How To Go Further in Your Career
01 Nov, 20231-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- Why it’s important to go above and beyond at work.
- Ways to go above and beyond at work.
- How to find and apply for the best jobs.
Progressing your profession is essential and National Career Development Month highlights how crucial it is for individuals to enhance their career prospects and achieve their professional goals.
During National Career Development Month, it’s important to think about ways to progress in your profession to enhance your career prospects and achieve your professional goals. Keeping progression front of mind is important to ensure you are enthusiastic about being a part of the future of the business. Investing time in meaningful work and making informed decisions is the best way to go above and beyond in your career and give yourself opportunities to develop new skills.
In this blog, we uncover valuable tips and strategies for achieving career growth and professional advancement in your field. Learn how to seize opportunities and go above and beyond to take your career to new heights.
Why it’s important to go above and beyond in your career
It is important to go above and beyond at work as it shows that your values align with your company values and that you are invested in the future of the business. Showing initiative and a willingness to learn and excel demonstrates to your employer that you are a reliable worker.
The feeling of needing to go above and beyond in order to progress or impress your employers is what drives people to take professional opportunities and develop their skills. Doing more than what is expected of you can mean the difference between a promotion or career development and feeling safe, stuck or inadequate in your current role.
What can I do to enhance my career progression?
To enhance your career it is important to demonstrate your ability to go the extra mile at work. If you can exhibit your passion and commitment to your career development, there could be opportunities such as promotion, a higher paid role or more responsibility within your current role.
Whether it be moving to a different sector, taking on new challenges, or increasing your skills through training, there are ways to climb the ladder at work and progress in your profession.
8 ways to go above and beyond at work include:
- Setting goals.
- Communicate an action plan.
- Take advantage of training and development opportunities.
- Take note of your achievements.
- Step outside your comfort zone.
- Do something outside of your job description.
- Emulate someone who is successful.
- Anticipate tasks or managers requirements.
Setting goals
You should have a career plan and set goals to keep track of your development. This will encourage you to look at what skills you already have and identify what skills you need to improve on to achieve your goals.
It’s good practice to think about your career progression and break up your goals into small, achievable targets that you can hit along the way. You can work steadily towards an ambitious goal and gain skills that you need for further development.
Think about where you would like to be career-wise in two, five or ten years time, or a particular skill that you want to learn or improve on e.g. get better at delegating, become more active in sustainability in your workplace or move up the career ladder.
Communicate an action plan
Arrange meetings or reviews with your manager to assess your performance and areas of potential improvement.
During these meetings, you should raise any queries or discuss any opportunities or goals that you seek. Your manager should support you in your professional development so communicate your plan clearly and concisely.
If you don’t already have performance reviews or one-to-one meetings, put the idea forward to your manager. This will benefit you as it will show that you are passionate about learning and progressing within the business.
If you share your goals and career plan, your manager is in a good position to assist you with your professional development and you could impress them with your desire to learn, improve and progress. Having one-to-one meetings will increase your confidence when discussing what you want for the company, a vital skill to progress in any profession.
Take advantage of training and development opportunities
If the company you work for offers training courses or programmes that encourage learning and upskilling, make use of the opportunity. You will gain new insights that could better your position in the company and heighten your chances for promotion.
If there aren't any training programmes in place, speak to your manager and put the idea forward. Alternatively look for external opportunities such as online training courses, night schools, the Open University, webinars and podcasts.
Take note of your achievements
Keep track of your accomplishments whether that be completing a training course, receiving positive feedback or an award. Document your achievements, detailing what you learnt and how you will apply that to your future job role.
High achievers are highly desirable to employers and if you have demonstrated achieving results, this will be something which sets you apart from other candidates.
Step outside your comfort zone
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and take on new challenges. Show that you are eager to progress in your career by stepping outside of your comfort zone and your area of expertise - remember, good things never come from being inside comfort zones!
Take a risk, ask for more responsibilities or use your initiative to learn a new skill or improve on an already existing one. Offer to help others with projects or support them in discussions or meetings.
Do something outside of your job description
There are many ways to go above and beyond at work and this could include doing something that isn’t expected of you but that benefits the company. It could be that a responsible party was unavailable or you simply wanted to shine!
How to go above and beyond at work
Examples of how to go above and beyond at work that benefit the company include:
- Executing an idea to improve culture and boost morale e.g. organising work days out or hosting friendly competitions.
- Propose something to save the company money or resources e.g. reduce physical inventory or reduce travel.
- Strategies to improve the quality of work e.g. set milestones or achievable goals.
- Ways to be more sustainable and eco-friendly at work e.g. initiate a recycling scheme.
- Support another member of staff with their work, training or mental health e.g. arranging mental health awareness training and workshops.
Emulate someone who is successful
In order to be successful or discover ways to develop, it could be beneficial to have a mentor to learn from. Learning from someone who is where you want to be can inspire you to go above and beyond - remember, they were once in your shoes!
If you have a career goal, it is important to mimic the best qualities and characteristics of those who have progressed and are considered to be top contributors. Ask yourself, How does a successful person utilise their time? Does a successful person read more than the average person? What type of motivation do successful people feed themselves? How do they progress? What qualifications have they obtained? How do they carry themselves? How do they push their career boundaries?
Anticipate tasks or managers requirements
Instead of waiting to be told what to do or how to improve efficiency, take it upon yourself to anticipate it in advance. Think back to previous projects, meetings or reports, and action the improvements, suggestions or questions that your manager asked of you.
By anticipating what is expected of you, it demonstrates that you can think for yourself, work efficiently and take feedback on board.
How to anticipate your managers needs
Know your employers expectations. Be aware of the common traits and skills that managers look for in their employees such as punctuality, accountability and good communication. Understanding what an employer expects and exceeding expectations can be an excellent way to open career advancement opportunities.
Pay attention to your manager's priorities and interests. Actively show an interest and enthusiasm for your managers priorities by seeking feedback.
Get perspective from team members to improve and enhance your skills and your understanding of the business. Model desired behaviour especially of those in senior or leadership roles to ensure you are anticipating your managers needs and expectations.
Keep up to date with new research and developments to be aware of changes in the industry and to anticipate your managers needs and expectations.
Be aware of the company or department's direction. If you are aware of the goals of the company and their development plan, it can be beneficial to your career progression.
Manage or support other employees. By supporting junior employees it will free up your manager's time.
Find your dream job
If you’re searching for a new role or to boost your current position, why not visit our job page and take a look at the latest opportunities? Alternatively, upload your CV and one of our experienced consultants will contact you when a relevant opportunity becomes available.
Find your dream employee
With 11 specialisms across the public and private sector, we are well equipped to find your dream employee! If you’re struggling to fill a role, why don’t you give us a call on 01772 954200 and one of our consultants will be happy to help.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Based in the heart of Lancashire, we are an ambitious and forward thinking recruitment agency with a passion for effecting positive change for everyone. We have a profound commitment to matching the perfect candidate with the perfect clients, ensuring they find a job that has the ability to boost their salary and standard of living, better their work life balance and improve their mental health.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
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