Means for career advancement

Have you ever pondered over what your boss did to become a boss? If yes, do you think that you too can do likewise? The question however, is, “How?”

Career advancement can appear to be a very enigmatic struggle. There are people who reach the pinnacle and there are some who stagnate at subordinate positions. The dynamics of career advancement vary from company to company. However, the ABC of it lies in the acronym ABC itself and if adhered, will stand you in good stead all through your career journey:

· Academic accomplishments:  There is no field of work where education is not central to progress. It is likely that it may not be a prerequisite to get into a job, but pursuing it thereafter manifests your devotion towards your own progression. To illustrate the point, if you aspire to take up a career in human resource management, you must consider subscribing to an MBA either online or distance mode. When an opening does come up and you stake a claim for it, the fact that you acquired the qualification while working will be seen as an indication of your perseverance

· Being the best:  You have to be genuinely truthful at your workplace. It entails several attributes, however, the essence of all of them is to being able to put your best foot forward. You need to finish all tasks happily and to the best of your capability. You should also take all disapprovals and censures in good spirit. If you find your work tough, rather than pointing fingers at others, particularly your seniors, you should introspect and get to the root cause of your distress. It is likely that the fountainhead of the difficulty lies within you. If you address your job and all tasks assigned to you with devotion, you will stand out in the crowd. You will be noted by your seniors and management alike; and when a vacancy for a promotion indeed does crop up, you will naturally be a desirable contender for it.

· Comprehending climb-up:  The significance of career advancement varies from individual to individual. It is necessary that you identify what it implies for you. Does it necessitate that you work in a particular vertical? Or does it mean that you have an assured carry-home remuneration? If you can discern this and are able to characterize career advancement as relevant to you, you can then carry on to concentrate on attaining it. Continuing with the same illustration of the need to be an MBA, should you be convinced of your intention to take up human resources management as your line, you will have to be serious-minded in your approach to arm yourself with the same so that you are better geared to attain your career objectives.

There are certain other methods of career advancement which also pay rich dividends. However, their efficacy is subject to your fulfilling basic requirements discussed above. These are:

· Widening of contact base:  You would be required to attend conferences, workshops and seminars; acquaintances that you strike there can be helpful in your career advancement. Through such new contacts, you may be able to identify fresh customers and suppliers; and even get a lead to a different career altogether. During the last couple of years, internet has become a medium of networking; Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are all examples and which help widen your contact base.

· Opinion portrayal:  How do your seniors view you? They are the ones who will call the shots when your turn for a promotion comes and may already have formed an impression about you. Unfortunately, the impression formed may not necessarily be grounded on realistic and objective.  It is essential that you are regarded as an out-of-the box category and one who goes higher than and further than average. You have to be exceptional and remarkable in all respects 

· Influence exertion:   Ideally speaking, your merit and qualifications should be the sole contributory factors for your career advancement. But in actuality, it is also contingent on who you know in organizational hierarchy. You ought to be conscious of this fact and make constant efforts to get noticed, known and appreciated by your senior management.

It should be remembered that the price of career advancement is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether you win or lose, you have applied the best of yourself to your work. And though there is no secret recipe of career advancement, the secret of achieving it is to hold a picture of a successful outcome in your mind.