I want to advance in my career but don’t know where to start
You have been successful in your current job and would like to be promoted but don’t know how to get ready for the next career step. It may be that there is no clear path to promotion, what you need to do to prepare, or a person who is serving as your mentor. If this is the case, you need to take matters into your own hands.
In her article, “A Campaign Strategy for Your Career” (HBR, November 2012), Dorie Clark recommends treating your career as a politician would plan a campaign by choosing career milestones at the beginning of your career and then planning what you need to do to reach each of those milestones. She further recommends starting at the endpoint. As an example, about ten years into my career, I decided I wanted to be a chief financial officer. I had a degree in accounting, had started my career with a big audit firm, and had a master’s in business administration. I was on a firm foundation. However, I knew that I needed to be more well-rounded to be a successful CFO. So, I started to look for projects and positions that expanded my knowledge in other areas of finance and I identified the types of positions that would provide a ladder to my ultimate goal of being a chief financial officer.
Everyone would agree that advancing in your career requires that you make improvements in your performance and develop new skills. However, many managers do not give actionable feedback. Sabina Nawaz recommends five practical ways that you can get the feedback you need in “Get the Actionable Feedback You Need to Get Promoted” (HBR October 31, 2017). First, be proactive and set a specific time to receive feedback from your boss. Let her know in advance that you want feedback to allow her to be prepared. Second, ask for feedback that requires specific answers. As an example, if you wrote a summary report for the board, you could ask, “How could I summarize information differently for our busy board members?” Next, in receiving feedback, drive the conversation to specific details that can be replicated. Going back to the board report example, if your boss says, “The board report was well written,” you can ask what she means by “well written.” The feedback might then be, “You had adequate data to support the subject matter” and “Your use of graphics provided a visual representation of your data.” Further, we tend to focus on areas of improvement, but you should also ask for feedback on your strengths and employ those strengths in the future. Finally, she suggests you listen to criticism, be gracious when you receive it, and ask clarifying questions, so you know how to change.
Oftentimes our direct supervisor serves as our mentor. However, that person may not be that helpful. In this case, you need to create a network of people who can assist you with promotion. Kristi Hedges, recommends you create an “advocacy team” (“How to Advance in Your Career When Your Boss Won’t Help” HBR, July 26, 2018). As described, an advocacy team is a group of people inside and outside your organization at different points in their careers. These may be people you admire for their leadership style, the types of projects that they have completed, and the success they have attained. They will have different points of view and provide advice that can help you advance.
Advancing in your career rarely just happens. By carefully planning your career, actively seeking feedback, and creating a team of people as a resource, you can achieve the career advancement you desire.