Simple Steps to Improve Your Career Prospects and Chances of Promotion

The stresses faced by modern employees have increased exponentially and in today’s fast-moving work environment, industry experts suggest most people should change jobs every three to four years to keep their employment prospects fresh and increase their skill base. Also, with automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) starting to play a more significant role in the workplace of today, workers need to be on their toes to ensure they don’t run the risk of their role becoming obsolete. 

A more adaptable approach to work

With so much ongoing change, it’s now more important than ever to ensure you have a wide range of experience and skills to keep yourself as employable as possible. Employment analysts suggest adaptability and a willingness to change roles will be key for the employees of the future so below are a few tips that could help keep you one step ahead of the competition:

Courses and training

Regardless of whether you already have formal qualifications and training, taking on extra courses will only expand your knowledge and increase the number of roles you can perform. There is now a huge range of online courses that can be done in your own time and could see you diversifying the types of job you can take on and the industry sectors in which you’ll be able to find work in the future. 

Unless your current job has only limited options for career development, in most cases, it’s best to study subjects related to what you already know but that branch into different areas. For example, if you’ve already trained as an accountant, you might want want to continue your education with oil & gas classes online at a suitable establishment. Likewise, if you have skills in web design, you could look at adding to your skills in a related field like programming or Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

Anything that increases your knowledge, adds to your experience or makes it possible to move sideways in your current role will ultimately make you much more employable. 

Work on your communication and soft skills

Qualifications and training are all well and good, but today’s employers are looking for much more than paper certificates. Getting far in today’s world takes so-called ‘soft skills’ – the kinds of things that help you work better with other people. 

Good communication skills are essential if you’re to convey your message clearly and concisely – plus the ability to listen well helps, too. Other examples of soft skills include having good time management, knowing when to delegate, having the ability to work in a team and maintaining good personal discipline. 

Soft skills are rarely taught formally in schools or colleges, so the best way to develop them is through practicing them in real life. Try to study how other successful people hold themselves and talk, then try to introduce these skills into your own repertoire.

Improve your network

The old saying goes, “It’s not what you know, but who you know that counts” and one of the best ways to improve your chances of promotion and ensure sustained employment is to build up a great network of professionals around you. 

Not only will this help in your current job – having good contacts will be invaluable should you find yourself out of work.