At Prime-resume we are focused on helping job seekers with developing effective resumes and cover letters. These are used primarily for getting invited for job interviews. However, we also provide professional career advice in our blog covering many different aspects of how to have a successful career progression. This article is also not about how to get a job or an interview but rather how to stay in the company and be successful. And in order to do that, you have to understand that it is more than just about skills or experience. There are other factors that are as important as what you can bring to the company. You probably know that you can possess all professional skills in the world but if nobody wants to work alongside you then it is very likely you won't be able to stay long in the companies. So after you got hired there is no time really to relax and celebrate that much. This was just the first victory out of many... More to go.
Tips for a Successful Career
One of the things that don't contribute to a successful career is the habit of looking for reasons why certain things cannot be done. Being too negative and critical about every initiative usually is very frustrating for people who work in your team. This may not seem like a significant thing to you but your teammates may have a different perspective on it. In fact, most likely you mean it for good trying to make sure all initiatives and operations run smoothly. But sometimes forget about "This isn't going to work" excuse and give it a shot. You may be surprised at what could come out of it. Besides, faith in your team always pays off in the long run even when you put at stake some short term goals. Another common mistake is viewing your manager as your adversary. Such an approach may generate lots of problems in the future both for you and the team you work with. It is important to keep in mind that you don't work against someone, you work in a team with. Your direct manager is not your enemy even though you don't understand some things you are required to do.
If you have this adversarial approach your attitude will come through and become visible to everybody at work. But managers and supervisors are very reluctant to pay people who view them as enemies or adversaries. Besides, it doesn't contribute to the efficient performance of the team which is another factor to negatively influence your career. If you have been taking the requests of your manager as simply suggestions then you might be in big trouble sooner or later. The thing is that managers have a bigger responsibility than other employees. They usually have more information and, therefore a bigger picture. That is why managers expect their subordinates to do what they have asked. Even if you don't like the request itself you shouldn't ignore it. More than that, that is pretty much the worst thing you could do. You are not a robot so you can have your own opinion and disagree with the decisions made by the manager but you can surely talk with him or her regarding the subject, not just ignore it.
Lastly, don't act independently from your management team. Very often it is much better to ask for permission rather ask for forgiveness. There is no question about the fact that companies need people who are capable of exercising sound judgment on their own. However, employers also need people who can work in a team. So there should always be a balance between these two. The more you grow professionally, the more decisions you will have to take. But when it comes to situations when the stakes are really high it is always better to receive the approval of the higher management. Asking for forgiveness is all good but that never helps the company regain the loss.
