Nearly two-thirds of employees cite being dissatisfied in their current roles because they do not see opportunities to develop and grow professionally. And with the current economic situation, many managers can't seem to find the time to help develop members of their team beyond their current roles.
It's a pretty crummy situation, isn't it? But here's the good news - there are plenty of tools that you can leverage to achieve your career goals, even when your manager cannot be available to you.
First, you could seek out a mentor. Mentors are typically people who have a career path you may want to follow. They may or may not be in your current company. Mentors are individuals who you ask very specific advice of. Because they are so graciously giving their time to help you, you should be sensitive to this individual's time and learn as much as you can from his expertise.
You may want to consider seeking out a sponsor within your organization. Typically this is someone several levels above you in the organizational hierarchy, who will advocate for you and your career when opportunities arise. A sponsor will likely spend far less time with you than a mentor, so you should be even more respectful of the time you spend with this individual and be sure to say thank you for their support of your career.
Third, or individuals who struggle to find an industry, career path or role-specific mentor, it may also be valuable to consult with a professional career coach. Because career coaches provide career advisement as their full-time job, you are likely to find engagements are more directed and you achieve results more quickly.
If you have had difficulty to find an ideal mentor and cannot afford a traditional career coach, you may want to consider local career centers that can provide guidance for you at little to no cost. Typically services will range from career exploration to resume preparation to interviewing practice.
If you have graduated from a college or a university that has an established alumni association, you should investigate their career development programs. Alumni programs typically will have career resource centers whose services range from remote/virtual career webinars to in person or virtual one-on-one career counseling sessions.
If you only take one thing away from this, it should be that there is an abundance of information and resources available to help you achieve career goals. The only wrong option is to continue to experience frustration and not take steps to resolve it. So take one step that gets you closer to your career goals today!
It's a pretty crummy situation, isn't it? But here's the good news - there are plenty of tools that you can leverage to achieve your career goals, even when your manager cannot be available to you.
First, you could seek out a mentor. Mentors are typically people who have a career path you may want to follow. They may or may not be in your current company. Mentors are individuals who you ask very specific advice of. Because they are so graciously giving their time to help you, you should be sensitive to this individual's time and learn as much as you can from his expertise.
You may want to consider seeking out a sponsor within your organization. Typically this is someone several levels above you in the organizational hierarchy, who will advocate for you and your career when opportunities arise. A sponsor will likely spend far less time with you than a mentor, so you should be even more respectful of the time you spend with this individual and be sure to say thank you for their support of your career.
Third, or individuals who struggle to find an industry, career path or role-specific mentor, it may also be valuable to consult with a professional career coach. Because career coaches provide career advisement as their full-time job, you are likely to find engagements are more directed and you achieve results more quickly.
If you have had difficulty to find an ideal mentor and cannot afford a traditional career coach, you may want to consider local career centers that can provide guidance for you at little to no cost. Typically services will range from career exploration to resume preparation to interviewing practice.
If you have graduated from a college or a university that has an established alumni association, you should investigate their career development programs. Alumni programs typically will have career resource centers whose services range from remote/virtual career webinars to in person or virtual one-on-one career counseling sessions.
If you only take one thing away from this, it should be that there is an abundance of information and resources available to help you achieve career goals. The only wrong option is to continue to experience frustration and not take steps to resolve it. So take one step that gets you closer to your career goals today!
About the Author:
If you are interested in learning more about professional development visit http://www.tumblr.com/blog/careersonfire.
No comments:
Post a Comment