By : Lan Harrison
Unless you have been fortunate enough to carve your own career destiny with a business of your own, your future is at the whim of someone else. Think about it: the income you will earn going forward is at the mercy of another. What on earth can you do about it? Is there any way to get control of your career destiny?
The elusive Holy Grail of cubicle life cannot be had by secret formula or chance. You have to seize it and take command of that corporate ladder before you try to scale it. I've got you covered with nine tips to get on the career fast track.
1- Education
Before you shake your head at what you think is an obvious one, think again. Education is not something you only get in a classroom. An Executive MBA will look sweet on that resume, but at the end of the day, will it ensure career success? Maybe, maybe not.
Theoretical knowledge can never prepare you for life as a company VP. The degree or diploma will get your foot in the door, but to ensure that you get in the room and stay there, you need to learn what it takes to be a top level employee. So how do you do that? Easy. Find the person whose job you want and ask them. Read a book penned by an expert, like Jack Welch. Soak up the wisdom and go forward.
2- Network
Nobody can get anywhere without the right connections. You have to talk a good game in order to write the rules one day. Get out there and socialize with the people in the know. Join an association or corporate club and make friends with people who live in houses you want to own one day. Some of the biggest deals are closed on the golf course, over dinner or at a strip club.
3- Find a proven path
When you start a new job, you should be looking ahead from day one. Where do you want to be in a year? No matter what type of organization you work for, you will be streamed into a career path, whether you like it or not. Find out where you fit in so you can avoid fighting the current. Get to know the company inside and out. Whose job would you like one day? How did they get there? The answer to that question is everything you need to know.
Are your lips warmed up? Because it's time to kiss a little
4- Kiss butt
Surprised? Let me guess: you worked your tail off to earn a degree, get a good job with decent pay and feel as if you deserve a promotion based on your record. Give me a break. Nobody is entitled to anything in life. You have to go out and grab it. Kissing butt is part of the game, so get used to it now. Not to suggest that you polish the loafers of your superior with your tongue and wipe his behind with your nose but you should curry his favor. You can be subtle about it but make no mistake -- you have to get some brown on your nose to make it.
5- Work late
In order to reap a sweet reward at the end of your career path, there will come a time when you have to kill yourself for your job. There is no avoiding it. The rite of passage is a part of corporate life. The people that have their own parking spot and expense account worked to the bone at one time or another. Work like a slave now and rest later.
6- Publicize your accomplishments
This piece of advice is important. If you do plan on sacrificing your entire existence for your job, then you would be a complete fool not to drop a hint now and then to promote it. You can be shameless or subtle about it. One tactic sure to leave a good impression is to leave voice messages and e-mail to your boss on crucial work matters at the most ungodly of hours. During casual conversations with co-workers, let it slip that you have been working insane hours or closed an important deal. Give frequent status reports to your boss so that you stay on his mind.
7- Do something memorable
What are you doing to make an impact at work? Forget your regular duty list, are you taking the initiative to spearhead important projects? This is what ambitious, successful people do. If it is not in your personality to be upfront with suggestions, you had better start faking it if you expect to get ahead. Look for ways the business can improve and take action. When difficult tasks come up, volunteer to tackle them. Part of being aggressive and confident is the intimidation factor with regard to other people within the organization. It is good to make friends on the job but at the same time, part of the goal is to leapfrog over them when you seek a promotion. You need to have a killer instinct and a winning attitude to make it.
8- Become popular
Yet the irony is that you also need to foster goodwill in order to make it as well. An analogy can be made with Survivor -- while the contestants want to win the million dollars, they have to make alliances to move on without alienating the potential jury members who will vote for them to take the grand prize. This delicate balance is akin to what you will face in the corporate world when you strive to move up the proverbial ladder.
9- Take action
Everything boils down to action. You have to seize control of your future now before someone else decides your fate. If you let it slide, you will coast until retirement and then live to regret the fact that you never did more to advance your position. It may feel comfortable to coast, but for how long? At some point you have to assess what is important to you and then make a decision. Can you deal with career stagnation or do you want something better? The time to act is now.
