If you're not satisfied with your current job and is trying to look for one that will make you feel more fullfilled, you're not alone. Data shows that roughly 50% of US employees aren’t satisfied with their current jobs.((Pew Research Center:
How Americans view their jobs)) So how can you advance in your career? By growing in the right places. In this article, I'll recommend 7 best job sites to help you advance your career. You’ll need to work on the right tasks, talk to the right people, and do the right research. But before you start using any resource, you need a game plan.
The game plan to advance your career
Empower yourself by evaluating
You may already know that you’re good in your field, but you need to know more. Here’s what I mean: Write down your soft and hard skills. Hard skills are ones that are more technical and taught in a classroom. For example, learning to read, write, math problems and so on. Soft skills relate to the way you interact with others. So, the way you interact with your team and friends determine which soft skills you have. After writing down both your hard and soft skills, determine your next steps. Brainstorm different ways you can improve. Courses will most likely help you with improving hard skills. But, you may need to join groups such as the Toastmasters to improve your soft skills.
Use feedback to skyrocket growth
Knowing yourself is important, but you still need feedback from others. Now that you know your strengths and weaknesses, ask your team for feedback. For example, if you feel that you’re good at crunching numbers, ask a coworker for their honest feedback. You might find out they feel the same or that you need to improve in some areas. Most companies have semi-annual or annual performance reviews. Use this time to get feedback from your manager. Show them you’ve done your homework by letting them know which areas you’re looking to improve. They can offer you advice on the next best steps to take to advance in your career. ClearCompany’s survey revealed that engaged employees received feedback at least once per week.((Clear Company:
10 Mind-blowing Statistics on Performance Reviews and Employee Engagement)) Chances are that if you’re not receiving constant feedback you’re not growing. Make it a priority to get feedback from your team to make faster progress in your career.
Setting goals are a sure-fire way to succeed
“If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail” - Benjamin Franklin
Goal setting is the most important task in reaching success. Think about it, if you have no direction, how will you ever know you’ve reached your destination? Goal setting sounds simple, but this is where many people run into trouble. By setting a goal, you’re using an outcome as your guide for which actions you’ll make. Take a project manager for example, who aims to get his PMP certification. After learning more about the test, he sets a goal to get this certification within 3 months. Although this goal is specific, break it down further. Using the example above, the project manager can set a daily goal to study for 1 hour for the exam instead. Make sure that your goals are
SMART. And once you’ve broken down your goals, write them down in a journal.
A proven way to grow faster
You took time to plan. You’ve discovered your strengths and weaknesses, plus received feedback from your team. But that’s not all, you’ve also set SMART career goals. Are you done? Almost, but now it’s time to work smarter and not harder. Take advantage of the many great resources out there to help you advance in your career.
Best job sites to kick-start your career in the right path
Here are the 7 best jobs sites to help advance your career:
Emotional intelligence is an important skill to master.((Harvard Business Review:
Becoming Powerful Makes You Less Empathetic)) A great site to help you improve this skill is MindTools. They offer many great resources to help you improve your emotional intelligence. Start by reading their blog daily to become more knowledgeable in this field. So what is emotional intelligence? It’s the ability to manage your own emotions as well as the emotions of others. It helps you build better connections with your team, and handle pressure better. Another trait of emotional intelligence is empathy. This involves seeing someone else’s perspective and feelings. For example, if your manager has many deliverables due, you may decide to offer him/her help. Emotional intelligence will open many doors for you. In today’s workforce, it’s not enough to only have technical skills. You also need to understand others. And, improving your emotional intelligence will help you do this.
Why advance in your career alone if there are people who’ve already reached success? You need the help of mentors to help you avoid common mistakes and make progress quicker. But how do you find them? One of the best ways to do this is using LinkedIn. This social media platform has over 562 million users. And, most professionals who are serious about their careers have a LinkedIn account. Another great feature of LinkedIn has is its degree separation feature. With this feature, you’re able to see first-degree, second, and third-degree contacts. In other words, you’re able to view friends of friends. This is powerful because according to a Facebook study, we’re only 4 degrees away from anyone.((Facebook research:
Three and a half degrees of separation)) Start by defining where you’re trying to head in your career. Then search for people who’ve already reached this level of success. For example, if you’re wanting to be a marketing manager, type this title in LinkedIn’s search bar. Filter by people and a list of connections (first, second, or third) will display. From here you can reach out to existing contacts, or build relationships with new people.
