How to Create a Successful Career Path
Posted August 31st, 2020
When it comes to creating a career path, many professionals mistakenly leave this critical task to their employers. They assume the company will help them keep moving forward, ensuring they can advance. While some organizations certainly do, it isn’t universally the case.
Plus, a company may have different priorities. Even if they help you design a career path, it may be based on their future needs, not yours. That’s why taking the process into your own hands is so vital.
Luckily, creating your own successful career path doesn’t have to be a challenge. If you don’t know where to begin, here are some tips.
Be Future-Focused
While reflecting on your past experience isn’t a bad idea, you don’t want reminiscing to prevent you from moving forward. After you determine what skills and expertise you currently bring to the table, and have taken the opportunity to learn any lessons from missteps, become future-focused.
Consider where you’d like to be in the next year, three years, five years, and beyond. The idea is to identify a target, allowing you to start outlining an approach that reaches those destinations.
Identify the Milestones
Once you have an objective in mind, it’s time to determine how you get from where you are to where you’d like to be in the future. Sometimes, it’s easier to work backward than forward.
For example, look at your ultimate goal. Next, identify the step that needs to occur right before that. It could be a particular job title, a college degree, or anything else that’s seen as a must-have if you’re going to land that position.
Then, continue that process, moving back one step at a time. Record every one as a milestone, essentially creating a roadmap that shows you exactly what you need to do to reach your destination.
Find Resources
You won’t complete your successful career path if you don’t learn a bit along the way. Without developing the right skills or having the necessary experiences, you might not end up qualified for your target role.
With your roadmap in hand, consider what resources are at your disposal that can make taking the next step possible. Does your employer have training programs? Could you take college classes? Are projects coming up that would let you add new skills? Is a mentorship arrangement available, either inside or out of your current workplace?
Find every learning resource that may be available, and find out how to take advantage of them. That way, you can use them to move forward, allowing you to continue down the path toward success.
Network Frequently
Your professional connections can have a big impact on your career success. When your network is strong and vast, you may learn about new opportunities that aren’t publicly advertised, have a position created for you, or ensure you stay on upper management’s radar when promotions are available.
Make connections in-house and outside of your company. Then, nurture those relationships, ensuring you provide as much value as you hope to gain. That way, when you need assistance, the odds that your network will take action goes up substantially.
Contact Us Today
Ultimately, all of the tips above can help you create a successful career path. If you’d like to learn more, the team at Bayside Solutions can help. Contact us today and see how our career management expertise can benefit you.
