How to advance in your career

Having the right career advancement strategy can help you achieve your career goals. Here's how to advance your career effectively .

Have you ever felt like you were making slow progress toward your career goals? Have you ever felt like you were running in place, unable to make any real progress? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, most career-minded people experience these feelings at some point.

In this article, let's explore what career advancement means and explain why you should prioritize it in your life.

What is career advancement?

Career advancement is an important component of any successful professional journey. But what does career advancement mean? In its simplest terms, it describes the process of using your skills and experience to achieve your career goals, advancing your career. Obviously, that type of advancement can come in the form of a promotion, which provides for a higher level of responsibility and compensation within your current company. But advancement can also include:

• Develop the skills and experience needed to earn a position at a more prestigious company
• Earn status as an expert in your industry
• Build the skills needed to start your own company

For example, career advancement can be as simple as moving from an entry-level position to a lower-level supervisory role. Further advancement can include promotion to a management position and eventually to a department head position. It can even take the form of moving to a job at another company.

Why is career advancement important?

If you have broad goals that you want to achieve in your working life – and you should – then you will need a career advancement strategy to make steady progress towards those goals. Otherwise, your ability to achieve those goals will be up to chance. However, you may wonder why you need a career advancement. As it turns out, there are some clear benefits that those who pursue steady career advancement can enjoy:

• Improved job satisfaction
• Steady financial growth
• Opportunity to experience new challenges
• The ability to protect your career in the future
• Greater self-confidence and sense of self-worth
• Take more control of your life

Steps to help you advance your career easily

Like anything worth pursuing in life, effective career advancement often requires a well-conceived strategic plan. Sure, there’s always the chance that you’ll find yourself in the right place at the right time and get a promotion you never even thought about, but that’s unlikely. Instead, you need to take a more strategic approach to advancing your career by actively pursuing specific goals. The following five-step approach can help:

Identify your career goals

Before you do anything else, sit down and evaluate your goals. You need to figure out what success means to you, and identify the short-term & long-term goals you need to pursue to make that success a reality in your life. What motivates you? Where do you see yourself in five, ten, or twenty years? What is your dream job?

Once you’ve answered those questions, you need to identify clear, achievable goals to advance your career. Do you want a promotion? Then, figure out what skills and experience qualify you for that role, identify the steps you need to take to get those qualifications, and then create an action plan to make it happen.

Try using the SMART strategy when creating these goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timed.

Communicate your needs

Of course, the process of creating goals and plans is not enough to ensure that career advancement opportunities will come your way. You also need to communicate your needs and desires to others, especially in the workplace. Once you have determined where you want your career to go, it is important to discuss those goals with your supervisor, human resources, and others who can help you. This is especially important if you are seeking advancement through a promotion within your company.

By communicating your goals to potential gatekeepers, you can ensure that they are aware of your desire for more responsibility and challenge. You may even find mentors or sponsors for your career development. If nothing else, communicating your goals can be a great way to give yourself the exposure you need to be considered for a promotion within any company.

Actively seek opportunities

You should also develop the habit of seeking out opportunities for career advancement. While you can certainly wait for opportunities to come to you, a passive approach to achieving your goals is unlikely to yield the desired results. It is a smarter choice to proactively pursue opportunities for advancement, both within your company and elsewhere in your industry.

As you work on your plan and develop the skills you need to advance, you should get into the habit of checking the job board regularly. This includes open positions at your current company, of course, but also opportunities at other companies. You may even want to consider the potential benefits of moving sideways within your company, especially if the move could provide additional experience for a promotion.

Building relationships

Few people achieve their career goals without outside help. In fact, having a strong network can be one of the most important steps you can take to advance your career. Your network should include professionals within your company, professionals from a variety of industries, and like-minded professionals you can connect with online. And don't just reach out to those people. Focus on developing relationships that will benefit everyone involved in their career advancement.

Attend company events and introduce yourself to others. Actively seek out and join professional groups, including trade organizations and online groups. Use social media such as LinkedIn to connect with potential mentors, share your experiences and insights, and participate in discussions about careers and industry trends.

Never stop learning

You also need to commit to lifelong learning if you want to steadily advance in your career. Continuing education can take many forms, including learning new skills, developing existing abilities, and staying informed about changes and trends in your industry. If you ever reach a point where you start to believe you know everything you need to know to achieve your career goals, think again. Your ability to continue learning throughout your life and career will determine your success.

As you continue to learn, take steps to make sure your supervisor is aware of your expanding capabilities. Ask for more responsibility and volunteer for tasks and projects that allow you to use those new skills. This can give you the experience, accomplishments, and workplace skills enhancement you need to push your continuing education efforts to the limit.