Many professional people start out on their career journey with high hopes and great intentions. They may make some progress to start with and then get stuck.
So if you are a professional person who wants to get on in their career, what’s essential to your success?
Know What You Want
Let’s be honest how many people do you know who sit down and consciously think about what they want from their career? Chances are we only give it any real consideration when we are in crisis. Maybe we have lost a job out of the blue. So why is it important to know what you want?
Firstly it is easier to target your applications. If you target your applications it is going to increase the chances of getting a positive outcome.
Secondly you can make informed decisions. You are taking real decisions from an informed position.
Believe In Yourself
Running workshops with professional people and working with clients individually, one of the most common issues that comes up is a lack of self belief.
Maybe this is because we have some perception that if we have self belief we are arrogant or big headed.
On the other hand if we view it as having quiet inner confidence it changes the way we view it.
Know What You Have To Offer
Ask people who are employed if they are involved in marketing, chances are they will say no. Yet if you think about it when you are seeking your next career move you are actually marketing a service called you.
The clearer you are about what you have to offer is going to make it much easier to market yourself.
A Track Record Of Achievements
Having looked at thousands of CV’s one of the things that really surprises me is that few actually contain any achievements.
A possible reason for this is that we tend to forget what has been achieved. To avoid this make it a habit of recording achievements somewhere so that they are easily to hand when you need them.
Be A Good All Rounder
You have to retain and update your expertise in the field and at the same time you have to become a good all rounder.
By that I mean you have to have the technical skills and the interpersonal, management and leadership skills to get beyond a certain level.
Learn How To Sell Yourself In Job Interviews
I bet you don’t view yourself as a sales person. And you probably recognise that when you are an interview you are selling what you have to offer and persuade the employer that you are the perfect fit for the job.
Be Positive and Resilient
The reality is that there is really no shortcut to success in your career. There will be times when you are moving forward at pace and times when it feels like you keep hitting a brick wall.
Staying positive and being resilient is just not desirable but essential.
The Bottom Line: Climbing the career ladder is a long term project so make sure that you set yourself up for long term success.
Duncan Brodie helps accountants, business and other professionals who are frustrated at the lack of progress they are making in their career to achieve more success. He invites you to sign up for his free audio masterclass
