Increase Your Career With 20 Powerful Tips

You don't want to stay in your current position forever... you want to move up! Here are 20 ways to boost your chances of getting that nice promotion:

1. Do more than is expected of you. Prove that you're capable of handing more responsibility. Volunteer for special assignments.
2. Take initiative and do what needs to be done, before being asked.
3. Learn the skills you'll need to advance. Take advantage of on-the-job training, but don't rely exclusively on that. Consider taking (and paying for) skill-enhancing courses on your own.
4. Be loyal to your boss, your team, and your company. (Yes, you can be loyal without being a "brown-noser.")
5. Be patient and don't expect to be promoted without demonstrating your abilities over time.
6. View the big picture and understand your company's mission. Find ways to help them accomplish it.
7. Save money for your company by identifying ways to boost revenues, reduce expenses, or streamline processes.
8. Offer solutions to the problems you must take to your boss.
9. Show respect to everyone -- superiors, peers, subordinates, and especially customers.
10. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." If you don't know something, say so; don't try to fake it. Find the answers you need.
11. Take responsibility for your actions. If you're at fault, admit it and take the blame. If you're wrong, apologize.
12. Never gossip. Gossip can hurt the careers of two people: the person being talked about, and the person doing the talking.
13. Never say "That's not my job." Don't think you are above anything. Pitch in and set a good example, especially if the job is one that nobody else wants to do. Your willingness to do so will be noticed and appreciated!
14. Share the credit. People who share credit with others make a much better impression than those who take all the credit themselves.
15. Ask for help when you need it. Don't let a difficult task get out of hand. When you need help, ask for it -- before things get worse.
16. Keep your dislike to yourself. If you don't like someone, don't let it show. Never burn bridges or offend others as you move ahead in your career.
17. Don't hold grudges. Life isn't always fair. If you were passed over for promotion, didn't get the project you wanted, etc., let it go. Be gracious and diplomatic, focus on the future and move on. Harboring grudges won't advance your career.
18. Be humble. When you're right, don't gloat about it. Never say "I told you so!"
19. Make others feel important. Compliment others, emphasize their strengths and contributions, and help them whenever you can. They will enthusiastically help you in return.
20. Join associations and professional organizations related to your career. In addition to helping you learn more about your industry, this can provide invaluable networking opportunities. (Which might come in handy if your employer isn't promoting!)

Success Factors for The Job - 8 Success Factors For You

According to the Longman Dictionary the word job is defined as the work that you do regularly to earn money, especially when you work for a company or public organization while career is the type of work that you do or hope to do for most of your life.

Basically a job is a mean to an end and it is a short term thing. For example, you take up a job during your school holiday to kill time or earn some pocket money. You may also provide tuition at the weekend to pay for your tertiary education.

Your career, even though it is also a mean to an end, it occupies a very large portion of your life. It is, in fact, more than one third of your daily life. It is very important that your career gives you meaning, growth, advancement, satisfaction, happiness and fulfillment and of course monetary rewards.

Here are a few tips to help you attend success in your career:

1. Long term planning: It is not a one-off activity. As you go along you need to track your progress and make changes accordingly. For example your lifestyle changes when you were a bachelor before and now that you are the father of three.

2. Happiness at work: As you spend a big chunk of your time at work it is crucial to develop a happiness habit at work. No matter how difficult or challenging, take every assignment with a smile. Do not complain about your job and don't think that the grass is always greener in another company.

3. Personal Development: Take initiative to acquire more skills needed to make yourself more indispensable at the place of work.

4. Be prepared mentally for the worse: The business world is unpredictable, be resilient to downsizing or retrenchment when the economy is gloomy. Use the time to learn new skills and offer to take up voluntary work while hunting for another job. The other thing that you can do is to take on extra projects. So that you are more valued at the workplace and you'll be the last one to be considered for retrenchment.

5. Take the opportunity: When you are doing the same work day in day out, you should grab the opportunities that come along to enrich your career. You don't want to be a deadwood in the same company.

6. Give to others: Be a coach and assist the junior staff to develop their career in the company. Offer services in the community. By doing this you are doing networking in the market place and who knows when you need help it is there for your asking. Always remember the more you give the more you will receive in return.

7. Develop people skills: As you climb up the corporate ladder learn to get things done through others. Treat the staff fairly. Appreciate the work that they do. Create an environment to boost morale and productivity.

8. Stress and time management: Learn the skills to cope with stress which is inevitable at the workplace. Able to organize your time well is a major factor to reduce your stress. Develop a habit of writing a daily to-do list. As the saying goes: Plan your work and work your plan. When you manage your time well you move from task to task smoothly without stress.

Wish you lasting success in your career.

By : Charles Chua C K