If you have goals and plans for your life, chances are that they include getting ahead at work — getting a promotion, taking on more responsibilities, or advancing in some other way. While some aspects of getting ahead at work may be more difficult to control, there is still a lot you can do to set up the conditions for advancement.
Look at the Big Picture
Many professional jobs involve many small daily tasks. However, when jobs become overwhelming, or you feel like the work never gets done, it helps to look at the big picture and see if you can find solutions that will make smaller tasks more manageable or resolve the daily problems that arise and take up so much of your time.
Instead of dealing with the fallout of poor organization on a daily basis, for example, you can make a plan to organize yourself better and save a lot of time that you can allot to other priorities. Looking at the big picture always helps you to realize and remember what is important to accomplish so that you can focus more on those things.
Developing Self-Confidence
If you doubt your ability to succeed at your job, you will have a difficult time moving forward and finding ways to advance in your career. You can begin to develop self-confidence by focusing on your strengths instead of your weaknesses and by looking at improvements and progress rather than having an expectation of perfection or instant success.
Working with a mentor or career coach who will encourage you and help you find ways to build on your strengths is another way to develop self-confidence. If you suffer from extremely low self-esteem, getting some counseling may help you get to the root of the issue so you can move forward in a healthier way.
Keeping a Positive Attitude
Supervisors will not look to promote employees who complain about their jobs often or display a negative attitude in the workplace. Even if you have legitimate reasons to complain or be negative, you can learn to phrase your complaints in constructive and positive ways that may get supervisors to listen to your concerns (which complaining usually doesn’t do).
Instead of saying, “It’s not fair that . . .”, you can say “It might work better if . . .” There is always a more positive and constructive way to express something, and supervisors respond far better to someone who has thought through a concern and its implications for everyone in the workplace, rather than just for yourself.
Learning New Skills
Sometimes you just can’t get where you want at work without learning new skills. Even if you may be reluctant to go to a class after work or on a Saturday, think of all the great things you’ll learn! It will help you get that promotion or get your supervisor to take notice that you know what you’re doing.
CCSU offers many continuing education courses that teach valuable skills, and many of them even lead to certifications that employers will take into consideration as they decide who to promote or put into leadership positions. Join our mailing list to see everything we have to offer.