It happens to most of us: One fine day you feel all satisfied and comfortable in your cozy job. The next day, you wake and realize that you are feeling something totally different: frustrated and exhausted. Do you want to earn more money? Do you want to handle more responsibility? Something different? Or perhaps you want all the above? Whatever the case, here are a few tips to jumpstart your professional career. These smart and time-tested ways will help you to grow in your career. Try these and you will challenge yourself in all the correct ways. But above all, you must create a plan and follow it. After all, even a bad strategy is much better than a zero strategy.
To move ahead in your career during the twenties, develop a thirst for knowledge. Find some online courses, attend weekend seminars to help you to develop new skills and knowledge that will set you apart from others. If you have a college degree you are one step ahead from those who don’t- but still, continue learning after you have got your diploma and get your first job to stay ahead in the competition.
Tips to Jumpstart your Professional Career
Think About a Master’s degree
This is not for all, and there is a debate on whether or there are too many unemployed people with master’s degrees nowadays- mainly MBA. It matters what kind of degree you are achieving, and what are your plans to do with it. The fact that just eight percent of Americans have a master’s degree supports this. Many people think they will go back and get a master’s degree and some really do, but for many, life continues, and a master’s degree becomes just a dream. Weight the advantages and disadvantages of what matters for you in career development.
Research on the skills that are currently in demand
Identify the important skills for your industry or the skills that are present in demand is one of the best ways to jumpstart your career in Singapore. Look at the job postings in your field to discover the trending skills that are in demand. Special recruitment websites are one of the best mediums to attain better insight. You will find many guides online that will provide you a detailed idea about the current hiring market in Singapore, including top positions and skills in demand.
After identifying the important skills, there are two major approaches that you can take: If you already have these skills, check your resume to ensure that you have highlighted those skills, also update the same in your LinkedIn profile. This will help in attracting potential employers. If you do not have these skills, try to build those so that you are not left behind when competing with your peers.
Make a lateral move to any other industry
If you are a mid-career professional who wants to spark some career drive, making a lateral move might be just what you require. A change in career can offer new networks, skills, and opportunities which in turn will increase your market value and will help you stay relevant in the job market.
A lateral move can be one of the best ways to expand your horizons and open new career opportunities. Take advantage of enhancing your skills through programs like the PCP’s to assist develop your career exposure to new clients and industries.
Buy a domain name
To move ahead, you need to buy a domain name that you might want to utilize in the future if it is even now available. Then, you can make a personal site to show your work. You can use a website like Domain’s Priced Right to see if your name is available or not. If not, try to find something that relates to it. In addition to the .com extension, there is a.me extension that you might be able to obtain if .com is not accessible. In fact, if both are available, consider buying them both and different spellings of your name that individuals might utilize. It just costs around ten dollars a year for a domain name, so it is worth purchasing it now, so it is available when you require it. Having your domain name will assist you to build your brand and online presence.
Work on building your brand’s online presence
The internet and social media allow us to showcase our skills, professional opinions, and accomplishments easily. We could create an “expert” persona that other experts choose for advice and guidance. If you understand this whole thing in your twenties, then by the time you reach thirties, you can have many online followers to enhance your career status, grow your network, and increase your reach, and capability to assist others. At the same time, you want to be conscious of the personal brand that you are establishing.
Build a simple site, be active on social media and professional chat boards, and try to post simple videos. These will improve your online presence and will be a head start in your twenties.
Maintain a record of your work achievements
It is much simpler to update your resume, fill the performance appraisal form, request an increase in salary, and have an honest discussion with your senior about your performance when you have a record of all your professional achievements with you.
Focus on efficient communication
If you improve your skills, you will be ahead of others who are now joining the workforce. Sending mails that look like texts with abbreviations and shorthand is not regarded as a proper professional communication at the workplace. Also, as the younger generations use their phones and social media to communicate, their ability to communicate efficiently face-to-face has not fully built. If you learn how to communicate across generations professionally, you will be superior to your peers. You can even take an effective communication course to enhance your skills and communicate effectively with others at work.
Find a mentor
Several studies show that having a mentor enhances the chances of work success for youth- and not just by a bit. A mentor can help you to navigate the nuances of the work environment and problem-solving whenever required. They can also help you to deal with challenging relationships or train you on how to increase your network and productivity. The list of benefits of finding the right mentor goes on.
Appoint a career coach
This is one of the helpful tips to jumpstart your career. A career coach can assist you in identifying the right work and cultural fir for long-term success in the future. They can also assist you to navigate through the work arena. Generally, they will have an unbiased perspective because they are not associated with you professionally.
Grow your network
As you grow in your career, you will be glad to follow this tip. It is one of the popular ways to jumpstart your career at an early age. The sooner you start networking, the faster you will start building the web for assistance and support. Attend industry events, community events, and network online through social media websites like LinkedIn.
Take advice from elders and experienced professionals
Generation differences are evident in every workplace. However, all generations must meet in the middle as far as work preferences are concerned. Most of the time, it is not about right vs wrong, but about the difference in opinion between different generations. As an entry-level employee in your twenties, you have a lot of knowledge with you. The most experienced people in your company can be a great source of help to you. These might also be the relations that evolve naturally between a mentor and mentee.
Follow these tips to jumpstart your career and nothing can stop you from having a successful career.