Being too eager for career advancement when you haven’t earned it can dampen your talent and ambition. It can be frustrating for you because you feel stuck in a menial job. It frustrates your employer because it causes a negative vibe in the culture.
Here is my advice to you when you are ready for new responsibilities and career advancement.
Align yourself and your management on career goals.
If you are ambitious, you probably have career goals. Having goals is the first step to achieving career advancement. But communicating those goals to your manager is equally essential. If they don’t know what you want to achieve, they cannot help you.
Seek out a mentor for career advancement.
Enlist a mentor to help move your career forward. Seek out someone successful in your area of interest. Diversify your mentors for a more well-rounded experience.
Solicit actionable and constructive feedback.
Asking for feedback and implementing it is essential for career advancement. Getting feedback is one of the best ways to make sure you are meeting expectations and improving. Don’t settle for “soft” feedback. Ask follow-up questions until you get something actionable to improve.
Have a learners mindset and be coachable for career advancement.
Having a passion for learning and bringing that learning back to the business helps you earn a promotion. Employers want to promote people who bring new ideas and perspectives. Learning keeps your knowledge and contributions relevant. Being coachable goes hand-in-hand with learning. As a result of not being coachable, you miss out on areas your manager feels you need to improve.
Opportunities for career advancement don’t open up often. As a result, when they do, you want to be well-positioned for them. Being a high-performer and innovating in your role will help. Similarly, it helps to be known as someone who asks for feedback, continues to learn and is coachable and who works with their manager on their career goals. Furthermore, having diverse mentors keeps your perspectives well-rounded and open.