Use these tips wisely and before you know it, you'll be looking down from the top of the ladder.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
Unless you have been fortunate enough to carve your own career destiny with a business of your own, your future is at the whim of someone else. Think about it: the income you will earn going forward is at the mercy of another. What on earth can you do about it? Is there any way to get control of your career destiny?
The elusive Holy Grail of cubicle life cannot be had by secret formula or chance. You have to seize it and take command of that corporate ladder before you try to scale it. I've got you covered with nine tips to get on the career fast track.
1- Education
Before you shake your head at what you think is an obvious one, think again. Education is not something you only get in a classroom. An Executive MBA will look sweet on that resume, but at the end of the day, will it ensure career success? Maybe, maybe not.
Theoretical knowledge can never prepare you for life as a company VP. The degree or diploma will get your foot in the door, but to ensure that you get in the room and stay there, you need to learn what it takes to be a top level employee. So how do you do that? Easy. Find the person whose job you want and ask them. Read a book penned by an expert, like Jack Welch. Soak up the wisdom and go forward.
2- Network
Nobody can get anywhere without the right connections. You have to talk a good game in order to write the rules one day. Get out there and socialize with the people in the know. Join an association or corporate club and make friends with people who live in houses you want to own one day. Some of the biggest deals are closed on the golf course, over dinner or at a strip club.
3- Find a proven path
When you start a new job, you should be looking ahead from day one. Where do you want to be in a year? No matter what type of organization you work for, you will be streamed into a career path, whether you like it or not. Find out where you fit in so you can avoid fighting the current. Get to know the company inside and out. Whose job would you like one day? How did they get there? The answer to that question is everything you need to know.
Are your lips warmed up? Because it's time to kiss a little
4- Kiss butt
Surprised? Let me guess: you worked your tail off to earn a degree, get a good job with decent pay and feel as if you deserve a promotion based on your record. Give me a break. Nobody is entitled to anything in life. You have to go out and grab it. Kissing butt is part of the game, so get used to it now. Not to suggest that you polish the loafers of your superior with your tongue and wipe his behind with your nose but you should curry his favor. You can be subtle about it but make no mistake -- you have to get some brown on your nose to make it.
5- Work late
In order to reap a sweet reward at the end of your career path, there will come a time when you have to kill yourself for your job. There is no avoiding it. The rite of passage is a part of corporate life. The people that have their own parking spot and expense account worked to the bone at one time or another. Work like a slave now and rest later.
6- Publicize your accomplishments
This piece of advice is important. If you do plan on sacrificing your entire existence for your job, then you would be a complete fool not to drop a hint now and then to promote it. You can be shameless or subtle about it. One tactic sure to leave a good impression is to leave voice messages and e-mail to your boss on crucial work matters at the most ungodly of hours. During casual conversations with co-workers, let it slip that you have been working insane hours or closed an important deal. Give frequent status reports to your boss so that you stay on his mind.
7- Do something memorable
What are you doing to make an impact at work? Forget your regular duty list, are you taking the initiative to spearhead important projects? This is what ambitious, successful people do. If it is not in your personality to be upfront with suggestions, you had better start faking it if you expect to get ahead. Look for ways the business can improve and take action. When difficult tasks come up, volunteer to tackle them. Part of being aggressive and confident is the intimidation factor with regard to other people within the organization. It is good to make friends on the job but at the same time, part of the goal is to leapfrog over them when you seek a promotion. You need to have a killer instinct and a winning attitude to make it.
8- Become popular
Yet the irony is that you also need to foster goodwill in order to make it as well. An analogy can be made with Survivor -- while the contestants want to win the million dollars, they have to make alliances to move on without alienating the potential jury members who will vote for them to take the grand prize. This delicate balance is akin to what you will face in the corporate world when you strive to move up the proverbial ladder.
9- Take action
Everything boils down to action. You have to seize control of your future now before someone else decides your fate. If you let it slide, you will coast until retirement and then live to regret the fact that you never did more to advance your position. It may feel comfortable to coast, but for how long? At some point you have to assess what is important to you and then make a decision. Can you deal with career stagnation or do you want something better? The time to act is now.
Use these tips wisely and before you know it, you'll be looking down from the top of the ladder.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
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