Manish has been working in a company for almost five years now. He’s fine at his job, and looks like he’s satisfied, too. But he isn’t too sure about what he actually wants from his job. Somehow, he isn’t clear about his desires and dreams for the future. Maybe because Manish didn’t devote enough time to thinking about his career goals;, he has missed many opportunities.
Like Manish, there are many who look happy on the surface but deep down they know they haven’t realized their full potential.
It takes a great deal of effort, consciousness and ambition to build a strong career, and it would be absolutely true to say that every great career is made up of well-thought-out strategy.
Presidential Business School organizes two-day IT career concla...
Strategy is a road map on how you’re going to achieve your desired goals. We must realize that we have to take control of our career, and what we do and how far we go in our career largely depends on one person.
And that person is YOU.
If you want a career which gives you satisfaction, empowerment, freedom and growth, you must plan for it. Developing a career strategy is like constructing a building – you must have a strong base and build on it to reach to the top.
Here are a few tips for you to build a successful career strategy.
Know your strength and weaknesses
Every person has some strength and some weaknesses, but some people have more strength and fewer weaknesses whereas some people have less strength and more weaknesses. Of course, you always wish to be in the former list; however, the challenge with each one of us is to first clearly understand what our strengths and weaknesses are and then ensure that we maximize and utilize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses.
Analyze your competitive advantages
Today’s market is highly competitive, and the competition will only increase with time. So, every individual must ensure that he has a competitive advantage over others. Competitive advantage is something at which you’re better than others. If you don’t have enough competitive advantage, then you must build on it.
Develop expertise
By now you know your strengths, your weakness, your competitive advantages, and now is the time to build on your expertise. To do so, you must identify the knowledge, skills, qualifications, and certifications you’ll need to achieve the kind of career you would like to have. Stay up-to-date and don’t miss opportunities to attend trainings, conferences or seminars which you think will help you in developing your expertise.
Analyze the current opportunities
Analyze your current job, role, organization, and take a realistic decision. If you’re likely to get growth opportunities at your current job, then be proactive, establish your presence and get noticed. Create the most of the given opportunity.
Always move forward
Don’t be too emotional, take realistic decisions. If you don’t see growth opportunities in your current job, then simply move on. If you find better career opportunities, then make calculative calls. The major mistake many individuals make is not being flexible: You must move on.
To conclude, building an effective career strategy is vital in fulfilling your potential both on personal and professional front. Don’t wait for time to take its own course, build a strategy and write your own career story.
The writer is Chief Operating Officer at LCCI Nepal, an International Training and Certification Company. He can be reached at roshan@lccinepal.com.
