Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge shift in the professional landscape, and things are still evolving. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, remote and hybrid working models have been on the rise, and the constantly changing world of work has highlighted the need to have more control over our careers – whether that’s improving our skills or making a career change.
So, if you’re hoping to take your career to the next level, there are many things you can do to achieve a professional boost. From setting goals and tracking your progress to advancing your knowledge, here are 11 ways to boost your career.
1. Be clear about your goals
An important first step in your professional development is to consider what you actually want to achieve in your career. While it can be tempting to set big, lofty goals, it’s usually more effective to break bigger goals into smaller objectives that are easier to achieve.
It’s a good idea to spend some time thinking about your long-term goals, and what you actually need to do to accomplish them. Once you’ve identified your ultimate aims, it can then be helpful to break them down into SMART goals – objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
SMART goals aren’t just easier to achieve, but they also make it easier to track your progress – which can be key in motivating you and pushing you forward. This system allows you to set out a clear path to success, and whenever you complete a task, no matter how small it might be, the idea is that you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and forward momentum.
For more on setting and achieving goals, you might want to check out our article; What’s your five-year plan?
2. Review your progress
Once you’ve broken down your larger goals into more attainable objectives, it can be helpful to review your progress. By regularly checking in on the progress you’ve made and what you’ve achieved, you’ll allow yourself to recognise your accomplishments, and feel good about how far you’ve come.
Plus, reviewing your progress can also allow you to identify areas for improvement, giving you a chance to address these before they disrupt your plans.
Consider reviewing your smaller objectives at least once a month, and your bigger goals every few months. This can be key to helping you stay on track, and making sure you’re focused on what you need to do to boost your career.
3. Build relationships
Most of us know that networking can play a key role in professional success. However, if you want to boost your career in a meaningful way, you’ll usually need to do more than gaining followers on LinkedIn – you’ll need to work on forming genuine professional relationships.
Having strong relationships with professionals in your industry doesn’t only mean that they’re more likely to become advocates for your career, but it also means they can support you as you work on developing your skills and progressing. They might introduce you to new people, inform you about new opportunities, or even hire you themselves.
4. Find a mentor
No matter our age, we could all benefit from the advice and support of a mentor. A mentor can be anyone: a current colleague, a former manager, an old friend, or even someone who you’ve never actually met in real life. If someone is working in a similar industry to you, or currently in a role you’re aiming for, they can be a mentor – provided they’re happy to help, of course!
Having a mentor is a great way to help you stay focused on your goals, hold yourself accountable, grow your network, and give your confidence a boost.
If you don’t have a mentor, think about people who’ve served as good mentors in the past. Have you ever had a colleague, manager, or boss you were able to speak openly with, and whose advice you trusted? If so, consider reaching out to them. Even if they don’t become a mentor, they’ll be flattered that you’re reaching out – and if nothing else, you can develop that relationship over a cup of coffee.
On the flip side, you might want to think about becoming a mentor yourself. This is a wonderful way to boost your professional confidence, make you feel valued and fulfilled, and perhaps give you renewed perspective. There are many mentorship programmes worth checking out, including One Million Mentors and Prince’s Trust.
5. Work on your weaknesses
In our early career, it’s common to be told to focus on your strengths, rather than fixating on our weaknesses. But when you’ve been working for a long time, things change, and identifying your weaknesses can give you a clearer understanding of what’s holding you back professionally – and what you can do to improve.
Take some time to think about your professional weaknesses, and what you can do to better yourself. If you’re not confident speaking in front of people, why not enrol in a public speaking course? Or, if you’re worried your tech skills might let you down, you could sign up for an online course.
Continual advances in IT can make it difficult to stay ahead of the curve, but if you use tech at all within your work, it’s really important to keep learning. Try to keep in mind that while your employer may be able to offer you training courses within your current role, the responsibility for personal improvement is largely down to the individual.
There are all kinds of excellent online courses you can do, from social media management and web design to personal brand building and finance. Most of these classes are affordable, and aside from giving you new qualifications to highlight on your CV, they can also provide you with valuable knowledge, help you feel more adept, and give you a confidence boost.
Remember that no matter how accomplished you are, there’s always more to learn. Continuing to learn and grow is the key to driving your career forward and succeeding.
6. Expand your knowledge
As well as taking online courses, there are many other ways you can expand your knowledge and skills, and increase your confidence. And happily, many of these are totally free.
First, it’s worth reading more books about your industry, and business in general. Check out the best-selling business books each month and read as many as you can. Reading relevant business books can help you learn invaluable lessons, and potentially open your eyes to career opportunities or avenues that you’d never thought about before.
If you struggle finding time to read, you could download the audio versions and listen while you’re walking the dog, travelling, exercising, or doing chores. Podcasts can be helpful too, as they’re another great way to learn or gain a new perspective while multitasking. There are hundreds of excellent career-related podcasts out there. For inspiration, check out Time Out’s list of best business podcasts.
If you’re a social media user, then this can be a useful tool for career inspiration too. You can follow successful people like Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington on social media, and learn from their experiences. There are all kinds of career advice and inspiration accounts on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, so have a search and follow the accounts that interest you.
