The Importance of Career Management towards Achieving a Successful Career
February 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Career Management
Choosing your own career can be quite difficult, since there are so many alternatives to choose from. The term career covers all the types of employment from as simple as being an office clerk to a professional market analyst. Whatever field may you divulge in, as long as you are earning money for a living out of it, then it is considered as your career.
Career management deals about making appropriate choices together with strategic and structured planning of an individual’s own professional career. It is a very important concept that an aspiring professional must know in order for him or her to step up into the corporate ladder and attain a successful career. Personal fulfillment, a homeostatic balance between life and work, and achievement of one’s personal goals as well as the goals of the organization are just some of the expected outcomes that an effective career management can do for a young professional like you.
The whole process of career management starts with establishing an outcome goal or an objective. This must follow the principle of SMART, that is, it must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bounded. This phase of career management could be a bit hard to neophytes most especially with the one’s that lacks deep understanding about career management and opportunities as well as the lack of self-awareness or not being fully aware of one’s own abilities and skills. The whole process of career management uses the basis of establishing the outcome goal and objective immaterial of its nature, whether it is specific or general.
The time-boundaries for the attainment of the established goals will have a huge impact on how they are formulated. There must be an establishment of short-term goals, intermediate goals, and long-term goals. Short-term goals are achieved over a much shorter period of time in comparison to intermediate goals and long-term goals. Short-term goals are attained usually not exceeding than two years. Its scope is far more limited, and it is very specific due to its time frame of attainment, which is very short. Out of the three goals, it is the easiest to establish and formulate. On the other hand, intermediate goals are longer to achieve than short-term goals. These goals are usually attainable not exceeding than five years. It is a bit less specific than that of short-term goals and tends to be more open and more flexible to change. The uncertainty of what lies ahead in the future is taken into account when formulating one’s intermediate goals so it must be able to adjust to any changes and adapt in a positive manner. Last on the list are long-term goals. These goals are achieved for more than five years and may extend up to more than ten years. Because of the nature of its purpose, long-term goals are the most flexible out of the three goals. Aside from that, it is also the most difficult to formulate because it needs an enormous amount of critical thinking and wise strategic planning for it to become a success. This type of goals is also constantly adjusting since it is the longest to attain among the three goals. Scarcity of knowledge with regards to raw talents, potentials, and abilities, and the lack of intuitive knowledge gained through experience are the major downfalls which make the achievement of long-term goals far more difficult. However, as one gain more experience and knowledge about the whole process of career management, he or she will have an increase chance of making his or her long-term goals a success.
Making critical choices and decisions in your career are then the next focus of career management. An individual needs to assess the situation and analyze carefully in order for him to arrive at the best possible decision. You also have to manage your organizational career aside from your own personal career. Personal goals and organizational goals must both be met to achieve job fulfillment. An individual must learn how to cope with the organizational environment and work effectively and efficiently towards achieving objectives. Then, you have to take the driver’s seat and control your own personal development. Always keep an eye on your established goals and go hard in reaching for them. Continue to improve as a person and as a professional. In this manner, you shall achieve professional growth as you steadily move yourself up to the corporate ladder and become part of the elites in the organization.
Therefore, the importance of career management will shape the kind of professional you will become in the future. You must learn how to effectively plan your own career for you to make it on the top.
Eight Ways to Advance Your Career
January 29, 2010 by admin
Filed under Career Management
Today’s business climate is bleak. With the ongoing recession and its effects, it would be difficult to hold on to a job that will help you pay the bills. It is going to be a contest where only the fittest stays and survives.
It may be contradicting to say that bleak times can be an opportune time to look for career advancement. However, think about it, if you make your superiors think that you are worth promoting, it also means that you are worth keeping. A company’s most trying times can spur upper management to scrutinize every single employee and decide who is good and who should be given the pink slip.
That is why having the “career advancement” mindset is very important to have now more than ever. However, a lot of people do not know how to go about this. Here are eight surefire tips that would help.
1. Talk to the boss.
Most people shy away from their superiors thinking that bosses are just too busy, or they are afraid to be on the bosses’ radar. However, the sad truth is that nothing ruins your career more than slinking away from the boss and hiding every time he is in the room.
Talk to your manager or superior and share with him or her, your career goals and work out a way that your goals could be aligned with those of the company. Make sure that you present your skills and assure that you’d be a willing contributor to the company’s success.
2. Do not hesitate to get more work.
Ask your boss for opportunities to take on a new project or help out other people in your team. This not only increases your value in the organization, but it also gives you an opportunity to learn more and acquire new skills. It also projects an image that you are passionate about your work and the company.
This would also help you in asking for a salary hike. If you feel that you deserve higher pay for the work that you do, your boss would also need to see your worth in the company.
3. Upgrade your interpersonal skills.
Gain the respect and regard of your colleagues and superiors by developing strong people skills. Becoming friendlier, more personable and more outgoing can help you advance your career.
4. Think out of the box.
Be creative when solving problems. Sometimes creativity and innovative ideas can provide long-lasting and positive changes to the processes in your organization and would put you in a positive light.
5. Never stop learning.
A good way to increase your chances for promotion and your salary is to get further education that is related to your job. It could be a master’s degree in business administration or some other course. Alternatively, it could be something less formal like acquiring a new skill.
A programmer job would best illustrate this point. As a programmer, one should strive hard to keep abreast of the latest trends in the world of computer science. Learn a new language, or update your programming skills at every opportunity.
6. Look for a mentor.
Look for somebody in the company to guide you in your career. Not only will you learn more and easily, you will also have greater chances of getting promoted.
7. Learn how to sell yourself.
Self-promotion has been negatively regarded in a lot of circles, but it is a good way to advance your career. If you achieved a major milestone in your work, make sure that people know about it. Furthermore, make sure that you put the word out that you are working for a promotion.
8. Network within the industry.
Be sure to fortify your personal and professional networks by joining professional associations or attending conferences related to your work. This would help open doors for you should there be a better opportunity in other companies or within your company.
These eight tips would help you advance your career by helping you build a reputation of being a good, skilled, competent worker in your company and in the industry. This reputation would put you ahead of the others when an opportunity comes along for a promotion, or even when upper management is deciding who to keep.