News & Events

How To Get You The Career You Always Dreamed Of

 Part 2

No matter where you are in life, whether you are a fresh faced young adult just out of school or a 50 something who has always dreamed of bigger and better things, there is no time like the present to get started on your own journey to success. In this 3 part series we will take you through the checklist for making your own fate and getting to where you want to be in your career. To read part 1, click here 

Get a Hobby

When you get to part 3 and I start talking about how you are going to be spread quite thin time wise and may have to sacrifice a few things, you will be thinking getting a hobby is the last thing on your list of priorities right now. But in reality, someone who simply works and goes home to their family (or goes home alone) is not nearly as attractive to employers as someone with depth, who enjoys an outside activity as well.

It helps you when networking, as you have something genuinely interesting to talk about other than work and family, something that makes you stand out above the rest. It can be anything you are passionate about, from joining a local club to helping out at a charity, anything that will give you a sense of enjoyment and will also make for more interesting conversation at networking meetings and corporate events.

Not only does it mean you get time to yourself to think about something other than work, you never know who you might meet at a fundraiser or club event! It’s all networking really!

Self Promotion Is Key

To climb the career mountain, you need to build up your influence to stand you in good stead as you go. This means doing a little PR. Self promotion may seem pointless once you are safely in the job, but if you ever want to advance you need to make yourself known to those around and above you.

Don’t go about it in a ‘look at me’ kind of manner. Just introduce yourself, make a point of building relationships and continuing to network, and try to come across as competent and warm, as this will build confidence in your influence among others and will give you a good standing among those you network with.

First impressions count, so remember when attempting self promotion that you should always think ahead about how the way you will dress, appear, speak, and engage with others will impact on your reputation. 

A good first step in self promotion in your job is to make yourself known to management by asking for regular (monthly, let’s say) meetings with the people you report to in order to discuss your progress, how they feel you could improve and where they see you progressing to.  Don’t use this as a way to show off to those above, use it as a mentoring exercise to find out how you can excel further in your career. The fact that it will allow your bosses to see your achievements and passion are added bonuses, so don’t push these aspects as it will come across as arrogant!

Stay On Top Of Your Own Finances

Being good with numbers and money is a very attractive feature in any level of your career, as it gives you that extra edge over other employees. Being able to look after your own finances gives you practice and will allow you to demonstrate your knowledge in practice.

Being on top of your finances allows you also to focus on your career. When gaining qualifications and experience, you may be required to work for less, often no money. It’s a sad but true situation, and so knowing where you stand financially will allow you to work for little to no money whilst still staying out of debt.

The short term financial gain may be zilch, but volunteering or taking a small part time position to gain experience demonstrates your dedication to your chosen career, an attractive feature and a CV booster.   

I hope you found part 2 of this 3 part series enlightening and motivational. In part 3, I will be discussing how to properly manage your time and workload, and some of the compromises you will have to make in order to be successful.

Remember, no matter where you are in life, there is no time like the present to get started on your career path! Take a look at some of our training courses and qualifications

  to help you get a step up in chosen career.

Maria Lalor

14/08/2013