Once you get your dream job, what should you do next? You can always strive to advance your career. There are many ways you can advance your career. You can try to get up on the chain of command in your company. You can also try to handle more responsibilities even if your roles does not change.
One thing for sure, if you want to advance your career, you need to have a plan. Here are some things you should do if you want to climb up the corporate ladder.
Know What Success Means for You
Everyone has their idea of a success. So, if you want to be a successful person, the first thing you need to do is define the meaning of success itself. For some people, success means to be a C-level officer while for some other, success means finding a job that enables them to spend more time with their family.
When it comes to defining what success means to you, there is no right or wrong. Everyone has their own idea of success. The one thing you need to remember that you need to define success for yourself.
To help you define the meaning of success, you can start by thinking of the most important part of your current career. You can also imagine what you want to be in some years later. What you want now might be different from what you want ten years later. When it comes to defining success, you need to think long term.
Once you know what success means to you, then you can start doing something. You can make a chart to show your position now and your goal, what you try to achieve in five years later or even ten years later. In between of your current position and your goal, you can put the roles and positions you want to have. This chart will be your roadmap for the advancement of your career.
Determine Your Goal and Establish a Timeline
After you know what success means to you, you can decide what goal you want to achieve. At the same time, you also need to establish a timeline. After all, goal and timeline should go together.
If you do not establish a timeline, it will be harder for you to achieve your goal. While if you have a timeline without setting a goal, the timeline will be nothing but a schedule. Establishing both goal and timeline will help you to be successful.
By setting a goal, you will have something you need to work hard for and timeline will help you to track your progress to achieve the target you set.
To establish a timeline, you can use your roadmap as a base. Your roadmap is meant to show your long-term goals. You can achieve them by breaking them down into smaller goals that you can achieve in a shorter time. For example, if you want to be a C-level officer, then you need to think about the steps you should take so you can get promoted.
You need to know if there are skills you need to learn or if you should develop your network. Another thing you should consider if you can achieve what you want by staying in your company. If the answer is no, then you might consider looking for a new job in another company.
You should take your time to establish your goal and timeline. You do not need to worry about how many smaller goals you need to set up either. In fact, the smaller goals you have, the better. After that, you can put your smaller goals in your roadmap.
That way, you can have a detailed plan as to how you advance your career.
Ask for Feedback
Last but not least, you need to ask for feedback. By getting a feedback, you can track the progress of achieving your goals. You can get feedback on formal reviews. If you think those are not enough, you can ask your manager to meet.
Aside from your superiors, you can also ask your colleagues for feedback. After all, your peers might have a different perspective from your superiors. If possible, you can ask them to show you your strengths and weaknesses. You can also ask them to give you specific feedback.
If you work as a manager, you can also ask for critiques from your employees. The more people you can get to give you feedback, the more things you can learn from them.