“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” William Ernest Henley – 1888
Twenty years from now, it would be a shame if you looked back on your professional career and wish you had done something differently. At Betts Recruiting we often meet with professionals who are hunting for their next “job,” but who are seeking guidance to find what will set them up for success in their long-term sales career goals.
Whenever you’re thinking about changing jobs, it’s a good idea to take some time and re-orient the ship. But how do you know where to go, and when to change directions?
The following three tips will help you plot a course, and steer your career towards success and fulfillment.
Find a Mentor
Having a mentor is an important tool in any professional’s career. You’ll want to find and maintain and ongoing mentor for three reasons:
- Mentors are inspiring
- Although the strongest motivation always comes from within, having validation from someone you respect can be equally powerful.
- They can help you with tough decisions
- They’ve been there before, and can tell you how the situation turned out for them and give you advice from their experience. They know what it takes to make it professionally, and can be there to help prevent you from falling victim to professional pitfalls.
- Their network
- Having access to a service like Linkedin is great, but nothing is better than an introduction from an old friend. Leveraging the network of your mentor can be the difference between applying for a job on a job board, and getting a phone call from the CEO.
Use LinkedIn to Build Your Career Path
Example career paths are out there. There are professionals in your field of work that have found success and risen through the ranks, and guess what? They all publish how they did it on their LinkedIn profiles.
If you haven’t taken the time to do so, search LinkedIn for individuals that are at the top of your field. See what job titles they held on their path to success, where they worked, and for how long they held each job. Use this as a blueprint for your career. Maybe reach out to one that you particularly connect with and ask them to be your mentor.
Learn What You Can, and Move On
There’s a difference between “jump,” and the need to be challenged. Whether you’ve been at a company for one year or four, perhaps you learned everything you can from that role and it’s time to move on.
If you’ve been at a company fore less than 8 months, you might have some explaining to do. This short amount of time could suggest you didn’t pass your 6-month review and were let go shortly after. The same can be said for people who have been at a company for more than 4 years without a promotion or upward movement. This can suggest a lack of ambition. The key is to learn what you can, and use that to get to the next rung in your career latter.
Everything about your career is in your control. The tools to building your ideal career path are out there; you just have to know where to look.
If you’re looking to make a career change, and you’d like a foot in the door at some of the most innovative companies in the world, click here to connect with a Betts Recruiter.