How to Recognize and Approach Advancement Opportunities in Your Career
You probably entered your current job with a career path in mind. Maybe it was to climb the career ladder and secure a higher-level position. Or maybe it was just to take advantage of professional development and job training opportunities that would make you better at your craft. Whatever your goal, a career growth mindset will help you achieve it.
Meaningful career development is more than just looking for open positions in your company, though. It includes seeking out new challenges to develop your core competencies, forming relationships with coaches and mentors in your industry, and making your career goals a priority in daily life. Through these endeavors, you’ll start to notice that opportunities are everywhere if you’re prepared to pursue them.
Examples of Career Advancement Opportunities
Advancement opportunities can come in all shapes and sizes, and each requires a different approach to capitalize on it. When you think of moving forward in your career, you might focus on applying to management positions or taking on leadership roles. But job opportunities aren’t the only path to career advancement.
You’ll often find new opportunities simply by forming relationships with the people in your field. Here are a few situations that could present career advancement opportunities:
Networking Events: Attending a networking event gives you a chance to meet other professionals in your industry and make connections with other leaders. It shows your interest in pursuing a career in the field and gives you various avenues to explore when you’re ready to take the next step. It’s also a great place to secure a mentorship or find a coach who can help you develop new skills.
Team Retreats: Retreats are an ideal place to learn from your leadership team and coworkers. You can see how other people approach problems, manage their workload, and continue to nurture their personal growth. As you learn from others, do your best to adopt those practices in your own life. This shows you’re listening and utilizing the advice managers give you.
Professional Workshops: Take advantage of any professional development and training opportunities your organization offers. These classes give you access to professional leadership coaches who can help you reach new heights in your career.
Leadership Coaching: Receiving one-on-one coaching is a great way to manifest your own advancement opportunities. A leadership coach can help you develop areas of your life that will make you a better leader and a stronger employee. As you display more characteristics of leadership, your managers and team leaders will take notice and give you more chances to take on responsibility.
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How to Pursue Advancement Opportunities
Even with years of experience under your belt, you still have to act if you want to advance. Don’t wait for human resources to stop by your desk and offer you an advanced position. Take initiative and show leadership that you’re ready to move up.
Ask Your Employer
Don’t be afraid to be bold. Whether it’s answering interview questions or having a one-on-one with your supervisor, always be honest and clear about your career goals. Let your manager know if you’re looking for opportunities to grow your skill set or lead other people.
Most employers love seeing team members who take initiative and own their success. Then you can work together to find areas where you can grow and define the steps you need to take to reach your career goals.
Request Responsibilities
If you say nothing, coworkers and team leaders will assume you’re okay. So when you want to start taking on more responsibility and adding new skills to your repertoire, you have to speak up.
Try to find skills that bring value to your team and your organization and determine ways you can work on developing those in your career. Bring these ideas to your supervisor and work with them to create a plan to move forward. This behavior shows that you’re motivated to grow, dedicated to innovating, and striving to be more accountable to your team and organization.
Create a Plan
Great leaders don’t just have a vision for where they want to go, they have a plan. A career development plan is the foundation of your career advancement and will help you choose the path to success. It guides your actions towards goals and shows that you’re capable of looking ahead and planning for success. When you have a vision and plan to guide you through the good times and keep you focused in the tough times, you can avoid common mistakes and extended timelines.
As you create your plan, you want to consider what you want most out of your career. Is it work-life balance? Is it an executive office? Is it helping people in a meaningful way? Whatever you’re striving for should ground you and foster continual professional growth, no matter how high you climb.
Your Focused Plan
Use this guide to help you set career goals and identify the actions you must take to achieve success as you advance in your career.
Seek Coaching Leaders
It’s important to recognize that success is a group effort. Having someone in your corner to push you to reach your full potential will make career advancement faster and easier. And their leadership style can have a big impact on how you receive their feedback and whether or not you reach your goals.
Coaching leaders empower you to develop new skills and encourage you to keep moving toward great things. They offer their experience and advice as a way to teach you what to focus on and where to direct your energy. They are effective communicators who lead with their heart and are invested in your success.
Take the Next Step in Your Career
Advancement opportunities are everywhere, you just have to be ready for them. At Building Champions, we specialize in helping professionals cultivate their natural leadership skills so they can take advantage of career advancement opportunities in their organizations. Contact us today to see how we can help you start the journey to the next level of your career.
