If you’ve just started out in the career world but are looking to take the next step up – you’re in the right place. In this article, we’re going to show you how. Taking the next step in your career isn’t always easy – but it could be if you use one of these tips to help you. While they might not all be relevant to your specific situation, many of them could be. So how can you boost your own career in the current business climate?
- Move on to move up
Sometimes, you have to move on to move up. Your colleagues and employers could have a certain perception of you in the workplace that’s hard to shift. While you might have the experience and be more than capable of taking the next step at your current place of work, sometimes it can be hard convincing people.
Have you recently tried to apply for an internal position only to lose out to an external candidate, even though you had all the right experience? If you have, then you’ve experienced this problem for yourself. You never know that person you lost out to could have been experiencing it too – and that’s why they left their old job.
You see, even if you’ve learned a lot in your current role and improved as an employee, sometimes it can be hard to shift that initial perception you built when you first started. So sometimes, you just have to move on to move up. Your next employer won’t have those same perceptions and will simply see you like the high-quality candidate you are now when you first interview for your new role. Moving into entrepreneurship is a great chance to further your career, with Franchise Info you can also find many franchise opportunities.
However, if you want to stay at your current place of work, it’s not impossible to convince people you really have improved, as we’ll look at in a bit.
- Spruce up your resume
Some people’s resumes are tired and old-fashioned. While you might add a bit of new experience every year – this could often be tacked on in a haphazard way. In some cases, you might not even have looked at your resume for a decade if you haven’t changed jobs much. That means not only could it be outdated – it might also be stuck in the past and presented in an old-fashioned way. Remember, Comic Sans used to be in style once.
Give your resume a good spring clean if you want it to work for you rather than against you. There are plenty of good guides online if you want to do a bit more research. Apart from your research, you should also ask some industry professionals or even a career specialist to give yours a look and make some pointers.
Instead of simply adding new experience and qualifications on, you might want to consider a complete re-write and re-formatting of your resume, to really bring it into the modern world.
- Ask for more responsibilities
If you’re keen to move up in your own work but would like to take that next big step – then make sure your bosses are aware of it. They won’t know if you don’t tell them. Ask them for more responsibilities in your current role and prove that you’re capable. In some cases, you might be able to simply take the initiative yourself and start doing more without even being told or asked to. Employers love to see this sort of initiative, and it should help you stand out from the people who are just turning up to amble through their shift each day.
- Provide clear benefits to your employers
Again – you need to be proactive here. Many employers are busy and don’t have time to watch what their entire workforce is doing all the time, especially in a busy workplace. So make sure the benefits you bring to your job are clear. If you need to – actually remind the right people regularly about why you’re good at your job.
- Volunteer outside of work
This can be a great way to get more experience and have something good to put on your resume. Try volunteering for worthwhile causes in the local area in the evenings or at weekends. When your employers find out, their estimation of you could go up. You could also try volunteering to help out with things at work like organizing charity events or Christmas dinners.
- Train for new qualifications
There are loads of ways to train for new qualifications these days, and many of them don’t need to disrupt your actual job. In some cases, your employer could be more than happy to send you on training courses (and pay for them) like Big Data Training, AWS, Power BI Microsoft Certification, Cyber Security Training, etc. as it’ll help you improve your skill set in your current business. If you don’t ask them – you won’t know for sure. So make sure they’re aware that you’re interested in this sort of thing and sign-up for everything that comes your way.
If your bosses aren’t willing to fund your learning themselves, or you can’t do on-the-job training – there are still other options. There are tons of free and low-cost online learning courses that you can do at your own pace and fit around your busy work schedule. Have a look and find some that are relevant to you and your career.
MOXiE Institute is another great place to improve your skills and get a boost to your career.
- Start your own business on the side
Another way to improve your current skill set and get some great content for your resume is to start your own side business. It could just be something small that you spend a few hours at the weekend – but if it takes off, you could leave your current role for it. Even if it never really gets going, it’ll still look great on your resume.
- Apply for better jobs
You might think you’re only experienced enough for your current role – but you could surprise yourself. Apply for better jobs and see what comes up. Sometimes, you just need the right break at the right time – to aim high and see if you can rise to the occasion.
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