What are you doing today to ensure growth in your career, whether that means getting promoted at work or moving to new organizations, or even moving to a new field? It may be necessary to go outside of your annual review cycle to work on advancing your career each and every day.
At every point in your career, there are opportunities to grow. While not all opportunities come in the way of promotion, expanding your knowledge and being better at what you do for a living can yield great benefits and help with overall career satisfaction.
Being prepared for when advancement opportunities become available helps to better position you for a move and can provide what you need to make your own opportunities. Upskilling and enhancing your education can help expand your job and industry knowledge and possibly prepare you for a new and better role. And seeking out ways to garner more knowledge will help fill the gaps even when it’s not offered within your current company.
A national survey by University of Phoenix on employees’ perceptions about career advancement found that 68 percent of employees are not confident in their company’s ability to offer career growth opportunities.
Other reasons for lack of growth with their current employer included:
- Nearly 1 in 4 (22 percent) employees say the reason they aren’t moving up in their career is because there is no room to grow in their company
- More than 1 in 10 (11 percent) employees say the reason they aren’t moving up in their career is because they do not have enough education
- Less than half are very confident (46 percent) that current skills can allow them to grow in their career
While this data seems to paint a bleak picture for women currently in the workforce who are looking to grow their career, now is a good time for women to take control of opportunities to expand and grow professionally.
Here are some ways to boost your career growth
1. Pursue stretch projects.
Stretch projects are tasks beyond one’s current knowledge or skill level, designed to “stretch” employees developmentally. You should look to challenge yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and tackling projects that help you grow in the areas where you have the most room for growth. Consider stretch projects in your volunteer activities, where the risks might be lower.
2. Utilize all of your skills
Employees may possess certain skills that are not used daily in their jobs but may benefit their work. If you are proficient in certain job-relevant skills, like coding, web design, marketing, SEO, or leadership, among others, share these with your manager and suggest ways that you might use them to improve operations. Think of ways to ensure others in the company, beyond your immediate manager, are aware of your skills; they could be the differentiator to help you advance to the next level.
3. Take a course or earn a degree or certificate
In some careers, a certificate or specific skill set could be all you need to differentiate yourself from others. Sometimes more education is needed to grow your career. Determine what education or skills are required for the job you are seeking.
4. Look to other departments
Look for opportunities outside your immediate organizational structure, there may be opportunities within your organization, just not in your reporting structure.
5. Be realistic
If opportunities within your current organization don’t exist, it may be time to look elsewhere. You might want to grow your professional network in order to have help finding new opportunities.
Another way to enhance your career, including helping you build your skill set, is to find and work with a trusted mentor. A mentor will not only share personal experiences that can inspire and motivate you, a good mentor will never let you settle and become complacent. A mentor can also help you set goals for yourself.1
Mentors have been invaluable to me throughout the years: in high school when picking a college, throughout my career at IBM, when I returned to school to earn my doctorate, as I began teaching at the university level, and today as a researcher. My mentors have opened doors to new opportunities and they have helped me quickly climb steep learning curves. My mentors have been, and still are, both men and women. When selecting a mentor:
1.Determine what you need to learn to be more successful in your current role or in a future position.
2.Identify people who might be able to help you be successful – those who know what you don’t know just yet but will need to know in order to grow into the position you aspire to. Articulate what you want to do, why that is valuable, and how you need help. Many people love to help others and share their expertise, and they are pleased when you ask them questions. When someone is helpful, thank them and ask for help again when you need it.
3.Take advantage of good luck; when you meet someone who indicates an interest in helping you be successful, encourage their involvement.
4.Cultivate relationships with people who can help you grow and maintain your network of relationships. Listen, so you know others’ interests; think about how you can help them and create a mutually beneficial relationship. Reverse mentoring is a term used these days for a junior person who helps a more senior person, with social media specifically, or technology in general. But there are other ways you might help. Be sure you keep your commitments. Peers who share your goals and have different strengths can also be invaluable – you can mentor each other.
5.Take advantage of what you learn from others. Thank them for their help and share credit with them for your successes. Support them professionally and maintain those relationships throughout your career.
By taking advantage of opportunities to put newly acquired skills to work, you can help to grow your career. Acquiring professional skills can make you more attractive to your current employer as well as help open doors for potential new career opportunities. Taking inventory of the skills you need in order to advance your career will help you to create a list of stretch goals for your career growth and a plan for attaining those goals. Remember there are many people and programs available to help you.
About Dr. Devnew
Lynne E. Devnew is an associate faculty member within the University of Phoenix doctoral program, is a distinguished research fellow, and chairs the Women and Leadership Research Group at University of Phoenix. A former senior middle manager at IBM, she has a DBA in strategy from the Questrom School, Boston University, and is a graduate of Columbia University’s Master Degree Program for Executives in New York City and Simmons College in Boston. Dr. Devnew’s research work and publications are focused on women’s leadership aspirations and leader identity development and women on boards of directors. She lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts and serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations.