Catapult Your Career: Top Career Growth Strategies

Updated June 27, 2021

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In my carer, I have beed afforded the opportunity to work with hundreds of employees at various levels of their career. One of my favorite things to do is help people develop skills and move up the career ladder. Nothing is more rewarding as a leader to help people put career growth strategies in action and watch them achieve their career goals.

Through the years, I have seen what works and what doesn’t work when are you looking to achieve career growth.

Here are the top career growth strategies that I have found over the years.

Network

The old saying is true, it’s not WHAT you know, it is WHO you know. Furthermore, it is who knows you that is most important. From day one on the job, you should start to build your professional network both internally and externally.

Inside your company, you can grow your network by volunteering for special projects, participating in extra-curricular activities, and building a reputation for being helpful and going above and beyond. Introduce yourself to anyone that you can and learn about their roles and business. While you are doing this look for opportunities to help and provide value. If you help someone, they will always remember that and look for opportunities to help you in return.

Externally, you can participate in local networking events, have an active LinkedIn profile, and keep in touch with former colleagues. It’s also a great ideat to become involved in trade or industries groups which will afford you the opportunity meet different people outside of your organization.

Regardless of how you grow your network, always treat people kindly, be respectful, and always add value. You never know who could be your boss one day.

Learn

We all have a tendency to become comfortable in our roles after a certain amount of time. This comfort can cause you to become complacent in regards to your own growth and development. You are confident in the role that you are in and do not feel the urgency to learn more. This is very dangerous for your long-term career trajectory.

Those that continue to excel and move up the ladder continuously learn and challenge themselves. Case in point, most CEOs read on average 4-5 books per month. Today, there is literally no excuse not to continue learning. Sites like Coursera and Udemy offer free or super affordable courses on any topic imaginable. Most local libraries offer virtual libraries where you can download free e-books. There are countless opportunities to keep learning and further develop your skills.

Large companies are also offering more professional development opportunities than ever before. Whether these be web-based trainings, development seminars, or certification programs. Take advantage of every opportunity that your company is willing to pay for. These are skills that you can take with you to your next role.

< LEARN HOW I READ 100 BOOKS IN ONE YEAR! >

Master Time Management

You can have all the skills in the world but if you don’t know how to effectively manage your time, your career will stall. As you move up the ladder, you will become busier. You will have more on your plate, more important projects, and more pressing timelines. You can quickly become a hot mess if you don’t continue to refine your time management skills.

Read a few time management books per year, take a time management course on Udemy, listen to time management podcasts, and utilize technology to help you become as efficient as possible. Ask successful coworkers if they have any strategies to get things done faster. Utilize technology to become more efficient. Minutes add up very quickly so look for any opportunity to streamline and shave minutes off of tasks to become more effective.

Have a Mentor

I have been lucky to have several mentors throughout my career, both formal and informal. Each of these mentors has helped me at various points in my career whether it be providing advice on a difficult work situation or keeping an ear to the ground for opportunities that might interest me.

If you don’t have a mentor, simply ask someone that you look up to. It takes a moment of courage, but the benefits are endless. If your company offers a formal mentoring program. participate in that as well. You can have several mentors in different areas, just make sure that you respect their time and your own time. It’s also a good idea to make sure that you pay it forward and mentor others that are coming up behind you. Teaching teaches.

Take On Something Difficult

Find something that no one wants to do and do that. Too often, people take on a couple easy projects do an alright job and then wonder why it didn’t get them far in their career Well, it’s hard to stand out from average when you do average work. Find a challenge that others run from and take it on. Challenge yourself to learn as much as you about it, become an expert, and set clear goals for yourself. Do a good job and you will be a hero. People will remember this much more than you taking on an easy task that anyone could complete.

I have taken on projects in my career that people still talk about years after. I have acquired new skills, met new people, and made a name for myself as someone who can take things on. That has been essential for me in advancing in my career.

Be Nice to Your Boss

You will have good bosses and you will have bad bosses throughout your career. Be nice to all of them. You never want to get a reputation for being whiny, negative, and high-maintenance. That is a reputation that could take years to get rid of (if it ever goes away).

Of course, it is easy to be nice to your boss if they are great but it is equally important. Don’t take them for granted, always try to make you boss look better, and always look for ways to add value and make their lives easier. The employees that do this well tend to soar because their bosses become their biggest advocates and cheerleaders.

If you have a bad boss, this still rings true (no matter how painful it can be). Your boss is likely bad because they lack the self-confidence and security as a leader. The more that you challenge that, the more that they will fight back. In these situations, it is best to play the game and deliver to the best of your ability. This may mean that it’s still not enough for them and they may take credit for your work. However, you are still learning skills and showing others (besides your boss) that you are strong and capable.

At the end of the day, professionalism and professional courtesy are never a bad thing for career growth.

Avoid Gossip

One of the must follow career growth strategies is to avoid gossip. Gossip is annoying, petty, and can be extremely damaging to your career. We all know those people that live to share the latest gossip with anyone that happens to comes their way. They believe their job is to gossip. Don’t be that person. We also all have that person who gossips in a nasty, hateful way. These people are typically extremely narcissistic and love when other people fail. They are the absolute worst. Don’t be that person either.

Gossip can cause people to not trust you, which can be extremely damaging to career growth. It’s best to avoid gossip at all costs.

what career growth strategies do you have to share? Anything that has worked well for you? leave a comment below!

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