By Kathy Provost:
I am always impressed when working with a candidate who is actively “managing” his or her career. The majority of us take advantage of opportunities that just happen to come our way, but the smart folks actively create these opportunities, by following some or all of these career management principles:
Set a goal, with a timeline: where do you want to be in 2, 3, 5, even 10 + years? Half the battle is establishing milestones — without this end point to aim for, you will choose the path of least resistance, which will be controlled not by you, but by others and events outside your influence..
Invite your manager to be an active participant in your career growth: during your annual review (and during quarterly reviews that you schedule) ask, “How can I increase my value to the organization? Am I learning everything I can learn? What opportunities await me for career pathing now and in the future?”
Find a mentor: this is someone who may be in the twilight of his or her career who can provide objective advice, and help open doors for you. Let this individual know how much you value his or her input, and make time to meet with him or her once or twice a year, with emails and phone calls in between.
Learn: always take advantage of additional opportunities to add to your skill set. Actively identify seminars or other educational events and ask for permission from your current employer to go; make sure you can make the argument that this will aid you in your current role, even as you have an eye to the future!
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