On this episode of Power Talk Radio, Edward King of Alliance Career Training Solutions discusses 7 Ways to Improve Your Career.
Listen to the full episode of the radio show below, and continue reading for more ways to improve your career.
1. Improve Your Career by Investing in Yourself
If you want to invest in your future, you have to invest in yourself.
Often times, this means taking classes to improve your work skills. It can also mean taking time off for your mental and emotional health or a family vacation.
In either case , you need to take care of your number 1 asset…
YOURSELF!
Education and learning are critical for personal growth and professional development. Whether you are a business owner, manager, CEO, or employee, there’s always room for growth:
- Struggle with writing? Take a writing class.
- Uncomfortable with spreadsheets,? Take Excel Classes.
- Need help with finances and bookkeeping? Learn Accounting and QuickBooks.
Invest in classes and courses that build on your existing strengths and give you the skills you need to accelerate your career.
At ACTS, we have a full-calendar of virtual career training classes. Our virtual classes give you the ability to take career training classes online ––– from the comfort of your home or home office.
Also, make sure to read our recent post and post on “5 Real Benefits of Investing in Your Career Skills.”
2. Have a Goal
What are you ultimately working toward?
How do you ultimately want to improve your career and your life?
- Get a raise?
- Save for retirement?
- Pay down debt?
- Financial stability?
- Provide for yourself and your family?
- Lower stress?
None of these things get accomplished without setting goals.
Before you set a goal, ask yourself “what’s the why behind it?” If there’s not a why behind the goal you say you want to accomplish, you won’t be motivated to achieve it.
3. Make a Plan
Goals are no good unless you have a plan to get there. Your plan to hit your goal is the roadmap you make toward achieving your goal. It lays-out the baby-steps you need to take to get there.
If you have trouble setting goals and making a plan to hit them, use the SMART acronym to help. Goals should be:
- Specific: Be as detailed as possible when outlining your goal.
- Measurable: Quantify your goal and track your progress.
- Achievable: Pick a goal that is challenging, but not impossible.
- Relevant: If it’s not relevant, you won’t stick to it. Choose a goal that will have a positive impact on you, professionally or personally.
- Time-bound: A goal without a deadline rarely gets fulfilled. Choose a goal date and stick to it.
4. Stay Focused
“The average US smartphone user received 46 push notifications from phone applications, every day.”
– CleverTapp (2018)
What does that look like over the course of your workday?
If the average person works 8-10 hours, we get 4.6- 5.75 app notifications, every hour. Looking at it another way, our phone is interrupting us ––– conservatively ––– every 10-15 minutes.
When you factor in the time we spend composing and sending emails and texts, it’s a wonder we get anything done!
Whether you want to use these to improve your career or your personal life, here are a few tricks to help you stay focused and present:
- Turn off disruptive phone notifications (social media, news, etc.).
- Declutter your work environment or home.
- Set clear daily goals and objectives.
- Create an essential to-do list.
- Put your phone on vibrate or silent.
- Leave your phone plugged in, or away from your work desk/area.
5. Build Relationships to Improve Your Career Growth
What’s one of the fastest ways to improve your career and get more opportunities? Building better relationships.
Developing mutually-beneficial relationships is the gateway to personal and professional growth opportunities.
Consider this: Even in the times in your life when you think your hard work or skills put you in a position to succeed, it was up to someone else to hand you the offer.
Be good to others and develop strong relationships. It will pay back tenfold throughout your life and career.
Here are a few pieces of advice on how to build better relationships at work:
- Give more than you receive. (See the 51% – 49% rule)
- Think of what you can offer first, rather than what you want or need.
- Listen intently: eliminate distractions and practice active listening.
- Express appreciation and gratitude.
- Be positive.
- Avoid gossip.
6. Ask a Lot of Good Questions
The more you ask, the more you learn.
The more you learn, the more you realize how little you actually know.
Asking better questions will help you improve your career by accomplishing two key things:
- Develop more, high-quality, mutually-beneficial relationships in the workplace.
- Acquire new skills and knowledge, at a faster rate.
Both of which will lead to more opportunities for promotions, raises, and opportunities to learn and grow. Make sure that you ask questions often, express genuine interest, listen actively, and take notes when you can.
7. Execute Your Plan and Stick to It
Now that you have a handful of effective methods to improve your career and personal life, it’s time to jump in.
Map out the actions, steps, habits, and routines you need to be taking on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to hit your goals on time.
It’s going to be hard to stick to your plan 100% of the time. Motivation can fluctuate throughout the year. So when you find it hard to keep going, remind yourself of “the why.”
Reflect on why you got started.
Write down your most powerful motivators ––– why you wanted to improve your career skills in the first place.
*Put a sticky note somewhere prominent so that you don’t forget it.
Your desk, mirror, or computer monitor are great places to put your note. Let that be a constant reminder of what you’re working toward.
Also, take time to visualize your success. What will it look like and feel like when you achieve your goal?
Conclusion
Learning, acquiring, and maintaining skills is a critical component to success in your career and personal life.
ACTS gives business owners, managers, leaders, and employees like you the classes and skills you need to succeed:
- Excel levels 1-3, Pivot Tables, Power Pivot, and D.A.V.E.
- Accounting and QuickBooks.
- Project Management and Time Management.
- Business Writing and Grammar Skills.
- Take a look at our full class schedule to see more.
If you have any questions about our award-winning career training, contact us at contactus@alliancetrains.com or call our office at 831-755-8200 to learn more.
