Tips to progress your career

As a recruitment company we talk to people everyday to help them progress their career so we thought we would share tips on how to get to the next level in your career.

Regularly Set Goals         

Start small with short term goals to help you stay focused. These need to be achievable as it takes time to develop new skills and gain the experience necessary for success. Have a dedicated notebook/planner/calendar to keep track of these goals you set yourself.

A few ideas of goals that you can set yourself:

• Completing a project
• Improving a specific skill
• Gaining a promotion
• Learning more about a specific subject related to your field of interest

Get Feedback        

Getting feedback is one of the best ways to learn. Think about when you were in school, if you were at school, feedback from your teacher was the best way to know what to focus on. Asking your colleagues and managers for things that you have done well and what you could do better is a great way to advance your career.

Questions that could help you gain insightful feedback:

• Is there room for growth within our department?
• How can I improve my skills to help our department succeed?
• Do you have any advice on how I can improve my communication?
• Are there any upcoming projects that you need me to prepare for?

Learn when to say "Yes" and "No"        

It can be easy to say yes to everything but that can lead you to being stuck doing tasks or jobs that don't excite or inspire you. Warren Buffett has a theory; "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything". Your ability to master decision-making and time management will help you with this. You must chose with intention, it is all about being able to simplify and prioritize. When you can do this you can figure out what what is really urgent and important. So:

• Be honest about what is really urgent and important
• Treat your time like the valuable commodity that it is
• Will the task or job help or hinder your goals?

Saying yes to new opportunities and challenges can empower you, invite collaboration and create an environment where you can learn, try, fail and innovate. So whilst there is power in saying no, saying yes can give you chances to advance your career if you become well versed in picking the right opportunities.

Utilize Company Resources        

Most companies have resources available to their employees to expand their skill sets. Your employer is likely to provide training to you to advance your career within the company. If you are not sure of the services that your company provides to you in relation to skill development and training then reach out to your manager or the Learning and Development department (if you have one) and ask what it available to you. It is mutually beneficial for you to develop your skills through your company.

Work on your Communication Skills         

Being a good communicator is something that many people rely on in their job. Having a passive voice in emails, over the phone and in person can lead to you not being able to do your job as effectively. Look back at corespondents that you have had with colleagues, clients and managers,

• Are you being clear when asking for something?
• Do your colleagues do the tasks you ask them for?
• What did clients respond well to?
• Are people responding positively to you when you are communicating with them?

Use Your Network         

LinkedIn is a platform that, when utilized correctly, can be one of the best ways to advance your career. Your network can help you with a work problem, introduce you to new people, share relevant articles and help you find a new job or development opportunities. Connecting with recruiters that specialize in your professional area is a really good way of keeping up to date on whats going on.

Try messaging someone on LinkedIn that you admire, comment on a post or post yourself to get a conversation going with your network. Forming relationships and sharing information with people who share a common interest or work in your industry will have many professional benefits.

Other ways you can start utilizing your network are:

• Joining LinkedIn groups that have been made for areas you are interested in
• Engage in professional associations
• Go to in person or virtual networking events
• Speak to more people in your company, reach out to them to arrange going for coffee or lunch

If you are in the ERP industry and want some career advice or to find about where you stand within the professional market, reach out to Capax RM for a confidential chat about the career options that may be available to you.