What if you could gain leadership skills and feel good about it during the process? That’s what volunteering can do for you. A great site for you to find your next volunteering opportunity is VolunteerMatch. So why volunteer? In order to advance in your career, you need to be a leader. That’s because they’re equipped to make important decisions and collaborate with others. And this is where volunteering shines. Research from Big Lottery Fund revealed that many of their volunteers reported feeling more confident.((Big Lottery Fund:
Well-being: the impact of volunteering)) Other benefits included improved social skills, and feeling part of a community. All the traits mentioned above contribute to becoming a good leader. A big reason why it’s a great option for those looking to grow while impacting other people’s lives.
Don’t fall trap in choosing a career only for the money. Choosing the right career is challenging. But even more challenging when you’re stuck choosing between a career that pays more. Chances are your finances are preventing you from making the right career choices. Take, for example, a recent report that stated 8 in 10 Americans are in debt.((PEW:
The Complex Story of American Debt)) It’s no surprise why people choose to be miserable in a job they hate because it pays more. The problem isn’t choosing a job with a higher salary. But you should choose a career that you’ll enjoy growing in. However, when you’re struggling with money, you’re prone to make bad career choices. So how can you improve your finances? By learning from the best. Mr.Money mustache shares worthwhile money hacks and how to reach financial independence. Immerse yourself in his blog to improve your finances. Eventually, you’ll start making better career choices.
Entrepreneurs carry many key skills of high-performing employees.((Harvard Business Review:
Who Are Your Organization’s Entrepreneurs?)) For example, they’re self-starters, great leaders, and collaborate well with others. The problem is most people aren’t entrepreneurs. And while you don’t need to create the next big app, you can build something practical on the side. Many people refer to this as their side-hustle. According to a recent survey, about 40% of Americans now have a side hustle.((Bankrate:
The average side hustler earns over $8K annually)) So what exactly is a side hustle? It’s the same as having a part-time business that helps you earn extra income. But, the best part is the experience you gain as you’re building your side-hustle. Think about it, you’ll be doing marketing, research and delivering your product/service. You’ll understand how business functions and become a better employee for it. Take, for example, Pat Flynn, who started his journey as an entrepreneur studying for a LEED exam. Today his site is a go-to resource for learning how to build an online business. Pat continues to inspire others on what’s possible when you work hard to build something. Building a side-hustle won’t be easy. But because it’s challenging, you’ll gain new skills. Pat includes his monthly income and breaks down how his earnings on his site. You can use this as motivation when you’re struggling to build your side-hustle.
Being specialized in a specific field will open many doors for you. Research from the US Department of Labor showed that employees with certifications earned 30% more. And employees with certifications also had a 50% lower unemployment rate.((US Department of Labor:
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey)) Without a doubt, certifications make a difference. While it won’t guarantee any results, it will help you stand out in the competitive workforce. But don’t take any certification, first check where you want to head. For example, if you’re looking to be a project manager, then a PMP certification may be a logical next step. Determine if your company offers to pay for your certification or find a cost-effective route. Once you become certified, you’ll be able to stand out in a competitive workforce.
Be a great negotiator. How? By knowing the average salary in your industry. This way you’ll avoid getting paid a low rate and be better prepared when asking for a raise. A survey by Robert and Half showed that only 39% of 2700 employees attempted to negotiate their salary.((Small Business Trend:
Just 39% of Employees Want to Negotiate Their Salary)) That’s money left on the table due to fear and many other factors. So what’s the solution? Use Glassdoor to get a glimpse of the average pay in your industry. After doing research, focus on what skills set you apart. Use this knowledge to ask for the salary you deserve. For example, if you’re a network engineer with a Cisco certification you’d know to ask for a higher pay rate.
Achieve massive career progress
Imagine waking up at 5 am on a Monday to start your
morning ritual. A few hours later you’re refreshed and ready to start your day with intention. Not too long ago you dreaded going to work, but you’re now taking charge of your career. The best part is you’re no longer doing repetitive tasks and earn a higher salary than you’d ever imagined. Don’t you wish this was you? You know have a blueprint on how to advance in your career. If you’re ready for change now is the time to do it. Many others were able to have successful careers,((Lily Herman:
8 Inspiring Stories of How People Really Got the Job)) so why can’t you? Go ahead and reach that next level to advance in your career. The sky is your limit.
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