18. My Top Tips for Career Progression

Have you ever sat down and thought about your career, where you want to go, and how you’re going to get there?

If you answered no, you may find this article helpful.

I progressed my career from the Helpdesk at a national retailer through to being a CIO, and I have a few tips for getting noticed in the workplace that allowed me to reach the C Suite before I turned 40!

Here are my Top 10 tips for progressing your career forward:

1. Are you doing your current job to the best of your ability?

How do you figure this out? Start with your job description. Run through each of the core competencies required for you to be considered successful in your role, and be brutally honest with yourself.

Ask your boss for feedback: what are you doing well, and where can you improve? I recommend a regular meeting with your boss each month, and to show up to those meetings with an agenda: what you’re working on, where you’d like feedback, and even where you’d like advice from them as to how you should proceed.

I’d also ask a couple of your colleagues for feedback, if you can. A simple, “Hey, do you think I should be doing something differently? Can I get your feedback on this project?”

If you don’t have a job description, write one out and take it to your boss for their input. Determine the skills you need to work on, and develop a plan to work on them over the next couple of months.

 
2. Put our hand up for extra work

Two things that get you promoted: your reputation for being a hard worker, and knowing the right people. Check with your colleagues, other stakeholders and your boss to see if there’s any extra work you can take on. Get as much exposure to different departments as you can – you never know when an opportunity in another area of the business will crop up.

Taking on extra work has been one of the biggest driver of my career.

3. Get in the room where decisions are made

Ask your boss if you can sit in on a senior leadership meeting. This gives you exposure to the key stakeholders, shows you how they talk about the direction of the organisation, and you should be able to glean what their priorities are.

4. Can you start taking on leadership responsibilities, like chairing a team meeting?

The best way to get experience is by doing. Ask your boss if you can chair a meeting, or if they need help preparing for a presentation. This gives you an idea of how much preparation goes into presentations, what is important in the preparation process, and solidifies your reputation as a can-do type of employee.

5. Ask if you can be a co-presenter

Ask if you can co-present a pitch, or even be responsible for a small section of a big presentation. Showing that you're keen to stretch your public speaking muscles, when it's a task so many people avoid like the plague, is an easy way to set yourself apart.

If there's not a speaking role available, can you help put the presentation together? Do some research? A simple, "If there's anything I can do to help" can open surprising doors.

6. How can you start doing the next job, before you actually have it?

Take a look at the next job you’re interested in – and the next job after THAT – and start to take on additional tasks that are part of that job description. You want to make it a natural progression for you to be promoted when the position you want becomes available.

Ask if there’s anything that can be delegated to you, if there are any meetings you can fill in on, budgets to prepare - even if you can fill in for your immediate superior when they take their next holiday. 

Discuss this with your boss: let them know you’re really keen to learn more and expand your skill set in a particular area. They won’t know you’re keen unless you tell them!

7. What are you learning?

What skills do you want to work on, that would make you more confident going for that next role - or to perform better in the one you have?

Most teams have a training allocation per person, per year. Do your research and find a course that will benefit your team or your role, and put that in front of your boss. Know why the course will benefit you and your team.

If the organisation won’t pay for the training for you, you may be able to pay for the training yourself, but have paid time off to complete your course. Look at the next role you’re aiming for, identify skills gaps, and find a course that can help you bridge that gap.

 

8. Network within your organisation

You may not know this, but most large organisations sit down a couple of times a year and talk about their top talent: who is performing well, what opportunities there are to move people into the next roles, and what talent they want to nurture.

What you want is for different people throughout the organisation – not just in your department – to know who you are and be championing your career development. It’s all well and good for your boss to think you’re great, but if leaders from other departments also know who you are and have a good opinion of you, you’ll find that your career may move forward more quickly.

So, how do you get on that list? You ask! Ask your boss if they have a ‘top talent’ department, and how you can get on that list.

Then ask yourself this: Do the people who make the key decisions know who you are? How can you build a relationship with those people? Think about how you can get in front of those people.

Don’t underestimate the power of influencing the top leaders in your organisation through having good relationships with their subordinates. Often, when making promotion decisions, a leader will ask their team if they’ve heard of you, what they think of you and if they think you’d be a good fit. It’s important to get along with others at all levels of your organisation.

9. Network within your industry

Most people find a job through their network. It’s important to build a network of like-minded people within your industry.

LinkedIn is an amazing tool to start connecting with people in your industry, building your presence and profile, and discovering new job opportunities. Find something you’d like to be known from in your industry – whether that’s a podcast, a blog or workshops, focus on one thing for a good 6-12 months and share it with your network regularly.

10. Have your own back

Telling people what you want to do next is SUPER important when it comes to career progression. Unless you tell people what you’re aiming for, there won’t be anyone keeping an eye out for opportunities for you.

I recommend creating a career plan – what is the next job, and what skills do you need to get there.

 When I’ve made moves in my career, it’s always happened because a more senior person has helped ‘sponsor’ me into a role. They’ve been a guiding person for me, usually in an informal role, and their advice has been invaluable.

AND A BONUS TIP:

Often, if you’re having trouble in a relationship or there’s inter-department noise between departments

I believe you own 50% of the situation.

Are you bringing your 50% to the relationship?
Have you brought your fair share to the situation?
Have you had a fair go at influencing the situation in a positive manner?

If not, you know what to do.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips, and can take something away to action in the coming week.

Whether you're just starting out in your career, or need help getting over that final hurdle to you ultimate career dream, I'm here to help.

Together, we'll look at how you're performing in your current role, opportunities for advancement, and what you need to do to take the next step in your career. You'll leave our session with clarity around where you're going, and the confidence to start making moves. 

And it's absolutely free.

Interested to learn more? Reach out for more information.