Advancing Your Career

You did the college thing and now you’re ready to excel in that dream job that you’ve worked so hard for the last several years. There are a few things that can help streamline your climb up the career ladder.

When sending out your resumes, maximize your potential for advancement by considering companies that may be newer or have fewer established employees. When it comes time for a promotion, you may not be passed up due to seniority, and this will put you on a more even footing with everyone else. If you find that the company doesn’t suit you, you’ll have experience and expertise to add to your resume for the next position you decide to pursue.

Don’t be afraid to take on that side project. Good bosses notice when you take the initiative to take on new ventures while still flawlessly completing your basic work. This not only displays your work ethic and ambition, but also that you have an interest in making sure the company succeeds.

Learn to have a thick skin. No one likes to be criticized, but in order to become the best you can be, sometimes you’re going to have to hear constructive criticism from people who work with you every day. Learning to consider this advice and figuring out what to do with it is all in your own attitude. Only you can dole out the required adjustments and fine tuning you may need. Let the initial sting sink in and go home to think about it before reacting. If you still think the person who brought it to your attention is wrong, just go on doing what you’re doing, but if you think there is a grain of truth to what they’ve said, work on changing your work habits.

Keep your social media accounts professional or on lock down. We live in a world where the people who decide our growth within a company look at our social media feeds, and unfortunately the clever limerick we wrote in college about alcohol poisoning can taint our reputation. If you have pictures that are best left for close friends or rantings that were better left unsaid, either make everything private or delete them. It is also a good idea not to add people you work with to your social media accounts, unless you have an outside of work relationship with them.

Speak up during idea exchanges. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinions and thoughts on things that happen within the company. This shows that you have interest in the betterment of your workplace and displays problem solving skills.

Relax. You’ve done the hard part of choosing what career path to take, now you can work on advancing down that path.