There are a plethora of books claiming to unlock the secrets of successful jobs. Then there are the podcasts, TED talks, late-night motivational speakers, and the wise words of your relatives. The bottom line for the majority of these advisors? A successful career demands you to manage the person in the mirror – to overcome the inclinations and behaviours that can sabotage your efforts to find satisfaction at work. To achieve success in your career, surround yourself with the people who inspire you.
Read on to learn what professors and researchers recommend for
- Dealing with various situations
- Betterment of your employment condition
- Making a living in the gig economy
CONSTRUCT A SOLID FOUNDATION
There are some key principles to attain success in your career. It is useful for people undertaking all kinds of professions. It can also put the idea of work into proper perspective. These principles will give you a solid base on which you can build a strong and successful career that can withstand unforeseen changes.
Importance of networking
Networking, when done correctly, is the art of building and maintaining strong, mutually beneficial relationships with others based on trust. Research has shown that individuals with a strong professional network tend to be more successful than those without.
The greatest method to renew an old relationship or start a new one is to connect with folks with whom you share a common interest, experience, or bond. There are a variety of industry-specific workshops, conferences, and social events which provide an opportunity to learn something new and build relationships with thought leaders and other professionals in your industry.
The people that you work with every day, the co-workers you run into, and the former colleagues and ex-bosses are three general networks that should be maintained. Mark Granovetter, a sociologist, showed in his “The Strength of Weak Ties” that more distant links provide doorways into other networks we would not normally have contact with. Effective networking is a time-consuming, patient, and deliberate process. Time, patience, and intention are all required for effective networking.
Here are a few networking tips:
- Initiate conversations and enquire about others.
- Ask your co-workers open-ended questions.
- Gather meetings and invite folks over for drinks or company-sponsored volunteering.
- Use social media as an operational career tool and make sure that you can easily be discovered online.
- Keep your social media accounts updated.
- Be genuine in your networking approach.
Having a good amount of skill to offer is just as important as networking. While searching for a job, if you are an expert at something, there are more chances for you to be recruited.
Stay efficient and informed
It is very essential to thrive with the creation of new technology, changing rules and regulations in company firms, emerging choices in career, etc. There are always new changes around the world. Keeping yourself briefed about your field can set your career on track and make it lively. Remember to keep a cool head and go with the flow.
- Join organizations and actively take part in events, workshops, and training sessions.
- Gain valuable information and be ready to impart your knowledge to fellow associates.
- You can also take classes at colleges and universities. It will help you make extra money.
- Pursue education in your field of work. This can help you get a promotion in your field, or you can apply for jobs offering more reputation elsewhere.
Always remember: don’t let your career define your identity.
You will always have something that piques your interest that is not related to your job. Your goal is to find that something and continue to do it once in a while. It can help you unwind and revitalize your energy, boosting your happiness. Studies have shown that hobbies are a fun way to avoid burnout. Outside interests give our nervous systems a break from the ever-present mental demands.
Importance of Trust
Trust is one of the most important tips you need to ensure success when you start a new job. Earn your boss’ trust.
HOW TO IMPROVE A JOB YOU LOVE
Suppose you want to be better at your job, get more challenging work, prove your potential to your boss, and make your team recognize you. Enhancing your situation at work will most likely require some hands-on attention. It begins with a careful evaluation of one’s potential. It is necessary to have a clear idea of what you want.
Writing down your strengths, weaknesses, achievements, and limitations can help you. You can add or subtract your qualities accordingly. Referring to the list every few months can help you constantly work on yourself and reflect on the changes to be made.
Self-assessment can create awareness about one’s strengths and interests. It prepares you to grab the right opportunities. Now, how can you raise your profile at work?
- Volunteer to represent your team.
- Have a good relationship with your boss and co-workers.
- Speak up in meetings.
- Grow your networking skills.
- Make choices that allow you to demonstrate your strengths and abilities.
- Bring ideas of your own and help your team.
- Take up problem-solving.
Many of these traits and behaviors that can help you excel in your career are also found in great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and so on.
DISRUPTIONS AND CHANGE
Stay or go?
Surely, everyone has had at least a few bad days at work. But when every day turns out worse than the previous one, it’s hard not to quit. You might completely lose interest in the work. Yet, before you make the big step of resignation, take time to consider a few things:
- Unemployment discrimination: companies might not employ unemployed people. Rather, they may recruit someone who is already working in a firm.
- If you are already employed, you might have more confidence in searching for a job.
- Give it a little more time — a good and better spot might just open in your organization.
Now, if you have finally decided to quit the job, be positive about it. If you feel stuck, think about taking training courses to learn new things that will improve your employability and boost your morale. Surround yourself with positive people who understand your cause for quitting.
What to do if you get fired?
Here we have a few stages to help you overcome the situation:
- Take your time and accept it. Feel your emotions.
- Focus on yourself and be positive.
- Reflect on the reason why you got dismissed and be honest with yourself.
- Make healthy decisions and set new goals.
- Get over any resentment you feel towards your previous employer.
- Take a break from social media for a while.
Tips to remember while searching for a job
As mentioned previously, more distant links provide doorways to several opportunities. You can also apply with your resume via the online job-search industry.
- Proofread your resume to clarify that there are no errors.
- Make sure your social media profiles are up-to-date as employers do a deep profile check before recruiting you.
- Socialize with everyone, as you never know where help might come from.
