Nearly two-thirds of employees cite being dissatisfied in their current roles because they do not see opportunities to develop and grow professionally. And with the current economic situation, many managers can't seem to find the time to help develop members of their team beyond their current roles.
It's a pretty crummy situation, isn't it? But here's the good news - there are plenty of tools that you can leverage to achieve your career goals, even when your manager cannot be available to you.
A mentor can be significant asset in developing your career. You will want to seek out a mentor who has a career path that mirrors your ideal career path. Typically, your mentor will be at least 2-3 levels or promotions ahead of you in that career path. Their insight into how they achieved success, in terms of the skills they acquired, the networks they joined and the lessons they learned, can be hugely beneficial in your career journey.
You may want to consider seeking out a sponsor within your organization. Typically this is someone several levels above you in the organizational hierarchy, who will advocate for you and your career when opportunities arise. A sponsor will likely spend far less time with you than a mentor, so you should be even more respectful of the time you spend with this individual and be sure to say thank you for their support of your career.
Finding a sponsor or a mentor can be challenging. At the time of life when individuals have the knowledge and experience to be meaningful mentors and sponsors, they usually have obligations outside of work competing for their time. For individuals who struggle to find an industry, career path or role-specific mentor, you may want to consider a consultation with a career coach. Since career coaches primary job is to provide career guidance and accountability, you are likely to find meetings with them are more focused and you achieve results more quickly. Additionally, because you pay them, you won't feel like you are constantly asking them for favors, without being able to give something back to them.
Career Centers are a highly underutilized resource! Career Centers and their network of career counselors can provide effective career advice from career assessments to interviewing guidance. Even better, they can be more cost effective than a full-time career coach.
If you have graduated from a college or a university that has an established alumni association, you should investigate their career development programs. Alumni programs typically will have career resource centers whose services range from remote/virtual career webinars to in person or virtual one-on-one career counseling sessions.
If you only take one thing away from this, it should be that there is an abundance of information and resources available to help you achieve career goals. The only wrong option is to continue to experience frustration and not take steps to resolve it. So take one step that gets you closer to your career goals today!
It's a pretty crummy situation, isn't it? But here's the good news - there are plenty of tools that you can leverage to achieve your career goals, even when your manager cannot be available to you.
A mentor can be significant asset in developing your career. You will want to seek out a mentor who has a career path that mirrors your ideal career path. Typically, your mentor will be at least 2-3 levels or promotions ahead of you in that career path. Their insight into how they achieved success, in terms of the skills they acquired, the networks they joined and the lessons they learned, can be hugely beneficial in your career journey.
You may want to consider seeking out a sponsor within your organization. Typically this is someone several levels above you in the organizational hierarchy, who will advocate for you and your career when opportunities arise. A sponsor will likely spend far less time with you than a mentor, so you should be even more respectful of the time you spend with this individual and be sure to say thank you for their support of your career.
Finding a sponsor or a mentor can be challenging. At the time of life when individuals have the knowledge and experience to be meaningful mentors and sponsors, they usually have obligations outside of work competing for their time. For individuals who struggle to find an industry, career path or role-specific mentor, you may want to consider a consultation with a career coach. Since career coaches primary job is to provide career guidance and accountability, you are likely to find meetings with them are more focused and you achieve results more quickly. Additionally, because you pay them, you won't feel like you are constantly asking them for favors, without being able to give something back to them.
Career Centers are a highly underutilized resource! Career Centers and their network of career counselors can provide effective career advice from career assessments to interviewing guidance. Even better, they can be more cost effective than a full-time career coach.
If you have graduated from a college or a university that has an established alumni association, you should investigate their career development programs. Alumni programs typically will have career resource centers whose services range from remote/virtual career webinars to in person or virtual one-on-one career counseling sessions.
If you only take one thing away from this, it should be that there is an abundance of information and resources available to help you achieve career goals. The only wrong option is to continue to experience frustration and not take steps to resolve it. So take one step that gets you closer to your career goals today!
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If you are interested in learning more about professional development visit http://www.tumblr.com/blog/careersonfire.
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