There’s no doubt career choices in business-related fields have become more competitive in recent years. There are numerous reasons for this trend, including greater access to education and more people entering the United States to gain professional employment. The reasons don’t matter near as much as what you can do to retain a competitive advantage. If you’re looking to climb the latter at your place of employment, here are three areas that can greatly improve your odds of being the next big title holder at your place of employment.
1. Step Up to a Masters Degree
In the early part of the 20th century a bachelor’s degree was a big deal. Not many people had access to higher education due to a lack of funding. As financial aid opportunities grew, so did universities. Today, nearly 70 percent of high school graduates opt to attend college. While not all will complete their degree, the numbers are still staggering when compared to just a few decades ago.
The key to having a competitive education is not only the degree field you choose but also how high you go. There’s no doubt that earning a degree while working is a challenging situation to be in, but thankfully many masters education programs can be attained fully online.
Related: Simple Ways To Change The Direction Of Your Career
2. Lead for the Team
Perhaps one of the best ways to get upper management to take notice is when you take on leadership roles not for yourself, but for the team. There’s a big difference. When you take on a leadership role just because you want to be in charge, your approach will differ quite differently from someone who steps up so the whole team succeeds.
A whole team approach is what employers look for in future leaders. Compassionate leadership leads to a better workplace environment which equals better employee retention which also equals dollars saved on hiring and training due to turnover that other guys caused by leading for themselves.
3. Make Your Intentions Known
Last, it’s important to discuss your future ambitions with your current management. By making your career goals known, your immediate supervisors and managers can guide you and give you tasks to demonstrate your abilities.
To start, request a one-on-one meeting with your department manager. Be honest about why you want to be considered for promotion and what you believe you can bring to the company. It’s important that you demonstrate how you can benefit the growth of the company through your style of leadership. When your meeting is over, you’ll have placed yourself on the promotion radar, and that’s a good thing.
While you may have a lot of competition when it comes to boosting your career, there are important steps you can take to ensure you are noticed. Advancing your degree, thinking of the whole team instead of yourself, and having a good relationship with your boss is a perfect recipe for being a top pick. There is no better time to get started than right now.