Even a job you love can start to feel stale after a while. Whether you’re looking for a new challenge or to add new skills, there are ways to advance your career without having to find a whole new job altogether.
Here’s how to get ahead without leaving your current position.
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Find a mentor.
Is there someone at work you admire? Someone who has a job about which you’re curious and would like to learn more? Maybe a manager or someone else who seems to enjoy what they’re doing and might be on the job a few years longer than you? Ask for a little of their time, maybe take them out for coffee, and pick their brains a little. See if they’d be willing to mentor you, providing advice, insight, and suggestions on how to get from where you are to where you want to be. It helps if you have career goals in mind or can explain what it is you want to get out of your job, as that can help guide the conversation. A mentor can provide great information and tips.
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Talk to your manager.
The power of asking is unrivaled. If you let your manager know you’d like to learn new things or earn promotions to move up on the ladder at work, they might be able to help you understand what’s needed to advance from your current position to the next one. They’ll know what skills are required, what kind of attributes are helpful for the position you’re seeking, and can let you know whether you’re qualified now to take that leap or what you might need to do to be ready. All this information might be there for the asking! Plus, if your manager knows you’re committed to the job and invested in making a career out of it, they’d probably be happy to help you.
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Learn new skills.
Management tends to be impressed with workers who show a little ambition and initiative. Being willing to take on extra work to learn a new skill, or to try and become cross-trained on a different piece of equipment or another part of the production line, is the kind of dedication that makes you stand out from the crowd. It shows a willingness to help in addition to a commitment to your job and, to some extent, the company. It’s also the kind of action that can be rewarded with a raise, a promotion, or both.
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Act the part.
You might have heard the old saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” That mentality and approach is a good one: think about where you want your career to go and start acting like you’re on your way. If that requires dressing differently, speaking up more often, or becoming more knowledgeable about different aspects of your work and team, that’s what you’ll need to do. Act like you deserve and have earned the opportunity for more responsibility and a higher title and pay grade, and you’ll prove that you’ve earned it.
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Apply.
Keep an eye out for advanced positions in your company that align with your goals. Nothing in this life is just handed out to anyone; you have to work for it but also ask. Make your interests known, and be sure to apply to any open or available position that sounds like it can help you reach your goals. Make sure your manager knows you’ve applied and, if you have the chance, provide a kind of sales pitch as to why you’re worthy of consideration for the job. If, at first, you don’t succeed, don’t be discouraged — trying again after rejection is another sign of commitment!
The only dead-end job is the one where the person in it doesn’t try to find a way to dig themselves out. If you want more from your job, work for it and do all you can to achieve it!
If you find yourself passed over for promotions or aren’t getting the responses you want from your current job, call Debbie’s Staffing. We work with great companies who will appreciate your hard work and ambition! Contact Debbie’s Staffing today, and let’s get to work together on your bright future.
