You might love your job, be completely happy with your salary, and enjoy spending time with your co-workers. If that’s the case, you’re very lucky indeed; most of us, even if we do like our work, feel there is something more. Sometimes this feeling becomes stronger, and we know it’s time to do something about it; it’s time to take your job to the next level and get that promotion or gain the progress that you have been looking for.
It can be a daunting idea though, especially if you have been doing the same thing in the same place for a long time. Don’t let fear or worry put you off though; you’ll never know what you are capable of doing until you try. Here are some useful tips to bear in mind when you want to progress at work.
Don’t Keep It To Yourself
If you really want to progress in your job, don’t keep that idea to yourself. If you don’t make your intentions known, your employer won’t know what you want, and won’t be able to consider you for any possible promotions or opportunities. Ask for a meeting with your boss so that you can discuss how you can advance within the company. You’ll need to prepare information about how much you can bring to another role, and if you can show your employer that you know the business well and understand where it is heading, that will all show you in a positive light.
Take Your Work Seriously
Just because you want to do something different, have more responsibility, or earn more money, that doesn’t mean you will be able to – unless you work for yourself, it is your employer or managers who will make this determination. Therefore, you need to ensure that you take your work seriously. You can do this by:
- Dressing in a neat and tidy fashion
- Arriving on time and not leaving early
- Making sure you always have the company’s interests at heart
- Joining in with meetings, having your say in discussions, and generally giving feedback (whether asked to or not)
Keep Learning
To really show your employers that you are keen to take things further, and to ensure that you are confident in your new position, you should always keep learning. This might be in the form of taking any additional training opportunities that your workplace offers you, or you might take the initiative and find your own training to take part in such as joining a level 2 fitness instructing course.
Of course, the learning that you do doesn’t have to be directly linked to your work. It could be something that you’ve always wanted to know more about, so you’ve taken it upon yourself to learn more either through a course or by reading more about the subject. All of this can look great on a CV.
Stay Informed
It’s also a good idea to stay informed about new innovations and changes within your industry. Follow the latest trends and make sure you understand why they are happening and what it is that people want from them. You will be able to impress your employers by talking about what is happening in the industry and coming up with your own ideas to use these trends to your advantage.
Having extensive knowledge about your industry is something that will make you stand out from the crowd and you will be much more likely to be noticed. Why not start a blog, for example, or offer to write the company’s one? This will enable you to really position yourself as an expert in your field.
Don’t Wait To Be Told
One of the signs of great potential and perhaps even leadership skills is not waiting to be told what to do, but instead to use your own initiative and do what needs to be done without instructions. Of course, don’t overstep the mark and do too much, or you could be seen as having gone too far, but doing your own work and then some – within your remit, ideally – is something that will get you praise and credit. The more you can do this, the more your manager will see that you have great potential and could go much further in the company. This could open up all kinds of exciting opportunities for you.
Make Relationships
Networking and making strong relationships within the company you work at is important. If you can show that you are able to make friends easily, join in with conversations, and generally be the person that people think of when they need help, this positive view will lead you to many new opportunities.
Don’t spread gossip or be negative about work in front of colleagues; this kind of talk can easily be picked up by bosses, and chances of progression can fall depending on what is said.
Did you take action to help you progress at work? Let us know what you did to make it happen in the comments below.
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