When you have a clear goal for what you want to accomplish with your career, it can be easier to plan and manage your progress. Career growth does not happen overnight – it takes meticulous planning, goal setting, and deliberate actions.
Here are 4 practical and simple tips that can help you boost your career growth, especially if you are in the first 5-7 years of your career.
#1 Find a mentor (or two).
A mentor can benefit your career in many ways, but they are there to help you plan your career. A mentor can be a current or past manager, someone in the industry, or a colleague with more work experience. A good and trusted mentor will provide you with an honest perspective to support you in achieving your career goals.
Need to bounce off ideas? Ask your mentor.
Looking for opportunities to grow? Ask your mentor.
Need feedback on your work? Ask your mentor!
#2 Focus on professional development
Always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn something new. Gaining new skills is an important part of your career growth, and there are tons of opportunities out there. You can participate in free or sponsored training programs, utilize your company’s professional learning platform, or pay out-of-pocket for any courses. With the Internet, there are a lot of options to explore, such as Udemy and Coursera.
Ad: We are partnering with the International College of Management and Sports (ICMS) to provide a fully funded 5-day training program for SPM leavers and below who are unemployed or working in the gig economy. If you are aged 16-40, have never continued your studies after SPM, and have not had any SOCSO contributions in the last six months, you may be eligible to join the free training. WhatsApp us for more details.
#3 Establish clear goals and a timeline.
Have a clear idea about what career success means to you and a timeline for when you would like to achieve it. After all, a goal without a clear timeline is just a maybe. Having a set timeline helps you to put things down clearly and keeps yourself accountable for your own goals. When you look at your career goals and compare them with your career roadmap, you can break off your goals into smaller, more manageable goals.
Don’t just think of long-term career goals (15-20 years from now), but also have in mind what you would like to achieve in the short term (1-5 years). Think about what you would need to achieve them. What skills do you need to develop? Who do you need to network with? Who can help you reach your goal?
#4 Always be open to feedback
Getting feedback is one of the best ways to measure your progress and to see if you are on the right track to achieving your goals. Don’t just wait for the official performance review meetings (which may happen only once or twice a year). Take the initiative to schedule regular check-ins with your line manager outside of the official reviews.
You can also seek out feedback from your peers and colleagues. Ask them to assess your strengths and weaknesses, things that you are good at, and things you can improve on.
Join us as we explore the life and challenges as a Malaysian working overseas!
We will be running an online panel to explore the myths and reality of a young Malaysian professional working abroad. Join us as we listen to the lives and experiences of our panelists and learn more from their stories. Seats are limited, so sign up now. Recordings will also be available to those who purchased a ticket.