We generally start to plan out our careers at an early age, and usually, this is around the time that we advance to the higher stages of High School education. Many students will be offered careers advice at this point to help them get an idea of what job role will best suit their interests as well as their skills.
Of course, during a lifetime some people look at career changes, this is something that is uncommon as industries change all the time and so do our general interests and personalities. However, to be successful in your line of work, and to get to the top of your industry there are some career planning tricks that you need to know and learn.
In today’s article, we wanted to look closer at just what these tricks are and how they can help you reach your long-term goals. Therefore, following you will be able to see our 5 tricks that you can take away with you right now to begin that climb to the top.
Self-assessment
The first step in any career planning is to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself a series of questions. This will help you build the foundations of where your career path is heading and open up the doors of opportunity right in front of you.
You need to understand what makes you tick in life, so look at things that motivate you, inspire you, look at things that are important to you and that hold a set of values for you. You need to do this because at the end of the day your career is going to be the biggest part of your life; it’s going to help shape that you are, what you earn and how you live.
There is no point in selecting a job that you don’t have the heart in, think wisely.
Become an Entrepreneur
Not every job will last a lifetime and it’s important you should know this. These days with the introduction of technology and the fast pace that industries change and alter you will be lucky to remain in a job for 20 years.
Related: 10 Cool Business Ideas to Become a Successful Entrepreneur
Therefore it’s important to become an entrepreneur by looking at your career as one big portfolio of your skills and work. For many, this will consist of thinking about yourself as a contractor for a company rather than a loyal employee that is part of the furniture.
This should never deter you away from putting in 100% effort and doing an excellent job of whatever it is that you are doing, however just be on standby to move jobs should your heart not be in it anymore or should the company no longer need you.
Communication skill
Communication is a major part in moving your way up the career ladder and whether you learn to communicate using online learning methods, or in person, it always pays to listen and engage in an effective manner.
Hand in hand with communication also comes building up a professional network around you and getting to know the people in your industry that can become strong influencers at any time during your career. Whether that’s someone that can put in a good word for you or a potential new boss that could help change your life and shift your career into overdrive.
Communication is a great tool to have at your disposal, so don’t shy away from it.
Examine non-work activities
If you find yourself writing content as a hobby or pastime for websites or magazines then you will often find that you can use these transferable skills in order to build up a career path for yourself. It may sound out of the ordinary but the things you do in your social time can often be looked at for your career planning strategy. The skills you have developed in sports or other areas could lead you to great things without you really knowing.
For example, if you love art and painting pictures as a hobby, you could be missing out on an opportunity here to advance your career into this direction. If you love teaching and interacting with students, you can consider taking online teaching programs CA which will equip you with the right knowledge and skills needed for you to pursue your dream career.
It’s always worth having a think about it.
Trust Your Gut
Finally, if we can offer but one piece of advice it would be to trust your gut feeling. Everything happens for a reason in this life and if for some reason you don’t feel 100% with a certain job or a career plan then don’t do it. Strive to find the job that is going to satisfy you and reward you in the best way possible. This may mean that a career change is on the cards or it might just mean that you want to move to a different area of your industry that you are going to find more satisfaction in.
As an example, let’s say you are an SEO guru, who is no longer happy in the role, but the emergence of social media drives you on and you want to shift from SEO marketing to SM marketing. This is just one example of trusting your gut and making that decision for your career.
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