Transitioning from study to a professional career can come with many different challenges. Many young Australian professionals struggle to find full-time jobs either because they lack career management skills or they don’t think they have the right work experience, among other things.
And while yes, their resume is light and entering the working world is daunting and challenging, certain career improvement tips can help any young professional find a good job or advance in their position.
Regardless of the industry, these 6 career improvement tips can help young professionals advance in their jobs.
1. Get yourself a mentor
Having a mentor can be of great help for young professionals looking to advance in their careers. A mentor can be anyone experienced that either work in your company or your industry.
A mentor is usually a person who has influence and respect and someone worth having on your side. The whole point of having a mentor is to help you out in everything related to your career. You can ask this person everything and anything you want to know and it’s not a bad idea to have someone willing to vouch for you if need be.
2. Keep investing in yourself
Investing in yourself shouldn’t stop once you’ve finished college. Quite the contrary, if you want to advance in your career, learning and working on yourself should never stop. Always continue learning new skills, acquiring new information, and educating yourself on different topics.
When you’re just out of college and looking for a job, it’s easier to invest in yourself, it’s easier to continue learning. Plus, it’s safe to say that having additional certificates and degrees on your resume will only increase the chances of you getting the job you want or advancing in your current position.
3. Work on personal branding
As an individual, personal branding includes promoting or marketing yourself and your career as a brand. Begin working on a personal brand by asking yourself this question: “What do you want to be known for?” What values and what kind of reputation do you want your name to be associated with?
Simply start by creating a brand strategy. Promote yourself, your skills, personality, and experiences in the right way. If you want to be successful, the great way to start is by creating a branding strategy. For example, one of the effective ways of personal branding includes having modern corporate headshots.
A corporate headshot in today’s business world is invaluable. A professional image can stand out in the sea of data, and it can play an important role in you getting a job you want, selling your products, or doing your own business. You can get professional corporate headshots in Melbourne and you can display them online on your website, your social media, or even your business cards.
4. Surround yourself with people you admire
This tip may seem a bit weird, but it’s actually very important. If you surround yourself with people you admire, they will inspire you to learn from them, to accomplish more, and to always be the best version of yourself.
In the business world, in most cases, it’s not about what you know, but rather who you know. So, work on expanding the network both in your company and industry. Having people who will vouch for you is very important. It’s also important to have people who are willing to help you get a job through employee referral, people who know your worth.
5. Attend workplace events and conferences
If you are wondering how exactly to expand the network in your company, one of the ideal ways is by attending workplace events. Never say no to any holiday parties, team-building events, or company dinners and lunches. Instead, attend them all and grab the opportunity to meet as many coworkers as you can. That’s how you build the network within your company.
Similarly, attending conferences can be very useful as well. Not only will you be able to expand your network, but you’ll also have the opportunity to improve your skills. In addition to learning new industry trends, conferences allow you to improve leadership skills, communication skills, and so much more.
Hopefully, these several pieces of advice can help you achieve your professional goals. Sometimes, it takes more than just knowledge to get to where you want to be. It takes experience and networking, and it takes knowing yourself well. In the words of the amazing Maya Angelou: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”