There are very few of us that, at least sometimes, don’t feel like our careers are stuck and we are spending one-third of our active years stranded at a workplace we’re not passionate about. Don’t believe us? Just take a look at this recent research that found out that amongst all American workers, only 30% of them feel truly engaged at work. Grim numbers, right?
Well, they don’t need to be. Having a career development plan with precisely defined objectives is paramount. Your future career options and how fast you are going to achieve your work-related goals are matters entirely in your hands. So, let us take a look at a couple of simple ways you can propel your career and finally find the job you are going to enjoy.
Ask for a professional evaluation
This may sound harsh but we are very rarely able to take an objective look at our shortcomings, especially in the business environment where there are more than enough people to blame for our setbacks. The easiest way to cure this blind spot is to ask for a professional evaluation. Of course, it is important that you don’t be overly self-critical, as you get results, but rather look at your professional and personal shortcomings an opportunity to grow and to pursue new goals.
Set up networking budget
In the world of business, who you know is just as important as what you know. So, attending corporate events and making new acquaintances should be your number one priority. If we take a look at the event calendars for some of the booming markets like Hong Kong, we can see that there are ample opportunities for mingling. But, we can also see the attendance costs money. So, it is time to start putting money aside and invest in your professional network.
Master the languages
In this highly globalized world, knowing multiple languages draws you from the local playing field and puts you directly on the global market. Of course, with English being the lingua franca of the contemporary business world, it should be the first one to tackle, preferably by getting a well-regarded certificate. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be that big of a problem. If we once look to Hong Kong, we can find a lot of schools like Monkey Tree offering ESL courses that comply with Common European Framework Referencing guidelines. In other words, you are getting international certification.
Learn the art of time management
Time management is everything. We are living in a world where we have to do an ever-increasing number of tasks in order to have successful careers. If you do not know how to fit all these things into your 24-hour timeframe, you are doomed to fail. So start by getting rid of the notion you’ll be able to multitask – only 2% of the people on the planet can do that. Instead, break down your daily goals into short achievable activities, create plans on how you are going to address them and always give priority to the tasks that are the most important.
Make a five-year plan
Believe us, there is not a career goal so far-fetched it can be achieved within five years. We’ve seen entire empires rise and fall in a much shorter time. But, in order to reach your long-term goals, you should have a pretty good idea of where you are going and how you are going to get there. All these things can be outlined in a brief five-year plan that should cover the following topics:
- Overall goals
- The things you can do at this very moment
- Year-by-year activity breakdown
- Milestones and rewards
- Methods for measuring progress and their frequency
We hope these five tips gave you a general idea of the steps you can take to push your career forward and finally find your dream job. The most important thing to get out of this is that, no matter how grim things may look at first glance, there is always a way to push the things in the right direction and get the ball moving. So, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Your dream career may be lurking just around the corner.
