Gear yourself for your next career step

“Your comfort zone is a place where you keep yourself in a self-illusion and nothing can grow there but your potentiality can grow only when you can think and grow out of that zone.”

― Rashedur Ryan Rahman

Just because you are into a job does not mean that you do not have to work out your future moves. You need to bring your future into your present so that you can do something about it today. If you worry in advance, then you can think and plan in advance. The fact is that a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed-up. The same is true for your career. You have to find your next career move. Here is how you can do that:

·   Evaluate & grade yourself sensibly: You should prefer to pursue an opportunity that gives you prospects of advancement on all fronts. It is essential that you consider your workplace environment and people around you also; money aspects should not be accorded high precedence. It is also essential that you have absolute clarity of your thoughts and direction. This is possible only if you reorganize and simplify your functioning. Anything that is not your major aptitude should be discarded. It is also necessary that you strive to form a rational opinion of your capabilities: You should spare time to evaluate your strong points, vulnerabilities, prospects and risks. In doing so, you will get to know yourself better and thus will be better poised to acquit yourself well.

·   Lay emphasis on self-improvement: What you should endeavour on a continual basis is self-improvement. Be it your overall performance or spoken reputation, people should acknowledge you and your contributions. You must also allow yourself aspects like knowledge and education. These entail interacting with people and enlarging contacts at one end of the spectrum to making yourself presentable by having good attire on the other. You have to make the most of yourself and hence you must always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. It is necessary that do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors; you must try to be better than yourself. Remember that no matter who you are, no matter what you have achieved so far, no matter what has been your past, you can always change and become a better version of yourself.

·   Be aware of what is transpiring around you: In order to progress, you have to keep abreast with changing environments. You need to possess manifold perceptions of various issues; if you are able to incorporate your outlook with others, you will comprehend things holistically and stand at a higher pedestal to face challenges. You must make efforts to sell yourself for the job and position that you are seeking. You must dress and conduct well; your personal dealings should be par excellence. You simply cannot ignore developments around you; but on the contrary, you must evaluate matters for their long-term ramifications: You should try to get into an appointment where you cannot be dislodged in the immediate future. If you happen to be an intern, recall the dedication with which you went to college and the outcome it had. Remember that the work environment in which you work can bring out the best or the worst in you.

·   Ensure a positive portrayal of your image & reputation: You should be clear about the image that you want to represent. It is only after you are able to do this, you should draft your resume; needless to state it should be accurate, brief and concise. Remember that your resume is a perceivable and concrete document and hence everything in it should portray you in a positive manner.

·   Make certain that your contact base remains intact: Your list of contacts should be ever increasing. You should keep meeting people and discern their thoughts and plans so that you can be of assistance to them. Remember that you cannot predict when a person can be of help. It will be in your interest to interact with well-informed people. You should remember that if you know relevant people and also how to connect with them, they will render you correct advice. Their recommendations and suggestions will surely make you more valuable at work. You also have to ensure that people who belittle your ambitions are kept at an arm’s length. Quite a few people will do that, but there will always be many who will be there to motivate you to become great. Those are the type of people you should not ignore at all. .

·   Don’t shy away from taking risks: You need to be venturesome and not be extra cautious in your approach and dealings so as to ensure that your individuality is maintained. You must continue to give wings to your passions without having fear of failure. It is best to proceed ahead in keeping with what your conscience prompts you.

Remember that if you are working and working hard, you are not doing so to earn a pension. Your aim should be to attain success. And to be successful in your career and life, you cannot lose out on your dynamism and punch. Therefore, let your next career step be prudent and carefully planned.