Tips on Career Advancement

image:under30ceo.com
culled from:www.garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com

Looking for tips on career advancement? The four suggestions listed below will go a long ways to position you for success. When I coach my clients about these and other career-enhancing techniques, I encourage them write down two or three ways they can immediately demonstrate them on the job. For example, if you want to develop your ability to speak in financial terms, you might write:
•    Incorporate more hard data in this week's presentation.
•    Add revenue and profit impact in my regular updates to my boss.
•    Look for ways to document the cost-savings of my latest project.
The key is to get started now. Before long, these techniques will become second nature to you. So have your pen or pencil (or computer keyboard) handy. Write down three ways you can demonstrate each of them this week.
Four Tips on Career Advancement
1.    Speak in Financial Terms.
The higher you advance, the more bottom-line, financial responsibilities you'll assume. It's imperative you know how to communicate accomplishments in terms of specific, measurable results. This will clearly demonstrate your value and enhance your credibility. Effective financial communication will help you gain more resources, receive the appropriate financial backing, acquire the desired head-count and secure the necessary buy-in so your projects will be successful.
2.    Reflect Well on Others.
Be sure your work reflects well on those around you. Each decision you make, how you represent yourself at meetings, and your overall productivity should make a positive impression. Your actions should say you are a leader who takes initiative, has self-confidence and can handle the responsibility required to do top-notch work.
3.    Grow the Job You Already Have.
If you take on added responsibilities and do more than what is asked of you, executives will take notice of your initiative. Employees who stand out are rewarded and promoted. By increasing your responsibility and doing more, you're less likely to stagnate in your position and you raise your chance of finding more challenging projects.
4.    Seek Opportunities Where Others Aren't Looking.
To notice and identify unique or unknown opportunities, think differently than your peers. Liberate yourself from the confines of your current way of thinking and be creative and unconventional. This involves how you evaluate business conditions, demand, competition, industry knowledge and technological advances. Approach each situation with a completely different perspective. Business leaders seek opportunities where others aren't looking.