Using Your Current Role as a Springboard to Your Next Big Opportunity!!

COVID-19 has brought with it a fair share of challenges especially for the young people in their entry and junior level careers. With almost a year since the pandemic, there is a new order, the world is adjusting to a new normal and no longer moving as fast as it used to. Employment spaces and opportunities also shrinked with young people being the first recipients. However, while the world is adjusting to the new normal, you can be doing something while waiting. Here is how?

The six-step approach: Adapted from Fast Company

Build the resume for the job you want by taking a strategic approach and using the resources in the job you’re in now (if you are). Whether you’re in an entry-level employment that’s going nowhere, a mid-level manager whose career has stalled, or stuck in an industry you are not passionate about, you can make it better by building the skills you need to pave your way out.

Learn what you need to know

What are the skills you’ll need for your wish-list dream job? You might assume what they are, but a better course of action is to seek out those people doing the job and ask them or research, suggests Rebecca Zucker, Next Step Partners leadership development consultant. Whether you want to move into a different industry or further along the path you’re already following, the best way to set goals is to get a clear vision of the outcomes you really need instead of guessing at them, she says. The skills you need will also change during different phases of your career.

Create a Development Plan

Once you have a list of the skills you’ll need, work on a development plan. Much like you would create a plan for a big goal or a business, look at the big picture of where you want to go and then break down the steps, resources, people, time and investment you’re going to need to make to get there.

Integrate daily or weekly practices as part of your plan. Focus on one or two of your development areas at a time, and make sure you’re doing something to build that skill daily or weekly. For example, if you’re gunning for a management role, you’ll need to get good at giving clear, direct feedback. To develop that skill, work on giving feedback to someone else at least once a week. You might even team up with a coworker who wants to receive feedback to improve job performance, and who can give you input on your feedback style, said a development expert.

Take feedback seriously

Speaking of feedback, think back on the input you’ve gotten on your skills and where you could use further development. Your performance reviews and even casual responses to your work can give you a list of things to put on your development plan. For example, if colleagues are always commenting on your inability to find the right document when you need it, you might need to work on implementing better organizational systems.

And try not to take negative feedback personally. “What I encourage people to do is not think of it in terms of black and white or good and bad. It’s all just information and feedback allows you to be aware of what your impact is on others.

Consult Mentors and Gatekeepers

In some cases, your boss may be able to help you create a plan for your career path, Davis says. In office environments where employee development is valued, take advantage of that environment to get input and guidance on how to develop your skills. If telling your boss that you want to reinvent yourself isn’t the best idea, then work on finding a mentor who can give you rock-solid advice about where to go next, and how to open the doors that lead to where you want to go.

Take advantage of internal trainings

If your current workplace offers learning and development modules, access to seminars or conferences, or other opportunities to learn, sign up. Internal training programs may include leadership or management skills, or you may be able to learn new technical skills through a class or seminar.

Volunteer

While working for free should be considered carefully, there are ways to volunteer that provide more value than financial benefit. Look for the opportunities from which more experienced people are shying away. If your goal is to move into producing events or working in marketing, and colleagues are bemoaning all the work that needs to be done for the next trade show, volunteer to help.

If there’s a nonprofit that needs a board member and you’re looking for leadership credentials, give it a shot. (It could help you in more ways than one.) Or if you’re gathering information to move you ahead in your current career, take on assignments that more experienced folks willingly toss your way.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out if you have ideas on topics or questions we should address in future editions of #MentorHubAfrica. You can also email on musevenzob@africau.edu