Five Ways to Move Forward in Your Career

Do you feel you are making little or no progress in your career or do you feel where you are now is not where you should be? What if told you that you are personally responsible for the outcome of your career. In the words of Aisha Ahmad, deputy governor of Nigerian Apex bank,” never make assumptions or leave your career development solely in the hands of your employer”. So here are a few things you can do to push through.

Know What You Want

First things first, where do you want to go? What do you want to achieve? A very clear understanding of what you want half the journey and in addition makes it easy for you to get there! If you are finding it difficult to answer those questions, you should have a clarity session with a career coach or have a tete a tete with the inner you to flesh out what kind of progression you really want to see and plan how you will get there.

Be Intentional

Aisha Ahmad is currently the deputy governor of the Apex bank in Nigeria. If you take a little glimpse of how she got there, you will find that she was intentional about every step. From starting her early career in the finance industry to building skills and experience in an industry where her talents and abilities come to life. A good plan mixed with intentional steps will help you make giant strides.

Network  

Be deliberate in your networking efforts. Mojisola Olurotimi in her book “the gift of people” emphasized intentionality as the “why” of your networking. She revealed that knowing your “why”  is an essential ingredient that enables your networking efforts come through for you. Perhaps your “why” is to get that management role in company XYZ or to move to a new role in your current organization or perhaps to handle an upcoming project that will showcase your talents and creativity.”Network-
ing shows you how to break new frontiers and soar higher if well harnessed with the right people” she says.

Your professional networks are your eyes and ears in places where your legs haven’t been to or will be in the nearest time T. So, do you want to move from point A to point D? Network deliberately.

Be Visible

Studies have revealed that men, on the one hand, do not restrain from accentuating their achievements but women, on the other hand, play down their strides and good qualities because they don’t want to be perceived as “braggy”.

You have to speak up when in meetings, enrich discussions with your perspective, engage in self-promoting tactics. Don’t downplay your capabilities, strength or achievements. Knowing what to say but keeping it to yourself is self-sabotaging. No one will know what you are capable of unless you show up. And when you do, especially when those who influence decision making within and outside the organization,see and hear your contributions, your name will come to mind when an opportunity for growth arises.

Keep Learning

You can never go wrong with choosing to acquire certifications or trainings that will enhance your technical and soft skills. Keep learning and retraining at least once in a year. Not only will this boost your self-esteem and keep you aware of industry best practices, but it will also show that you are committed to your own professional development and keep you ready once the door of opportunity opens up.

Don’t feel stuck, progress is possible. Just take small steps today and you will be glad you did.

Written by AWUNLI EGHOSASERE : Awunli has keen interest in women and girls empowerment. She grew up in the midst of women who believed their background was a limitation to their success in life. Awunli is passionate about changing that narrative for herself and many other young women who are thinking along those lines hence her personal mantra”Be More”. She gets involved in women empowerment programs that are geared towards building the capacity of young by researching and writing articles for platforms that are women development centerd, speaking at women connect groups, publicising opportunities that exist for women through her online community, and organising activities that are geared towards helping young women realize their potentials She loves reading and traveling to see beautiful places when she is not so busy. She is currently working on her passion to help young women realize their full potentials.