Career Advancement: The Top 9 Ways to Stand Out and Get Ahead
Maria Asks: I’ve been with my company for six years now, and I deserve a higher-level position. How can I really set myself apart from the crowd—either here or at another company with a bigger playing field? I know I’m good at what I do, but how do I convey that without overselling myself or looking like an egomaniac?
Coach Joel Answers: Maria, you’re in the perfect spot for a career advancement move. There’s a lot you can do to prepare, but 9 key things will really make you stand out and advance in your career:
- Speak in financial terms
- Make a positive impression
- Grow the job you already have
- Seek opportunities where others aren’t looking
- Become a master communicator
- Make critical thinking a way of life
- Make their goals your goals
- Be someone special
- Tell a good story
Each of these career advancement tips will propel your career forward. Each of them will shape who you are in the eyes of organizational leaders and will bring you the job success you’re after, whether you find it at your current company or somewhere else. Together, they’ll act as your personal talent development program.
The key is to get started now. Before long, these techniques will become second nature to you. So have a pen (or computer keyboard) handy. When I coach my clients about these and other career-enhancing techniques, I encourage them to write down two or three ways they can immediately put them into action on the job. As you read through this list, write down three ways you can do each of these things this week.
1 – Speak in financial terms.
The higher you advance, the more bottom-line financial responsibilities you’ll assume. Thus, it’s imperative to 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 succeed.
What does this look like in practice? 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.
Such actions put your contributions in more concrete and measurable terms, helping others to grasp your value.
2 – Make a positive impression.
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. Consider how you can strengthen the impression you make, both around people you see infrequently and those you interact with every day.
To make a stronger impression, read inspiring books that enrich your knowledge base as well as seeking leadership coaching. You’ll then learn to master the most vital tips on building your influence and becoming a driving force within your organization.
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 identify unique or unknown opportunities, think differently than your peers. Liberate yourself from the confines of your current way of thinking; be creative and unconventional. This involves how you evaluate business conditions, demand, competition, industry knowledge, and technological advances. Strive to approach each situation with an original perspective. Business leaders gain a competitive advantage whenever they seek opportunities where others aren’t looking.
5 – Become a master communicator.
Knowledge is important. But the #1 skill that employers are looking for today is communication–the ability to write and speak impeccably. This means that every bit of written communication with leaders at your company or any future employer needs to be stellar. This includes emails and texts, not just your resume. It also applies to your profile on LinkedIn and other social media sites. Speaking well has equal importance. If you tend to freeze up in presentations or stutter in group meetings, join Toastmasters or take a public speaking seminar.
6 – Make critical thinking a way of life.
Your future employer values people who can think on their feet. Problem-solving is important, but problem-avoidance is even better. Learn to think ahead about the potential outcomes of your strategies. Never underestimate the Law of Unintended Consequences—the possibility that your actions may produce unexpected results. Fire prevention beats firefighting every time.
7 – Make their goals your goals
Do you believe in the vision and mission of your company, or the one you’re applying to work with? Mission alignment makes all the difference. In fact, it’s a prerequisite for success as a leader, fueling you with the passion that inspires others to follow you. Align your vision with your company’s and you’re both winners. Likewise, if you’re researching potential employers, go after only those whose mission and vision you can totally get on board with. Once you’re on the job, that same mindset applies to your boss’s personal goals. She wants to open two new sales territories? You can do that. He wants to be the premier provider of services in your industry? You want the same thing. Stay on the same page about vision, mission, and goals, and you’ll be seen as high-level-leadership material.
8 – Be someone special.
Have a signature skill that enhances your brand, something that you feel confident you can do better than almost anyone else. What principles have you learned about excellence and winning that you’ll be using on the job? Did you overcome a major personal challenge to get where you are today? Now you can use that experience to meet any challenge your employer throws at you. Which leads us directly to #9:
9 – Tell a good story.
We’ve all heard the laundry list of qualities that make a good employee: teamwork, integrity, creativity, dedication. Instead of reciting the expected list, tell a story. Illustrate something you have done that shows your creativity. Talk about the experience of leading a team and the results you produced. Your next boss will remember the story much more powerfully than a list of words.
This advice will go a long way to position you for success. Take these steps, and you’ll gain the respect of your boss, future boss, and other leaders throughout the company. Remember, none of this is done out of ego or overconfidence. In the immortal words of Dizzy Dean: “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.” And I’m sure you can do it!
Ready for a career advancement move? Read Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level for essential advice on career advancement.
5 Surefire Tips for Job Advancement
Every current and potential executive I’ve met has valuable skills and significant personal strengths. Most of them also demonstrate a well-grounded sense of self and a thorough understanding of their talents and challenges. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop many qualified professionals from running up against walls as they work toward career and job advancement.
The corporate ladder can sometimes be frustrating and unforgiving, and superiors are often too busy to provide dedicated mentoring to their subordinates. While every employee would love to have a great boss who works selflessly to advance the careers of his or her employees, no one should count on opportunities falling from the sky.
At the end of the day, professionals who want more from their careers have to seize the initiative. Many of these individuals follow a series of intentional steps to career success, such as the ones detailed below, to secure promotions or land their dream job.
1 – Get close to the customer.
Internal business units are important to a company’s success, but no business can function without customers. The closer—and more important—you are to the people who ultimately pay the company’s bills, the more indispensable you become to your company’s bottom line.
2 – Involve yourself in mission critical projects.
Every business has a core set of products and services that pad the bottom line. Identify these areas and do whatever you can to contribute to them and their growth. If your expertise does not directly relate to these areas, find ways to leverage your skills to add value or decrease costs associated with them.
3 – Pitch big ideas.
Do your homework first, but otherwise don’t hesitate to offer proposals that could bring in new customers, realize substantial cost savings, open new markets, or otherwise grow the business. People listen to and respect well-argued, clearly defined ideas. Even if they don’t fly, they will earn you attention and recognition. Speak early, often, and articulately about your ideas.
4 – Stay interested in the people around you.
Regardless of whether you would choose to befriend your coworkers outside the office, try to express an interest in them as people. Successful leaders demonstrate a strong desire to understand the people surrounding them and foster positive relationships at work. Keep in touch with as many colleagues as possible and take every opportunity to listen to their stories.
5 – Help others succeed.
Job advancement isn’t always about personal achievement. Bosses love employees who can work well both individually and as part of a team—especially those who can set aside their egos and help others deliver on important projects and assignments. Try to be that guy or gal everyone knows they can come to with a question.
As you begin implementing these tips for career and job advancement, remember that above all else, jump-starting your career requires consistent effort and intentionality. The best leaders stay focused on their goals and recommit themselves to their work on a daily basis.
3 Solid Strategies to Advance Your Career
During my business leadership training seminars, I teach strategies that can help clients advance their careers with my program, “Release Untapped Potential of Your Underutilized Leaders.” Here are a few things you can start working on now.
1 – Develop Your Financial Vocabulary
In business, nothing matters more than the bottom line. Learn as much as you can about costs, profit margins, and accounting so that you will be able to make a case for proposed projects based on projected profits and cost savings.
2 – Build Relationships with People
Money might be the bottom line, but you won’t advance far in your career by trampling over everyone in your way—at least not for long. Work to develop good relationships at work. You never know when the receptionist you always took for granted might turn out to be the key to getting you an important meeting.
3 – Take on Extra Responsibilities
Take the initiative to find ways to do more than what is required in your current position. It may not be the perfect job for you, but give it everything you’ve got and your boss will take your hard work into consideration when it comes time for a raise or promotion.
Look for opportunities to stand out from the crowd at work, and take advantage of any opportunities you have to improve your knowledge and skills.
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