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Movin’ On Up: Five Ways To Get Ahead in Competitive Industries

– Contributed content –

6 July 2017. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of “the career rut.” Whether you’re bored with your job or not, it’s always uninspiring to go into work knowing that it’s unlikely that your role is going to change anytime soon. However, before you get too down about your lot at work, it’s important to remember this: that the problem might not be with your job or the company at all. The problem might be you. How much are you doing to actually get ahead? Below, we offer five ways to stand out from the crowd and ensure the next promotion belongs to you.

Arrow on road

(Tookapic, Pexels)

Working to the max

There are some career experts who say that working hard isn’t really an important factor in when it comes to promotions, but they’re wrong. It is important; it just might not mean what you think it means. It’s not just about doing your job diligently and to a high standard. It’s about being committed to your job and really throwing yourself into your role. If you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll naturally work hard and get results, and that’ll always be noticed by those above.

Further skills

People have a tendency to rely on what they learned at university and in the first few months of their job to get by. But the world – and your industry – is always changing, and it requires new skills all the time. The reason you might be staying in the same old job is that you simply don’t have the qualifications to move up into the more executive roles. If so, look at studying for a masters degree in organizational leadership; it’ll give you the skills you need to boost your professional career, and will make you better suited for the more senior roles in your company.

Having the right attitude

Getting ahead is a mixture of what you can do and who you know. If you’re treating your job as just a place of work, then your chances of being promoted are close to zilch. Alongside your skills and qualifications, it’s your personality that can really make you get ahead. Be a positive, enthusiastic, friendly member of the team, and you’ll be doing the right things. Oh, and also: never gossip and avoid drama at all costs.

Make sure you’re in the right company

You might be in the right industry, but the wrong company. Before committing to one organization, you’ll need to check that they actually offer room for growth. If they don’t, then it doesn’t matter how talented you are or how much everybody loves you: you won’t get ahead because there are no roles to actually move into.

Being bold

And finally: be bold. That doesn’t mean asking for a promotion. It means being your own person, standing up for what you believed, and having the courage to challenge your boss when you think the time is right. You can’t get into a position of leadership if you’re always following and going along with everything.

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