Whether you’ve been in your job for a few weeks or a few years, career progression can be challenging. It comes down to improving your talents and cultivating skills that employers need.
The good news is that you don’t need to be studying full-time to acquire the types of capabilities that employers are looking for. In other words, there are great ways to grow your career in your current job.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to grow professionally and reach your goals. Plus, Paul Lewis, the Managing Director of Pitman Training– a training provider that offers over 250+ highly recognised, self-paced training courses across centres in the UK, Ireland, and worldwide – is here to give his helpful advice on how you can successfully climb the career ladder and push for promotions.
What Skills Should I Learn to Grow in My Career?
Skill development is an essential element of growth in any field. Unfortunately, there has not been a lot of upskilling in the UK for the past couple of years. UK Parliament has estimated that by 2024, there will be a shortfall of 4 million highly skilled workers. While part of that is due to the global pandemic, part is a lack of understanding about how to grow professionally. But the need remains.
Knowing how to grow professionally without leaving your current role is vital to growing your career. Learning new skills, cultivating new contacts for your network, and expanding your perspective can all be excellent ways to grow in your current job.
You should also take a look at your ideal career path to see what skills will help you achieve your goals. Is there a certification that will boost your skill set? Do you have all the skills to feel confident in your work?
For example, a digital marketing programme can help you adapt to modern marketing channels. Another example is learning Microsoft Office Courses, such as Microsoft Excel and get Microsoft Office Diploma. This can give you more confidence in commonly used software systems.
Other skills that are important include personal development skills. For example, leadership and communication. These soft skills are increasingly important in the current workforce.
Technology is one of the biggest areas workers can focus on to grow in their current jobs. Recently, the UK government released a study on the data skills shortage in the country and found that 48 per cent of businesses were looking for employees with these tech skills.
The researchers noted the numbers were from the height of the pandemic, and they expect those businesses recruiting for data skills were even higher than the study results. They also found that 46 per cent of organisations struggled to fill jobs that required data skills.
Developing new skills can be as simple as taking a course from a reliable educator. At Pitman, our programmes cover a variety of disciplines. From business management to IT to marketing. If you’re asking how to grow professionally, start with Pitman Training.
Related: Best Jobs in the UK 2022
Tips to Grow in Your Career
You can get started learning new skills no matter where you are. Here are some very useful tips from Paul Lewis, the Managing Director of Pitman Training, to help you learn how to develop your career.
1. Identify your goals
The first and most important step in advancing your career is to identify your goals. Setting goals will help trigger new behaviours, guide your focus, and sustain that momentum you need to climb the career ladder.
Start by deciding what job you want to pursue. For example, perhaps you want to become the CEO of a large organisation. In this case, have a closer look at what this career path looks like for most corporate employees.
After identifying your dream job and career path, list what you want to accomplish by making a long-term career plan. To do this, establish your significant goals.
Say you want to develop your leadership skills. What are the smaller steps required to achieve this? Could it be improving how you communicate or organising your time? Setting and completing these smaller goals will help you achieve your significant goal. And thus, allow you to climb the career ladder.
2. Work Smarter
There is no denying that to be successful at anything in life, it is crucial to work hard. However, that does not mean working ridiculously long hours, juggling multiple projects or sacrificing family time. It means putting effort, determination and focus into your work. Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘Make every second count’? Well, by working smarter and not harder, your chances of climbing the career ladder are a lot higher.
But how do you work smarter? I would suggest focusing on one task at a time. It is impossible for us to focus on multiple tasks requiring real brainpower. So giving all your attention to one job at a time will help you improve your work, increase your speed and productivity and, ultimately, catch your manager’s eye.
A second way to work smarter would be to take short breaks throughout the day. Taking breaks is one of my favourite ways to work smarter. Without breaks, our brains get tired, and we get distracted. Finally, block smaller tasks together to improve your productivity. For example, you don’t need to answer every email as it comes in. Instead, schedule blocks of time throughout the day to check and respond to your emails.
Another idea is to set meetings back-to-back. Or, block time on your calendar for activities that require thought and concentration. Such as research, writing or brainstorming. Doing this saves you time to get on with your real work!
3. Align your efforts with your company’s goals
Perhaps you are looking to get a promotion within your current company. In this case, you should ensure that everything you do benefits the company’s goals or fits into its values. Every business has inefficiencies and problems. So, ask your company director or manager how you can align your work to solve issues and benefit your business.
A team member that reviews their tasks and priorities to ensure they align with the company’s current strategies, goals and values is key. It lets their managers know they will directly contribute to the company’s success. As a result, they will be more inclined to promote you up through the ranks.
4. Upskill Yourself and Become an Expert
Managers want to see an employee who understands that they do not know everything. Often, managers seek to hire employees that know there is always room for growth and improvement. One of the best ways to demonstrate this to your employer is by seeking out ways to learn at work.
As an employee, you should commit to self-improvement by upskilling or taking a course. It shows your employer that you have the dedication and ambition to grow your career. Taking an adult education course to benefit your skillset will help you increase your chances of getting a promotion and achieving your goals.
When taking these steps in self-development, consider asking your supervisor to help you set your annual performance goals. This way, you can establish that you are considerate of the company’s needs. And, highlight what would be most beneficial for you to work on.
Related: Why You Should Learn How to Type and Improve Touch Typing Skills
5. Network Wisely
Across every industry, the importance of professional connections remains the same. Whether you work for a trendy tech start-up or an established corporate giant, networking is important. It is fair to say the more people you know and who know you (and like you), the more opportunities you will encounter.
So, to help you succeed in your career, get out and about and meet people. The relationships you build throughout your career have the potential to carry you to the top of your field. (And faster than with skills alone.) Building relationships and gaining the trust of your team and company could give you more opportunities to show off those hard skills you already possess.
Also, remember, you don’t get what you don’t ask for. So, establishing a relationship can make it easier to ask for a promotion. It could be intimidating to ask for something if there is no relationship established. Building professional relationships over time can help make you more confident. So then you feel ready when approaching your hiring manager or your boss looking to gain a promotion.
It is no secret that many people hope to score a promotion this year. So following these tips will put you in good stead for climbing the career ladder in 2022.
Skills training in the UK
While some organisations offer training or tuition grants to employees, there are other ways you can access the money to enhance your learning. The UK government makes it easy to build your skillset through their advanced learner, adult education budget, and loan bursary fund. The money can help with the cost of the course, books, and even childcare so you can study.
The skills and abilities you develop while on the job come with benefits that flow over into your personal growth. Whether it’s enhanced communication skills, tech savviness, collaboration, or problem-solving, you’ll find that as you grow professionally, you’re also growing personally.
At Pitman Training, we aim to offer learning and growth opportunities no matter where you’re based. Find out more about our centres, including which is closest to you.
For more information on how to develop your career with Pitman Training, contact us today. We are happy to find a training programme and discuss finance options to suit your development needs!
