Do you have dreams of climbing the career ladder? Some people are happy and complacent with their current job but others are determined to make something more from their careers. Whether that be taking their career to a dream company, reaching a position such as CEO, or sitting on the board of a business.
Whatever objectives and desires you have for your job, nothing is impossible. With that being said, here are some helpful tips that might be useful in helping you reach the top of the career ladder in 2023 or further down the line.
Set goals and make a plan
In order to achieve the success you want in your career, it’s important to set goals and make a plan. Setting goals is a great driver and motivator for those who are looking to climb the ranks and achieve their dream careers.
When setting goals, make them realistic to where you are right now. Right now, you might just be at the entry-level position of the company. Think about what positions you’ll need to get yourself into in order to effectively climb that ladder.
Your goals might mean sticking with the same company or moving to a different company at some point if there doesn’t seem to be a position that you need within your current place of work.
Setting goals and making a plan is going to help push you in the right direction. It’ll take some time but you can achieve a lot more when you have those goals noted down and encouraging you to make each step with confidence.
Network with those in and outside your circle
Networking is important and something you want to do proactively. Why? Well, a lot of the progress and development that people make in their careers, is often down to the influence and encouragement of others.
Whether that’s your peers, mentors, or people you meet along your career, every person really does have an impact on how well you do within your career over time.
You never know who the people in the room that you’re networking with, are and could end up. They might be the ones extending you an olive branch at a later date and offering you an opportunity to move up the chain.
Try to network where you can and take every opportunity of networking as a chance to get to know people and build your contacts. The more contacts you have, the more you’re likely going to be able to lean on them.
Work harder but smarter too
Working harder but smarter is a mantra to get behind. Of course, you can’t achieve success without putting the blood, sweat, and tears into it. There might be a fair few that get it handed to them on a plate but that’s a rarity.
Instead, for most, it’s all about investing that time and effort into progressing in your current job and driving forward in everything you do beyond that. As you learn and adapt, you’ll find that you end up making smarter decisions which are likely to positively influence your workload.
You may find that eventually, the same effort and output that you made that makes little progress, starts to make waves. Working harder is important yes but over time, you’ll be able to craft your skills and experience to work smarter and therefore spend less time on what previously took up all of your time.
Become an asset within your company
As an employee, it’s necessary to make yourself someone who is indispensable to the company. Being an asset within your company is crucial and it’s a position that will help you in many ways when trying to grow within your role.
The more of an asset you are, the more you’re likely to get noticed when it comes to opportunities for promotion and for those on the outside, looking to headhunt their next employee.
Being an asset is great, especially when you’re valued so highly within your current job. Try to find ways in which you can assist work colleagues and those higher-ups who are influential to career progression within the business.
Ask for regular reviews and appraisals
Regular reviews and appraisals are important to ask for, especially when it comes to climbing the ranks. Unfortunately, not enough businesses are proactive enough in offering annual reviews for their employees, let alone appraisals that give employees the opportunity to pitch themselves for a promotion.
Instead, it’s worth asking for these regular reviews and appraisals when you feel ready and when you feel you’ve done enough to warrant a pay rise or promotion.
Be a team player but be good at working alone too
Being a team player is important but it’s important that you’re able to work alone too. Being able to work alone puts you in line for those managerial jobs and maybe even one day, an opportunity to apply for CEO jobs too.
As a team player, you’re able to work and collaborate with other team members, regardless of whether they’re on your level or not. That ability to do both is important and is what can really set you aside from those who you’re up against when it comes to competition.
Embrace training opportunities
Embracing training opportunities is something you want to be active upon receiving. Not all businesses can offer so many training opportunities but they can certainly be helpful when it comes to growing your skillset, knowledge, and experience.
For some companies, they might even want to offer certain employees whole courses and degrees, all funded by the company. Embrace these training opportunities where you can because even if you don’t intend on sticking around with the business long-term, they can certainly be effective in helping you grow.
Don’t give up dreaming
Finally, don’t give up on dreaming. While a position on the board or a senior role might feel out of reach right now, that doesn’t mean it’s not attainable in the future.
Reaching the top of the career ladder is something you can achieve with hard work, determination, and persistence. Use these tips to make it happen for you this year or at some point in the future.
