5 Tips On Boosting Your Career Success

September is the time when many organisations decide to make changes or restructure, and when many people look for new jobs. As a result there can be more opportunities to grow your career at this time than at any other.

Here are some tips on how to prepare for and create opportunities for your ongoing career success.

Tip 1 – Are you in the right place?

Review your current role – what are your responsibilities? What are you doing each day? Consider your career aspirations and the financial rewards you seek. Are you in the right place? Is it likely that you’ll get what you want by staying with this employer? Should you be considering a move? On a scale of 1 to 10, where is your job satisfaction? Do you like what you see? If the answer is ‘no’, then it’s time to start drawing up a plan of action.

Tip 2 – What’s your value?

What are the benefits you offer an employer? Just how good are you at your job? No false modesty please. Be honest about your strengths. You do yourself a great disservice by underestimating the value of your contribution and taking your skills for granted. Get a piece of paper and write down all the things that you do well. Learn to take time to appreciate yourself.

Tip 3 – When did you last take time to build your skills?

Now that you have your list of valuable skills consider what you’d like your next career move to be. What skills and talents will you need to develop to take that step up? Create a plan for growing those skills. Do you need to attend a training course, go back to college part-time or find a mentor? Perhaps you’d like to develop a new skill just for your pleasure, say photography or tai chi? Any new skills you develop will bring a re-energised and more enthusiastic you to work.

Tip 4 – Update Your CV

When last did you update your CV? Don’t wait till you’re seeking a job before reviewing yours. Once a year reflect on where you’ve been and make a list of how your skills and experiences have grown and what you’ve achieved since the last update. Ask others what they think you have accomplished or done particularly well. This too is not the time for false modesty! Once you’ve updated your CV look again at your current role and ask, ‘Is this the right role and the right company? Could I be doing something different?’

Tip 5 – Who do you know?

Who you know is just as important to career success as what you know. How good are your business networks and your networking skills? When did you last actively develop an existing business relationship or establish new ones? It’s time to screw up your courage and accept an invitation that you would normally turn down. Invite someone new for lunch. Make up your mind that by the end of the month you will have established at least one new business relationship.

So get to it! Start creating those opportunities to boost your career success.