If you are eager to progress your marketing career and know that it’s time to put some work in to make it happen, we have five professional growth strategies that are certain to get you off to a flying start:
1) Get Organized
It is time to make some plans. First, get really clear on two things – what do you want to achieve in the next year? And what have you already achieved in your career so far?
Start with your dream for the future. What does this look like? Perhaps you are talking in meetings more or earning more money. Have you learned a new set of skills?
“With a clear goal, you will find it a lot easier to organize your career development,” says Suk Godfrey, a career writer at Assignment Service and Big Assignments. “You can then look for training that will help to stretch you personally and provide you the experience needed to grow professionally.”
Once you know where you want to go, have a think about where you’ve been and what you’ve already achieved. You may feel like you don’t have enough experience or the right skills to achieve your goals now. By reviewing what you’ve done in the past, you might realize that you have more skills than you first thought. Perhaps you organized events at college or managed a team when working in a restaurant. These skills are likely to be transferable.
2) Be Curious
If you want to know how your company will support you with career progression, the best way is to actually ask them. With open lines of communication, get curious and ask questions.
Ask whether there are any upcoming projects that you can be involved in or enquire about any training or education opportunities. This demonstrates to your employer that you are engaged and willing to learn and progress within the company.
The added benefit of this is that you will establish rapport with the team so that when you need to ask for help in the future, you will have a group of people happy to help out.
3) Negotiate
The ability to get what you want in your professional career is likely to need strong negotiation skills. This is an important skill for senior management.
Before you approach your employer with any questions, make sure that you arm yourself with research, facts, figures and any positive outcomes. Being able to negotiate will also involve presenting convincingly and confidently, so practice this before approaching them.
4) Be Okay With Being Uncomfortable
Do you avoid doing things that terrify you or put you out of your comfort zone? Start thinking about saying yes to things that you have said no to in the past. For example, perhaps you are uncomfortable talking on video.
Yes, you may shake with fear the first time you do it, but after two or three more times, you will be much more at ease. Just like that, something that you felt that you could never do is suddenly something that you have conquered. This will boost your confidence and show your employer that you are prepared to push yourself for growth.
5) Talk To Your Manager
This step is crucial for anyone wanting to move forward in their career. Try not to worry that management is unapproachable or intimidating. As a valuable part of the company, you deserve to be listened to and seen.
“By establishing an open line of communication with your employer, you can get their buy-in for your development,” says Susan Bond, a growth manager at Writing Services and Studentwritingservices. “This means that you may get their support in attending career advancement seminars and other professional development that interests you.”
Getting your manager onboard with your career plans is an important step, since they will be the one signing off on your training. You need to advocate for yourself instead of waiting to be given more responsibility. Actively look for new opportunities to take on additional or new tasks, especially if they help you to learn something new or take on a leadership role.
A professional content writer at both Law Writing Help and Top Custom Writing Services, Beatrice Potter is here to make boring blogs sparkle. When she is not working as a writer, she loves to read her favorite books and play with her dogs. Also, she is a content manager at Top UK writing services.
How to answer: “What is your greatest strength?”
"What is your greatest strength?" is a common interview question, often paired with by ‘What is your greatest weakness?’ You might think that talking about your strengths would be easier than discussing your weaknesses, but you should prepare to answer this question,...
How to answer: “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ is one of the most common, yet frustrating questions you can expect to be asked in a job interview.Rarely will someone be able to predict exactly where they’ll be in five years time. But don't worry - your...
Day in the life of a Marketing Manager at JournoLink
My name is Julie, I work as a marketing manager for JournoLink. How did you get into this career? I have studied business and marketing for 5 years in France and in the UK. I have a masters degree in marketing and PR. During my studies, I had to complete...