7 Actionable Tips To Advance Your Career And Professional Life

ByMacy Michelle

Are you looking for ways to advance your career? If so, you’re in luck! In this article, we will share seven actionable tips that will help you reach the next level in your professional life. Follow these tips and you will be on your way to achieving your career goals!

This post is all about how to advance your career.

What Does Advancing Your Career Mean?

Before we get into the tips, it’s important to define what “advancing your career” means. For some people, this might mean climbing the corporate ladder and becoming a manager or CEO. For others, it might mean starting their own business or becoming a thought leader in their industry.

Whatever your definition of advancement may be, these tips will help you get there!

Why Should You Advance Your Career

It’s not easy to advance your career. You need to be able to identify what you want and how you’re going to get there, then work hard every single day until it becomes reality. But before doing any of that, make sure that you have a clear idea about where exactly do you want this advancement in the first place!

First, let’s get to the root of why you may want to advance your career.

There are a few key reasons why you might want to advance your career:

  • You may be unhappy with your current position and want to find a new one.
  • You may feel stagnated in your career and want to move up the ladder.
  • You may not have enough experience or skills yet to reach the next level.
  • You may want to level up so you can earn more income.
  • You may want to break out of your 9-5 and work for yourself.

Now that we have explored the reasons you may want to advance your career, let’s dive into actionable steps for how you can advance your career.

7 Tips To Advance Your Career

Determine Your Career Goals And Make A Plan

The first step in advancing your career is to set some goals. What do you want to achieve? What are you working towards?

Here’s a few examples of career goals:

  • Earn an annual salary of $100,000 in five years
  • Become a manager or executive within three years

Once you have defined your goals, it’s important to create a plan of action that will help you reach them. This might include steps like networking with people in your desired field, taking classes or attending workshops, and dedicating time to self-improvement.

Get Clear On What Skills You Need And Start Learning Them

In order to advance your career, you’ll need to hone the skills that are required for the next level. If you’re not sure what those skills are, start by researching the job descriptions for your desired position. Make note of the skills that are listed as requirements, and then consider which ones you already have, and which ones you don’t yet possess. Once that’s done, it’s time to learn those new skills! This might include taking a class or attending workshops in order to advance your knowledge. You don’t necessarily have to go back to school to learn new skills, you can learn by reading books or taking online courses.

Related: Powerful Books To Read

Network

In order to advance your career, you’ll also need to network with people in your desired field. Get involved in professional organizations and attend meetings and events. This is a great way to make connections with people who can help you get ahead in your career. There are many ways that you can network – both in person and online.

It’s also worthwhile to mention that you should check in with your network connections often and not just when you need something.

Think Outside the Box

When it comes to advancing your career, you don’t always have to follow the traditional path. If there’s a company or position that you’re interested in, think about how you can make yourself stand out. Maybe you could reach out to the company and offer to do some pro-bono work, or even start your own business related to the industry.

Get Involved

Another great way to advance your career is by getting involved in activities that are related to your field. This could include attending conferences, volunteering, or even starting a blog or podcast. Getting involved and gaining experience in your field is a great way to stand out and build thought leadership.

Prioritize Your Health

This may seem like an odd way to advance your career, but you (and therefore your health) are your biggest asset. It’s important to take care of yourself so that you can advance your career. If you are sick or unhealthy, it will be difficult to advance. Take steps to focus on your health so that you can excel in all areas of your life.

Pro tip: You can focus on your health effortlessly with intermittent fasting. It’s free, simple and has so many health benefits!

Focus On Results

When you advance your career, it’s important to focus on results. Don’t worry about the number of hours that you work or how many meetings you attend. You should be focused on achieving great results and adding value to the organization in your current role so that you can advance into a higher level one.

Skills To Learn To Advance Your Career

While there are many ways to advance your career, one of the most important things you can do is advance your skills. You don’t have to go back to university or college, but thinking about hiring a mentor and start learning new skills that will help advance your career.

Here are some of the top skills you should focus on to advance your career:

  • Communication skills
  • Negotiation skills
  • Speed reading
  • Time management
  • Conflict resolution
  • Basic coding
  • Digital literacy
  • Project management
  • Social media
  • Digital marketing
  • Adaptability
  • Photoshop

Books To Read To Help You Advance Your Career

There are many books that can help advance your career. Some of our favorites are:

Bottom Line

Now that you know the top skills and books you should focus on to advance your career, it’s time to put these into action. Cheers to advancing your career this year!

This post was all about how to advance your career.