You love your career and want to get ahead, right? The work force is the place for women to be right now because they are blasting through that glass ceiling in news way every day. That means you have a whole world of opportunities open to you. However, those opportunities aren’t just going to come knocking on your door. You’re going to have to go out there and grab them. Here’s how to get ahead, no matter where you work.
You are never going to get ahead if you want and need everything to be perfect before you’re satisfied. If you’re stuck in the trap of having to be perfect, it keeps you from moving forward. You have to accept that sometimes good enough is good enough and that trying to move to perfection is just going to stand in your way of success.
Say you’re having trouble completing a project because of company policies or lack of proper materials. Chances are that if you’re frustrated by it, so are your co-workers. Take it higher and be the change you want to see, as they say. Perseverance and assertiveness might feel bitchy, but you’d be surprised how they jump start your career when done professionally.
It might be scary to voice your ideas. What if you get laughed at, or worse yet, what if someone steals your idea. The best thing to do is share it with a trusted co-worker. This allows you to get feedback that will shape your idea until you’re ready to present it. Even if you get skepticism, keep honing your idea because someone else is going to think it’s great.
I guarantee there’s a woman who has worked herself from your position straight to the top and if that’s where you want to be someday, you need to make her your role model. Take pointers from her and copy what she does. You might even want to ask her to be your mentor. You might be surprised at how fast you move on and up with this technique.
You definitely want to work on improving your weaknesses, but making your strengths evident will get you noticed. You know what you’re good at so make sure everyone at the office knows it by taking every opportunity to let those strengths shine. Maybe you send outstanding emails or you write the best grant proposals. Keep on agreeing to do them so everyone else can see how fabulous you are it.
No matter what your career goals are, you can’t expect to get there overnight. You’re going to have to put in your time at the bottom and climb your way up there just like everyone else. Don’t give up though. It’s easy to throw in the towel when you get passed over for a promotion, but resiliency and the ability to bounce back are skills you’re going to need when you get to the top. And they look great to the people you work with.
Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Maybe that means leaving your current company and striking out on your own. Maybe that means marching into your boss’s office and telling her exactly why you deserve a raise or new title (professionally, of course). Sometimes, just closing your eyes and jumping in feet first is the best way to climb the ladder.
How did you get ahead at work? What other tips can you share?