Take charge of your career with long-term strategies: Jobs

Promotion or career advancement is a sensitive subject for people because it can have a significant impact on our sense of self-worth and pride as well as our economic well-being.

Strategies for reaching long-term career goals
The reality of our current job market requires people to become more strategic and proactive in planning and managing their careers. Successful career development requires longer-term thinking and planning. Here are some suggestions to consider if your goal is to become a manager:

Control your own destiny
Take control of your career planning. Evaluate and reevaluate where you want your career to go and what you need to do to get there. This is a dynamic process that requires sensitivity to trends in your chosen and related fields as well as the ability to take advantage of opportunities and challenges that will occur as time passes.

Identify specific skills you require
Work with your supervisor, human resource staff, or other senior staff to identify specific training or education required to reach your career goals. Many organisations offer such training and education to employees who wish to advance. If your organisation does not offer such opportunities, you can look at local colleges and universities or professional organisations for certificate programs. Many are now offered on the Internet and can be completed at your own pace.

Advertise your goals
Let supervisors, higher-level managers, and others who could influence your ability to succeed in an organisation know that you are committed to the organisation and want to help it succeed. Prioritise the development of positive relationships with people, and build a reputation as being someone who is helpful and supportive of others.

Network for opportunities within your organisation
Don't rely on the kindness or good intentions of a supervisor. Try to find ways to network with others in the organisation by volunteering for projects that involve other areas of the organisation or looking for people who can serve as mentors. Many organisations have formal mentoring programs that match senior managers or technicians with younger employees who have potential. If your organisation does not have a formal mentoring program, look for opportunities to work with senior staff that you respect and who show an interest in you. You can also consider technical, professional, or community organisations that might offer some opportunities for networking with people who can help you.

Using these strategies
As an example of how using these strategies can help your career, consider the following scenario:

Debbie works for a midsize organisation. She has about six years of experience in the IT field, three years as a technician and three years as a help desk coordinator where she currently works. When joining her organisation, she had spoken to her supervisor about her goal of becoming a network administrator for a branch or division of the company. Her supervisor was supportive of her interest and implied that it was entirely possible for her to reach that goal someday.

Debbie was encouraged by her supervisor's supportive statements and worked very hard as the help desk coordinator, believing that it would lead to bigger and better things. However, over time Debbie began to feel frustrated and discouraged with her work. During the three years she had been with the company, she had been passed over for special projects and other assignments that she had requested and knew would have provided opportunities for her to show her management potential. When she approached her supervisor about not being chosen, he would state that she did not have sufficient experience with the company or did not have the specific skills needed for the assignment. Even though Debbie had worked as a technician for three years, she sensed that her supervisor did not value or acknowledge her technical abilities.

Debbie approached the human resources director for suggestions on how she could promote her career aspirations in the organisation. He was very supportive and suggested that she enroll in training offered by the organisation that helped younger employees plan out their career objectives. Debbie attended the training and was very impressed with the information she received. She also struck up a friendship with the instructor, who offered to spend some time mentoring her and helping her to identify career opportunities within the organisation.

Debbie spoke to her supervisor about her interest in the mentoring opportunity. He was hesitant at first but, after speaking to the trainer, agreed to support the process. He even offered to spend some of his own time with Debbie discussing her specific career goals and how to reach themâ€"something he had not done in the past. Although Debbie did not obtain immediate gratification regarding her interest in becoming a network administrator, she did create a process that greatly increased her chances of achieving her objectives in the future.

The moral of this story is that Debbie created her own opportunities by approaching the human resources director with her interest in building a career within the organisation; following-up on his suggestion to take the training; striking up a friendship with the training instructor who saw potential in her; and using that relationship as leverage in gaining more support and attention from her supervisor.