Building Your Career

4:11:22

2023-11-13

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1- Join a professional association. Every field has professional associations. Each field is different. Dues are required. But for students and young professionals, they're often low.

Inquire into a mentorship through your professional association. They sometimes offer them for members at the entry-level or internship position.
Request help in finding a job. Professional associations often have job lists that other members provide.
Seek help with your professional development. Many associations offer seminars, workshops, and literature related to the field they represent.
Attend your association's annual conference. It's an excellent way to network. Conferences include job fairs and a chance to connect with potential employers.
Check into scholarships if you're a young association member (high school and college).

2- Move up the ladder. Make a list of objectives and work toward achieving them. Be its project manager or editor-in-chief. Build on your career by positioning yourself for a successful future.

Think outside of the box. Come up with new ideas for your company through innovative thinking. Look at the way things are and think about how they could be better.
Take on projects outside your comfort zone. Taking on more responsibility can help you to learn new skills that will enhance your career.
Solve problems rather than passing them on to other people. Maintain a "can-do" attitude.
Ask a mentor to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses to determine if you're moving toward your career objectives.
Adapt to new positions. As you move up the ladder recognize that the skills responsible for your promotion may not apply to your new position. Ask a mentor to evaluate your behavioral skill set to ensure you've kept pace with your promotion.
Be serious at work. Focus on your job and complete tasks with speed and consistency.
Improve your critical thinking skills. Analytical thinkers can foresee problems and prevent them from happening. Take a workshop or seminar that includes critical thinking methodology exercises.
Network as much as possible. Network within your company and within the community to gain visibility and to establish contacts.

3- Consider making a lateral move when the time is right. A lateral move within your company or to a new organization can help your career. It gives you the chance to gain additional skills and knowledge. It can help prevent the restlessness and stagnation that sometimes accompanies too much time spent in the same work environment. There are many benefits to a lateral move.

A lateral move might pair you with a good boss or mentor. This is especially appealing if your current job doesn’t have either.
Moving to a different part of the company that’s more vibrant will lead to more visibility for you.
Moving from one organization or department to another will mean that you’re meeting more people, making more contacts, establishing a bigger network of resources.
Changing to a different department could lead to more advancement opportunities, especially if you’re stagnant in your current department.