Looking beyond 2020: Advancing your Career

We live in a world that is in a constant process of evolution. With each day come new challenges and trends and to keep up with these altering ways of living one has to be proactive and vigilant to invite success in life. Likewise, corporate life always calls for innovations and improvements. No matter what degree you have, or you finish high school online, you will have to partake in the constant process of learning to climb the corporate ladder seamlessly.

2020 is the year that has put skills to the test. If you won’t bring your A-game forward, you are less likely to survive in a highly challenging job market. With many companies making redundancies given the financial crisis caused by the outbreak of Covid-19, you must focus on how you can stand out and excel. Here are helpful tips for you to advance in your career:

Define Your Goals, Set a Timeline:

Nothing works well without sound planning. Setting goals and timelines are always a great help for all those striving to excel in their academic or professional lives regardless of the age and level of seniority. Execute your plan by defining your goals and how you want to achieve them. Setting goals will give you a sense of direction whereas, setting a timeline will keep you accountable for your every action. The more detailed your plan, the easier it would be for you to start your journey. Draw a roadmap, get started already!

Enhancing Your Skills:

Your academic degree cannot solely give you a head-start in your professional life. No matter what career you have chosen, you will always be required to learn new skills in order to cope with the innovation and emerging trends in your field. Therefore, enhancing your current skills and acquiring new ones should be your top priority.

Kudos to e-learning programs, you can quite easily enroll into online courses to pick up a new set of skills relevant to your career. It would be beneficial for you to join certified courses so that their mention in your resume makes your credentials look impressive.

Be a Tech Pro:

We all know this for a fact that if you are not keeping up with the latest in technology, it is less likely for you to thrive in your professional field. Since the traditional working methods have been digitalized, you have got no choice left but to adapt to new technology platforms.

Sending emails, keeping in touch with your co-workers through WhatsApp, sharing heavy files via Telegram, managing or collaborating on projects via Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, have become a vital part of our daily professional lives, irrespective of your role in the company or stage in your career.

There are several tutorials available on YouTube that can help you understand new platforms on your own. However, you can also seek help from your friends, family, or colleagues. The more you use it, the more you are going to be efficient with it. Moreover, if your company is using any specific or customized software for work, then you can ask the concerned person to arrange a seminar on how to use the tool effectively. Using the tech tools as part of your job isn’t difficult at all: learn to use it from an expert, keep using it on daily basis, and you will ace at it within no time.

Create and follow through on your action plan

Using these tips will help you create an apt action plan that will guide you to career advancement. Since everything is in a constant process of evolution and there isn’t any finish goals so you are aligned with the direction your industry or sector is moving in. There isn’t any straight line or a magic formula that can guarantee career success; you simply need to put yourself out there, be open-minded, have an appetite for risk and constantly learn and unlearn. Be consistent with all your learning ventures!

This article has been contributed by content writing specialist Mary Jean. Review more advice and tips to growing your career. Submit your CV or apply for relevant jobs using our job search tool. Also register your MyPage profile to receive the latest job alerts from us.

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