Posts Tagged ‘how to progress your career’

Many people want to get on as far as they can in their career.  Some achieve what they want while others find it more of a struggle and some will without doubt get stuck.

So what are some of the common career barriers and what should you do about them?

Career Barrier 1: Qualifications

Whether it is fair or not there are many professions where it is pretty much impossible to go beyond a certain level unless you get qualified and gain membership of the professional body.

Solution: Either sign up to get the qualification or make a real commitment to get qualified if you have already started but are being sporadic in your studies.

Career Barrier 2: Mobility

As you get older and perhaps have family mobility or lack of it can sometimes stop you from getting access to the opportunities you would like.

Solution: Seriously consider relocating or perhaps working away from home during the week for a defined period of time to get the experience you need.

Career Barrier 3: Experience

Perhaps you are missing on some vital experience to get to the next level.

Solution: Find out precisely the experience you need and seek out opportunities to gain it.  This might be through a secondment, covering for some else or perhaps doing something voluntary outside of work to gain the experience.

Career Barrier 4: Lack of Insight

It staggers me just how few people really know themselves and their strengths.  This makes it really difficult to effectively market what you have to offer.

Solution: Take one or several of the online assessments or alternatively work with a career coach or mentor to help you unlock your hidden talents.

Career Barrier 5: Job Interview Performance

I never cease to be amazed just how poorly people perform in job interviews despite the fact that they are still among the most common ways of recruiting people.

Solution: Make sure you are making sufficient time to prepare for interviews and do some mock interviews before the real thing.  The feedback you get will greatly improve your performance.

The Bottom Line: Achieving success in your career requires commitment and effort.  The question is are you willing to put in the work to get the results you desire?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professionals to achieve more success in their career and get the rewards and recognition they deserve.  He invites you to check out his free audio masterclass at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/careers-main.html

A recent survey that I invited those on my mailing list to take identified that getting promoted was a key area of importance. So if you are in this group, what can you do to get promoted to the next level?

1. Find out what it takes to succeed at the next level.
2. Make a long list of all of your achievements to date in terms of your career.
3. Target your applications to roles that you have the greatest chance of getting.
4. Give your CV a makeover so that it really sells your achievements.
5. Get your interview skills honed so that you perform exceptionally well.
6. Get the support you need to get the result you want. A small investment now might just make a huge difference to the long term return that you get.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

Working as an accountant in major organisations for over 25 before setting up my own business in 2006, what I consistently noticed is that it was not the most technically gifted people who got to the more senior level posts.

I know that even though I climbed the career ladder from a Payments Clerk to Finance Director, I was not the most technically gifted accountant.

On the other hand I was always interested in the organisations I worked in, was able to build relationships and take on challenges. Contrary to many people I found having the opportunity to manage and lead people and be involved in key projects really rewarding.

Of course like most people I made mistakes and tried to learn from them.

So I am wondering what other people find it takes for people to break through into senior management?

Would love to hear your views and insights, so why not go ahead and leave a comment.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants make the breakthrough from highly regarded technical professionals to highly effective managers and leaders. To sign up for his Weekly Leadership and Management Tips click here