This is a guest post + giveaway by Dan Schawbel.
Are you struggling at work right now and have no idea what to do?
Hands up if you’re bored with your job and feeling lethargic!
Well, you know what?
You’re not alone.
The economy has really changed and most people haven’t quite adjusted to the new reality.
There’s no longer a linear career path.. no employer is going to take care of you. It’s YOU who has to take charge and make things happen.
How exactly do you do that in the workplace? How do you succeed in the face of uncertainty and move ahead?
Here are five tips to help you gain more confidence, promote yourself effectively, and take your career to the next level:
1. Know yourself. In order to be your best self at work, you have to have a grasp on what your strengths and passions are.
If you are true to yourself and know your limits, then it’s easier to position yourself for success. If you don’t think about what you bring to the table, then you don’t get a seat there.
Don’t try to copy someone else or you will end up building the wrong type of reputation – being yourself is the only thing that is sustainable anyways.
2. Have an entrepreneur mindset. In a recent study, we found that 90% of people view entrepreneurship as a mindset instead of the role of a business owner.
You need to be able to sell yourself, your ideas, and take risks in your career – or you won’t get very far.
Always look for ways to improve processes or products at your company and seek opportunities that your company isn’t paying attention to as much.
This way, you will be seen as a thought leader at your organisation, an innovator at the forefront, and get promoted faster.
3. Help your manager succeed. “You can get everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar, Secrets of Closing the Sale.
If you make your manager look good, you’ll be amply rewarded with networking and promotion opportunities.
They hold the keys to your success so instead of being selfish with your career, work as hard as you can for them so when they rise up, they will take you with them.
One way you can help your manager is by taking on additional work outside of your job description. Another way is by doing work that they don’t want to do, even if they don’t assign it to you directly.
4. What you do outside of work matters. Just because you leave your office doesn’t mean you can’t do activities that will help you be more successful at work.
Become a member of an industry association, attend conferences and go to social events with co-workers so that you can learn, develop relationships and have more to talk about at the office.
5. Develop your soft skills. Managers, and even recruiters, value soft skills over hard skills. 61% of managers believe that soft skills are most important.
These are intangible, but crucial to career success.
Skills like interpersonal communication, the ability to prioritize work, handle conflicts and having a positive attitude go a LONG way in today’s working environment.
Put yourself into as many situations as you can where you can practice your soft skills, get feedback and improve.
I’d love to hear YOUR top tips for career success.
Leave a comment below, to be in to win 1 of 2 copies of Dan’s new book “Promote Yourself”.
Dan Schawbel is a Gen Y career and workplace expert, the Founder of Millennial Branding and the author of the new book, Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success (St. Martin’s Press).
Check out his website and follow him on twitter.
It’s fantastic. Thanks for making it available to us
Great points, Dan. With the entrepreneurial mindset, selling yourself does not have to stop at the level of your company. It can be necessary to branch out in order to take your career to the next level. It may not be the best method for success at your current employer; however, it goes along with your comments that you are the only one driving your own career.
I would just add “Don’t be discouraged.” There will be setbacks as you navigate your way through your career, but always remember that (in most cases) it only takes one “yes” to progress you towards your goal(s). If you feel wedged in or anything like that, remember – it’s temporary. You never know where you will be a year from now if you keep trying, but you can probably guess how things will be if you give up (hint: things won’t change much).
Very good article, focusing on personal development is critical to career success.
This is a great message told by some many great people in so many ways. Well articulated!
Great article and very helpful! My personal tip for career success: “No sacrifice, No victory”
I would also add If You Think You Can Or You Cannot You Are Right
I would say investing in packaging – think of internal reports and everyday assignments as ideas for blog posts and invest time in creating your own personal way of presenting the materials.
When I was a junior copywriter, I used to make illustrative powerpoint presentations of my ideas, differing from others who just threw their ideas together as bullets in a word document. That definitely helped me stand out.
100% thumbs up for all the points especially the first, know yourself. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely soak up this advice and put it in work!
Soft Skills are extremely important. You cannot train someone “soft skills”. Personality, attitude, interpersonal skills, and customer service mean everything! Great article!
Thanks for sharing these great tips!
I’m currently experiencing a loss of passion for my job. I love what I do, but not necessarily where I do it. And considering the possibility of freelancing. Any recommendations?
Great focused information here and personally have had success with all but the soft skills portion. Working on developing myself as a better manager at a marketing agency all while staying on top off all new industry trends and its good to be reminded of those intangibles that make all the difference. Thank you!
Read the books that help your passion
Good points. It’s importen to focus on others also, not only yourself. Make your leader look good, and he/she will liff you in the long run.
thank you for your help.
Great Post.
If you read my book “The Titan” amazon.com Steve Werner you will see how important I believe it is to “know your story”
Also I might add FUN to the equation.
thanks
SW