- Improve your speaking skills for interviews.
- If you are nearing retirement age, be aware that age discrimination would pose several disturbances to recruitment.
- Getting proper career counseling can also help you.
Returning from an extended leave
Someone may need to temporarily leave the workforce for a variety of reasons, including raising children, caring for aged parents, or following a spouse or partner whose employer relocates overseas. It might be difficult to come out of these hiatuses and return to work after a year or more away.
There is a sense among returning employees that they have slipped behind the pace of technological developments at work and that someone who has been out of work for a while isn’t ready to get back to work.
Prospective employers may have similar concerns when reviewing a résumé with a large gap in employment history. Every day, though, many return to work after taking a long break. There are several techniques to make the move less difficult.
Make arrangements to return to your current company if at all possible before you depart. Even if you don’t know when you’ll be able to return to work, talk to your boss and possibly the human resources department about returning.
It’s unlikely that they’ll be able to make any sort of commitment, but your chat may provide some direction, and ending on a positive note would benefit everyone involved. And, while you’re gone, make an effort to check in with your co-workers or even your boss regularly, both to keep up with what’s going on in the office and to remind them that you haven’t completely vanished.
GETTING A GLIMPSE OF THE “GIG ECONOMY”
Making a living through self-employment, whether by choice or necessity, can be both liberating and taxing. We’re in the midst of a golden age of temp work, part-time work, and freelance options.
A lot of this is being driven by technological progress in many ways. Hundreds of thousands of full-time service and manufacturing workers have been displaced by automation.
What to expect of a gig economy?
Is the gig economy beneficial? Many argue that it lets selfish businesses off the hook too lightly, and that it traps us all in a never-ending hamster cycle of low-paying employment, racing to find the next gig to pay the bills. Others argue that, when properly managed, it may give a better life than working for a giant corporation and constantly fearing the next round of layoffs.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the gig economy:
The pros are:
- When you work on-demand or freelance, you can expect to have greater control over your schedule.
- According to a survey, 67% of freelancers were pleased or extremely satisfied with their work-life balance.
- For folks who have retired from a typical full-time job, the gig economy has a lot of attraction.
And the cons:
- When you become an independent worker, you may have to cut back on your responsibilities and consider living a simpler life.
- The consistency of receiving the same payment every pay day will end.
- The daily routine, which can be a source of comfort or mind-numbing monotony, will be thrown out the window.
- The fear of the unknown is possibly the most compelling reason why some people dislike the independent worker lifestyle.
The gig economy is one of skills.
“The Gig Economy is a skills-based economy, and skilled workers are the winners who take it all,” says Diane Mulcahy, author of “The Gig Economy.”
True success requires at least one ability (preferably more) that qualifies you for well-paying and fulfilling work. Poor-paying employment with few or no perks or autonomy, such as some retail jobs, is in stark contrast. Combining two or three part-time jobs like these can exhaust you and give you little stability.
Develop a Portfolio of Skills and Interests
You should have a diverse set of abilities and hobbies that can serve as a foundation for your employment rather than just one marketable expertise. Make a list of the things that people say you’re good at or like to do. Diversifying your portfolio provides security because you aren’t tying your future to a single industry or type of work.
Have the job come to you
Because of the ebbs and flows of freelance employment, you may find yourself spending a lot of time looking for the next task or project. Having people contact you with tasks they need done is a better option. This comes from building a name for yourself in your field. Some call this creating a brand.
Many people are unwilling to deal with the trouble of a permanent career campaign. They don’t want to spend time developing their brand, updating on social media or creating digital footprints. They are the ones who are most likely to be unsuccessful.
Consider your personal brand as a way of letting people know who you are and what you do. Remember that you are independent and you should devote some time to creating employment for yourself. Being unnoticed isn’t a good concept, nor is it profitable.
Time management
When it comes to independent employment, time management is highly critical. There’s a chance you will be working on multiple projects with overlapping deadlines.
You’ll also need time to keep track of your bills, expenses, and bookkeeping. You’ll need time to plan ahead, not just for the coming week, but for the coming year and beyond. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of downtime at work and set aside time for vacation. You’ll have freedom to deal with your personal difficulties, but you will need to adapt to your work schedule and make the necessary adjustments.
Some Additional Info to Manage Better Decision about Your Career
Here are a few tips for managing better decisions about your career:
Set clear goals: Identify what you want to achieve in your career and create a plan to reach those goals.
Do research: Research different industries, companies, and job roles to gain a better understanding of what options are available to you.
Get feedback: Seek advice and feedback from people in the industry or field you are interested in.
Network: Build a professional network of contacts who can provide guidance and support as you make career decisions.
Consider all options: Keep an open mind and consider all options, even if they may not have been your first choice.
Be proactive: Be proactive in your job search and take initiative to create opportunities for yourself.
Reflect on your decision : Once you’ve made a decision, take time to reflect on it and consider the potential outcomes.
Lastly, be willing to adapt and change course as needed, as career paths are rarely linear.
AN OUTLINE
Much of this guide follows a simple theme: pay attention to your professional life.
It is simple, but difficult to follow because we often mix up jobs with careers. Jobs eat up a lot of our time. But they are usually transient and serve someone (or something) else.
Your career, on the other hand, is solely yours to nurture, steer, imagine, and reimagine.
Make time to appreciate your profession. It’ll be well worth your time.s