7 Steps to Advance your Career to the Next Level

Many employees find pushing their careers past a specific point incredibly difficult. You may have a goal of ultimately making it to the VP level but feel that you've stalled, unable to make more progress toward your goal. Connexis Search Group has helped numerous candidates advance their careers in molecular diagnostics, life sciences, and medical device industries. Are you interested in learning how to shorten the time it takes to reach the VP level? Several steps can increase your chances of promotion and the likelihood of reaching your goals.

Be a Top Performer

Ultimately, you're only going to get a promotion if you deserve a promotion. No employee can do half-hearted work and expect to rise through the ranks. Do your best--not just to meet your goals, but to exceed them. You need to perform at that top level to achieve promotion to that critical top level.

One great strategy: win the President's Club consistently. As you go on those Presidents Club trips, you will have the opportunity to interact with top executives. As a result, those top executives will notice your performance, which helps put you in line for vital promotions and opportunities.  

Participate in Leadership Development Programs or Other Training

You need to invest in yourself to streamline your pace to the top. If your company has a formal training program in place, take advantage of it! Show your commitment to working your way up through the ranks. Make use of all the advantages offered to you. If your company doesn't have a formal training program, show initiative and attend other training programs! This is a great way to set yourself apart. 

You can also:

Introduce new training materials to your company. As you learn more about what's out there--and invest in it for yourself--you'll also learn more about what materials your company can take advantage of. Show initiative and bring them into your company. 

Read and study self-development books. Check out books written specifically for your industry and general self-development books that will help set you up for career success. 

Attend training sessions. Be the employee that doesn't complain about additional training or attending introductory sessions. Go out of your way to attend those sessions and broaden your knowledge base. If training sessions aren't available within the company, pay attention to what's offered elsewhere and take the initiative: attend them, commit to them, and bring back the knowledge you acquired. 

Make executives aware of your training. Make sure you submit your course certificates and other information to your bosses to help set yourself up for success. 

Find a Mentor

Ideally, you want to find a company mentor who can help you understand what is needed to exceed expectations. 

You can't achieve company expectations if you don't know what they are--and you certainly can't go above and beyond if someone doesn't provide you with that much-needed information. 

Not only will a mentor help you position yourself for success, but a mentor will also get to know you personally and, in many cases, be on your side. Your mentor is then positioned to favor your promotion with other executives when it comes up. 

Take Additional Projects Beyond the Original Scope

Show that you can take the initiative and improve projects that your employers and executives initially envisioned. This may mean that you take on a new challenge by finding a problem and solving it, or you could take the projects you were assigned beyond their initial scope. This shows a commitment to your job and to the company that employers will take note of. 

Train Others

When new employees arrive at your company, volunteer to train them. This can take some of the workloads off your manager, making him look favorably on you. Moreover, an executive's job is to develop employees and invest in their growth. By showing that you're aware of that and can accomplish it without assistance, you can put yourself in a better position for promotion. 

Assist Marketing with Ideas 

Show that you're thinking about all relevant aspects of the company. Going beyond your job description helps executives think of you as someone who needs expanded responsibilities, which would entail a promotion. Showing you understand the marketing department's needs can also showcase a deeper understanding of the company and its needs.

Network

The people in charge of hiring are human. They want to work with someone they like--which means that if they like you, they're more likely to support your move into those positions. Networking lets you show executives your human side and convinces executives they will enjoy working with you.

Go Beyond “Satisfactory”

Simply performing your job well is not enough to get a promotion. If you're terrific at your current position but never go above and beyond, most executives will see no reason to change your current status. 

You must demonstrate initiative, growth, and awareness of the company's strategic needs to achieve your next-level goals. With the above strategies, you can position yourself for success and fast-track your career goals.