Finally, why not get into the habit of watching a TED Talk over your coffee, or on your commute? Whether you’re stuck in a rut and are looking for new ideas and a fresh perspective, or you’re feeling insecure and want to feel more content professionally, TED Talks can be an effective pick-me-up when you’re at an impasse. Check out some of these inspiring TED Talks over on Career Addict.
7. Stay open to new opportunities
No matter how far up the career ladder you may have climbed, it can be helpful to always see yourself as a work in progress – to believe that you’re still learning and growing, and are yet to reach your best. Having this type of mindset will help you stay open to new opportunities, and keep an eye out for innovative new ways to train and develop.
Today there are all kinds of ways you can learn new skills or develop existing ones. But whatever method of training, learning, or development you decide to pursue, the main thing is that you stay open to opportunities, and have a hunger and interest for growing, both personally and professionally.
8. Develop your career story
We all have our own career story – our own narrative about our professional journey. But not all of us leverage the power of our unique stories. When crafted properly, your career story should weave together your personal and professional experiences, highlight your value and skill set, set out your goals and achievements, and differentiate you from competitors.
There are many benefits to developing your career story. It can help you learn more about yourself and your goals, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and write compelling cover letters and CVs. It can also help you develop your personal brand, and enable industry professionals and potential clients and employers to get to know you better.
Having a good career story can make it easier to answer interview questions too. So, next time you’re asked “Tell me about yourself” in an interview or professional environment, you hopefully won’t experience the panic of your mind going blank – because you’ll have an interesting narrative about your career experiences ready and waiting.
To find out more about developing your own career story, you might want to check out this guide by Forbes. Or, to see some examples, have a read of these 7 inspiring career stories from The Muse, or browse the personal stories shared on our site.
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9. Improve your time-management
You might not think time management plays a large role in your pathway to success – but no matter your current role and eventual career aims, mastering time management is one of the most beneficial things you can do.
Being able to prioritise objectives and concentrate on different work projects is essential. Not only does it highlight your commitment to the things that matter most, but it also allows you to become more mindful of your productivity as a whole, and how, and with whom, you spend your time. You can’t focus on boosting your career if you’re bogged down by everyday tasks and admin!
Mastering time management is about learning how to eliminate distractions, embracing single-tasking, working in harmony with your natural flow, and delegating when it’s appropriate.
To learn more about managing your time, you might want to read our article; 9 ways to work smarter, not harder.
10. Say ‘yes’...
Many leaders and successful business professionals state that one of the best things anyone can do to advance their career is to say yes to opportunities. Saying yes to new challenges and opportunities – even if you don’t feel entirely ready – means you’re forced to become more comfortable moving past your comfort zone.
It also means you learn to embrace your curiosity and see challenges as new opportunities to learn and grow. Plus, saying yes to things fosters collaboration, promotes partnership, invites further discussion, and helps build relationships. Agreeing to do something also shows trust, which may be rewarded.
And, saying yes just makes life more fun. By taking on new experiences you’re opening up the door for new adventures, and you may be surprised at how this one little word can bring you so much joy. Ultimately, saying yes shows a desire to broaden your knowledge and expertise, a trait that’s essential if you want to move up in your career.
11. …But know when to say ‘no’
While saying yes can be incredibly positive, it’s equally important to know when to say it – and when to say no. If you’re asked to do something new, there are two things to consider: one, how it will impact your quality of life, and the timing of the task; and two, what this opportunity can do for you.
If you won’t benefit from saying yes, or the timing of the task is too difficult, it’s important to be able to say no. No matter how old we are, saying no can be tricky. But if you want to boost your career, try to learn to say no to the things that don’t excite you, further your goals, or speak to your values.
Of course, it’s nice to do favours for others from time to time and to help them out if you can. However, the key here is balance – as spending too much time completing tasks for others can mean that you neglect your own development.
Learning to say no is also a key part of time management, as so many of us spend far too much time on tasks we actually don’t need to do – just because we didn’t say no. To learn more about this, you might want to read our article; The power of saying no – 8 ways to say no and why it’s important.
Final thoughts…
No matter where we are in our careers, most of us would probably admit there’s more that we’d like to achieve. Whether it’s rising in the ranks to become a leader, or moving to a different industry altogether, advancing your career is a long-term goal and it requires hard work, focus, and patience.
It’s important to have the right mindset, be positive, and continue to inspire yourself, whether that’s by watching TED Talks or having conversations with empowering people. However, that all becomes much easier if you’re curious, intellectually hungry, and have a desire to expand both your knowledge and your skills.
It also helps if you can be your own biggest advocate. This means protecting your time and workload by saying no to the things you don’t want to do, allowing yourself to believe in your goals, and challenging self-limiting beliefs.
Boosting your career isn’t something that happens overnight, but if you follow the steps above you’ll hopefully find that you’re not just doing better at work, but you’re also getting far more joy and meaning out of it too. And ultimately, isn’t that what career success is all about?
For more career advice and inspiration, head over to the career section of our website.
Are you hoping to boost your career? Do you have any other suggestions for career advancement, or do you have some of your own professional experiences you’d like to share with our readers? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.