Recent studies have found that as many as two out of every three employees feel stuck in their current roles because they do not have clear opportunities to grow and develop in their careers. With the unfortunate state of the economy, most organization are operating very lean and managers just do not have the time to invest in helping their teams grow and develop.
It's a pretty crummy situation, isn't it? But here's the good news - there are plenty of tools that you can leverage to achieve your career goals, even when your manager cannot be available to you.
First, you could seek out a mentor. Mentors are typically people who have a career path you may want to follow. They may or may not be in your current company. Mentors are individuals who you ask very specific advice of. Because they are so graciously giving their time to help you, you should be sensitive to this individual's time and learn as much as you can from his expertise.
Having a sponsor in your organization, someone who is more senior than your own manager, can be a huge asset to your career. A sponsor, because of their seniority, can champion you for opportunities that come up at "their level." A sponsor will be less likely to spend as much time with you as a mentor, so you'll want to be particularly cognizant of demonstrating your personal brand when you are interacting with your sponsor. Also, make certain that you voice your appreciation of your sponsor being such a strong advocate of your career.
It's not always easy to find a sponsor or a mentor. Unfortunately, by the time individuals have the experience and insight to be an effective mentor or sponsor, they are also figuring out how to create work-life balance. Consequently, they may be more time constrained than you are. If you find yourself not having meaningful mentor or sponsor relationships for any number of reasons, you may want to consider getting a career coach. Because the career coach's full-time job is to provide you with career guidance, you are going to find them to be more targeted in their approach to helping you and far more accessible.
If you have had difficulty to find an ideal mentor and cannot afford a traditional career coach, you may want to consider local career centers that can provide guidance for you at little to no cost. Typically services will range from career exploration to resume preparation to interviewing practice.
Alumni Associations are another valuable and underutilized career resource. Your alumni association makes career services available to you to ensure your continued success long after graduation. Services will range from mass career services like seminars and networking sessions to individualized sessions with a career counselor. If you are not already actively involved in your alumni association, there is no better time!
If you only take one thing away from this, it should be that there is an abundance of information and resources available to help you achieve career goals. The only wrong option is to continue to experience frustration and not take steps to resolve it. So take one step that gets you closer to your career goals today!
It's a pretty crummy situation, isn't it? But here's the good news - there are plenty of tools that you can leverage to achieve your career goals, even when your manager cannot be available to you.
First, you could seek out a mentor. Mentors are typically people who have a career path you may want to follow. They may or may not be in your current company. Mentors are individuals who you ask very specific advice of. Because they are so graciously giving their time to help you, you should be sensitive to this individual's time and learn as much as you can from his expertise.
Having a sponsor in your organization, someone who is more senior than your own manager, can be a huge asset to your career. A sponsor, because of their seniority, can champion you for opportunities that come up at "their level." A sponsor will be less likely to spend as much time with you as a mentor, so you'll want to be particularly cognizant of demonstrating your personal brand when you are interacting with your sponsor. Also, make certain that you voice your appreciation of your sponsor being such a strong advocate of your career.
It's not always easy to find a sponsor or a mentor. Unfortunately, by the time individuals have the experience and insight to be an effective mentor or sponsor, they are also figuring out how to create work-life balance. Consequently, they may be more time constrained than you are. If you find yourself not having meaningful mentor or sponsor relationships for any number of reasons, you may want to consider getting a career coach. Because the career coach's full-time job is to provide you with career guidance, you are going to find them to be more targeted in their approach to helping you and far more accessible.
If you have had difficulty to find an ideal mentor and cannot afford a traditional career coach, you may want to consider local career centers that can provide guidance for you at little to no cost. Typically services will range from career exploration to resume preparation to interviewing practice.
Alumni Associations are another valuable and underutilized career resource. Your alumni association makes career services available to you to ensure your continued success long after graduation. Services will range from mass career services like seminars and networking sessions to individualized sessions with a career counselor. If you are not already actively involved in your alumni association, there is no better time!
If you only take one thing away from this, it should be that there is an abundance of information and resources available to help you achieve career goals. The only wrong option is to continue to experience frustration and not take steps to resolve it. So take one step that gets you closer to your career goals today!
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If you are interested in learning more about career planning visit http://www.squidoo.com/how-i-created-a-successful-career-development-membership-site.
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