Well, it’s still November -- all month long, as they say. Which means that it’s still National Career Development Month and still a handy time to look at how things are going in your career.
Last week’s column examined the big-picture question of career management, with a focus on linking your career path to your overall life goals, and then setting course to achieve the career that would serve those goals.
This week, we’ll look more closely at building your career inside your current company. To start this process, I will again recommend thinking big before you start small. For the moment, don’t focus on what seems feasible inside your company; think instead about what you’d like to achieve professionally. Would you like to manage a department? Are you itching to be an expert in something? Perhaps you have an education goal that includes certification or an advanced degree.
Write down these career goals, even if they seem unreachable right now. The list will stand as a touchstone over the next months or years, allowing you to evaluate specific decisions against your preset criteria. Without such a touchstone, it’s surprisingly easy to get distracted by internal moves that sound good but actually lead away from one’s goals.
Once you have your list, it’s time to look critically at your current company. Again, we’ll start with the big picture. What do you know about your place of work? If it’s a very small organization, you might not need much thought on this point. But if it’s a bit larger, ask yourself these basic questions: How many employees, locations, branches or divisions does this company have? Is it part of a larger company? Are there affiliates or partnerships in other regions or countries?
Next, review your list of goals. Do you see anything that matches the broader scope of the company? Is there a division you’d like to work for, or an assignment that could be a steppingstone?
Now ask yourself: How are decisions made in your company? Never mind how people say they’re made -- how are they really made? For example, have you ever seen someone promoted without going through a formal process? How did they do it? Have you seen someone get training when the company supposedly offers no tuition reimbursement? How did that come about?
The point of this review is not to make you mad but to open your eyes. So-called rules get broken all the time, often for good reasons. But workers who are more focused on following rules than on understanding the spirit of the rules can get locked in place by their own literal interpretations. Naturally, resentment builds when someone else “plays the game” instead of following the rules.
If this describes a situation you’re experiencing now, go ahead and be aggravated. But then get down to strategy: Are you willing to learn from these game players? If not, and your company seems dominated by this approach, then it may be time to head for the door. But I would urge you to stick around awhile to pick up a few tips first.
To give you a head start, here are some strategies that can be applied in most organizations, large and small.
1. Using your master list of career goals, scope out (or create) opportunities for cross-training internally to help fill gaps in your knowledge or skills.
2. Join committees staffed by people from departments that interest you. The committee itself doesn’t have to be career-building; focus on networking with people who can tell you about “hidden” opportunities.
3. In the absence of committees, create other networking opportunities. For example, you could start a holiday toy drive that brings you in contact with other teams (or external vendors, if your company is small).
4. Find external classes or conferences that would be helpful to both you and your department. If paid registration isn’t possible, consider going anyway if it fits your career goals.
5. Pay attention to your boss’s career if you’d like to be promoted. If your boss isn’t rising, you probably won’t either, at least in this department. On the other hand, if you are helpful in your boss’s move up, you also might be promoted.
6. Take credit for your work internally and in external activities by updating your boss in emails. This serves two purposes: If your boss is a good egg, it enables him or her to reward your expanding abilities. And, if your boss is a stinker, it will help to have a record later, for reasons ranging from internal defense of your job to external interview preparation when it’s time to move on.
Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
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