What does career advancement mean to you?

Career advancement is the process of advancing or making progress in your career. What that process looks like, however, will vary from person to person. It might be as obvious as a promotion or as subtle as honing your skills. Whatever it means to you, it’s important to understand:

• how it affects the career path you choose
• the goals you must meet to make progress
• the benefits of career advancement to you

Why is career advancement important?

There are many ways that career advancement can improve your life, both in the short and longer term. These include:
 

  Better financial situation

A more senior role will generally provide a higher salary, but that isn’t the only reason that career advancement can offer you more money. Career advancement may also mean that you take on more responsibility at work and increase your skills and knowledge without achieving a promotion. Your openness to both these factors will identify you as a valuable asset in your employer’s eyes, and one that they are keen to retain and reward.

  Increased job satisfaction

Doing the same job day in day out with little chance to learn new skills or be promoted is likely to lead to a bored, unmotivated workforce. However, if you know there are opportunities to progress along your career path, take on new responsibilities, attend training courses, and improve your income, you will generally experience greater levels of job satisfaction.

  Improved skills and confidence

Career advancement may mean improving your skills rather than achieving a promotion. The more knowledgeable you are in your job, with matching skills, the more confident you will generally feel to carry out that job on a daily basis.

  Futureproofing your employability

Advancing your career, whether that means achieving more senior roles, taking training courses, or growing your industry knowledge, increases your value as an employee to your current employer and makes you a more attractive candidate when applying for a new job.

Examples of career advancement

Career advancement doesn’t mean the same for everyone. Here is what it might mean for you:

• promotion to a more senior position
• moving up the salary scale for your role
• taking on more responsibilities but staying in the same job
• increasing your knowledge and skills through training courses
• moving sideways to a more suitable or preferable role within the same industry

How to achieve career advancement

Everyone’s career path is an individual journey but there are ways you can assist your career advancement.
 

  Know what you want

Do you want to land that CEO role? Do you want more job satisfaction from extra responsibilities? Do you just want a higher salary? Deciding what you want to achieve in your career is key to career advancement.

You might like to consider:

• your personality and the type of jobs or industries that interest you by taking a personality test
• what skills, qualifications, and work experience you have
• your life needs, such as minimum salary, the hours you can/want to work, and family responsibilities

What do you want your career to do for you?

  Set goals

These might be short term (for the next three to six months), medium term (within the next two years), or long term (over two years from now). A short term goal might be to find out what professional development opportunities are available to you at work, such as training courses or mentorships. A medium term goal could be to obtain a qualification. A long term goal might be to move to a more senior role.

The benefits of setting career goals include:

• the direction and focus they provide
• the ability to measure your progress
• having a plan that you can share with your manager or at interview

One useful way to keep track of your goals is to list them in a career plan.

  Find out what opportunities are open to you at work

This could be as obvious as finding out what internal vacancies are available, but what may prove more helpful is to discuss professional and personal development opportunities with your manager. Is it possible to take part in cross-department project teams? Will your employer fund you to take training courses or provide them at work? Can you take on more responsibilities and leadership roles?

Don’t simply rely on your employer to progress your career though; take responsibility for your own journey by seeking out opportunities outside work that could progress your career advancement.

  Assess and re-assess

What you want from your career may change over time. This is why it’s important to return to your career advancement plan on a regular basis. Are you still happy in your job or does a different career appeal to you? Do you have the same time and capabilities that you did in the past? Do you need a higher salary because of a change in your circumstances? Have you achieved one goal and need to decide on the next?

Final Thoughts

Career advancement doesn’t have to mean setting your sights on a CEO position. The process must be personalised to your individual career and life goals. Self-knowledge and forward-planning are key to success, whatever that success might mean for you.