are effective strategies anyone can employ to navigate these challenges and advance in their careers. Here are 10 of the top career advancement strategies I've learned over the past 20 years to help you get ahead:

1. Networking and Building Relationships

• Professional Networks: Join professional organizations, attend industry conferences, and participate in networking events. Put yourself out there.
• Mentorship: Find mentors who can provide guidance, support, and insight into career paths and advancement opportunities. You can search for one who has blazed the path you are trying to go down, or find one that's aligned with you personally (also has children, or doesn't have a Master's degree, or is single, etc.).
• Sponsorship: Seek out sponsors who can advocate for you and help open doors to new opportunities. This person is your advocate - and especially in large organizations, this is crucial.

2. Continuous Learning and Skill Development

• Further Education: Pursue advanced degrees or professional certifications relevant to your field. Better yet - learn what your current employer will pay or reimburse for you to do this!
• Skill Enhancement: Regularly update your skills through workshops, online courses, and training programs. There are online courses everywhere right now. Take advantage of them. We even have a few if you're in HR or Leadership if you'd like to take a look (with more to come).
• Stay Informed: Keep abreast of industry trends, technological advancements, and best practices. At a minimum, subscribe to a few weekly emails in your industry and block out some reading time each week to breeze through them.

3. Personal Branding

• Develop Expertise: Become a thought leader in your field by publishing articles, speaking at conferences, and sharing knowledge on social media. There are free ways to get yourself positioned in this way such as being a podcast guest (and I happen to be a podcast host, so let me know if you want to collaborate). Another idea is to shoot videos on social media - I know it feels vulnerable, but it's what the people want! You can also guest write for online publications - I submit 3 articles a month for consideration, post on my blogs every single week, and post a LinkedIn newsletter once a week. It takes time, but it gets your name out there. You can check out my bio to see where all I've been published this year, and those articles didn't cost me a dime.
• Online Presence: Maintain a professional online presence on platforms like LinkedIn to showcase your achievements and connect with industry peers. Consistency is key here - show up every single week (you don't have to go bananas and do every single day, but more is more when it comes to the socials).
• Elevator Pitch: Craft a compelling elevator pitch that clearly communicates your value and career aspirations.

4. Effective Communication

• Assertiveness: Develop assertiveness skills to effectively communicate your ideas and negotiate for what you deserve. This starts out hard, but the more you do it, just like anything else, the easier it gets.
• Public Speaking: Improve public speaking skills to enhance your ability to influence and lead. Offer to speak at events for free to grow your skills. Again - this is painful at first, but I promise it gets better.
• Feedback: Seek constructive feedback and use it to grow and improve your performance. And if you have no one around you to give you this feedback, then it's time to find some truth tellers or a personal board of directors for your life.

5. Career Planning and Goal Setting

• Clear Goals: Set short-term and long-term career goals with specific, measurable milestones. I have goals for my business, and I have goals for me personally. They both matter and they both propel me forward, daily.
• Action Plans: Develop action plans that outline steps to achieve your career goals. If you don't make a plan, the odds are slim it will actually happen.
• Regular Review: Periodically review and adjust your career plan to stay on track and adapt to changing circumstances. I look at my data and progress monthly. You can review it weekly or quarterly - just intentionally do so at a frequency in which you can be consistent.

6. Leveraging Internal Opportunities

• Internal Mobility: Explore opportunities for advancement within your current organization, such as lateral moves, promotions, or special projects. Think creatively here and don't be afraid to pitch a new role or combine some responsibilities. Give your superior something to say yes or no to - and don't say no for them! Come up with some ideas and throw them out there.
• Visibility: Increase your visibility by volunteering for high-profile projects, leading initiatives, and participating in cross-functional teams.
• Performance: Consistently demonstrate high performance and reliability to build a strong reputation within your organization. If you aren't excelling in the small stuff, you won't be considered for the bigger projects. I don't know a leader that says, "wow, this person keeps dropping the ball in these areas, but I want to see if they can take on something even bigger." You get the point.

7. Work-Life Balance

• Self-Care: Prioritize self-care to maintain physical and mental well-being, which is essential for long-term career success. Confidence in your physical and mental health spills wildly over into your work performance.
• Boundaries: Set clear boundaries to balance work and personal life effectively. And if you struggle with boundaries, here's a book that helped clarify them for me.
• Support Systems: Build a strong support system, including family, friends, and professional networks, to help manage work-life demands. If you have a robust life outside of work, you will be less desperate and unbalanced in your workplace.

8. Advocacy and Inclusion

• Champion Diversity: Advocate for diversity and inclusion within your organization, which can also create a more supportive environment for your own advancement. Genuinely make space to listen and care for others [emphasis on the word genuinely].
• Professional Networks: Join or create a professional network or support group to foster collaboration, mentorship, and mutual support. If you can't find one that feels right, create one!
• Role Models: Look up to and learn from successful leaders who have navigated similar challenges.

9. Negotiation Skills

• Compensation: Learn to negotiate effectively for salary increases, promotions, and other benefits. I've got a podcast episode on negotiation if you'd like to give it a listen/watch.
• Opportunities: Negotiate for roles and projects that align with your career goals and provide growth opportunities.

10. Resilience and Adaptability

• Overcome Barriers: Develop resilience to overcome obstacles and setbacks. Here's a great book on GRIT if you're ready to grow in this area.
• Adaptability: Be adaptable to changing circumstances and open to new opportunities, even if they require stepping out of your comfort zone. If you are inflexible in the face of change, you will get passed by. That's a tough reality, but it's reality.

By employing these strategies, professionals can enhance their career prospects, overcome barriers, and achieve their professional goals. Want some 1:1 coaching? We offer weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly coaching sessions to professionals at any level. Let me know if we can help.