Taking your career to the next level is something we all think about as we head into a new year. It is time for a new you — a rejuvenated self-motivation that will carry you to that next great step forward. How can you take your career to that next path forward, though? What are some of the things you want to consider that will open new doors, create new opportunities, and allow you to get to where you want to be? Keep reading to find out:
Think Incremental in Your Approach
No one will go from a staff accountant to being the leader of an accounting firm overnight. It will take incremental steps. It is a combination of having both a short and long-term vision that can allow you to take a step-by-step approach to your career.
When you set a completely unachievable goal in the next six to 12-months, you open yourself up to potential disappointment. It is setting yourself up to fail and to face serious discouragement. In the end, this is not an ideal scenario. Instead, set a goal that you can achieve in the next six months, then 12-months, a longer-term goal you want to achieve over the next three to five years.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
You may not be in an area of the country or world where there are ample job opportunities to help you achieve what you want out of your career. Gone are the days when you have to physically move to different locations to help set yourself up for success. Instead, you can use the power and immense growth of remote opportunities to open up possibilities not previously available to you.
With WiFi encryption protocols continuing to expand and grow in raw strength, you can set yourself up with a home office situation where encryption is sound, and you are available to perform any task, no matter its sensitivity. Understand the different encryption protocols available such as Wired Equipment Privacy (WEP), WiFi Protected Access (WPA), and WiFi Protected Access Version 2 (WPA2), to see what works for you. Some companies may also need certain protocols at home before making the hire.
Open Doors to Achieve the Next Career Step
Try out your new technology and seek out remote opportunities via many company sites, social networks, and other job hiring locations. Do your homework to see which industries offer remote opportunities. It may surprise you to see how many there are in the industry you currently operate within.
Once you have a sense of where you want to go with your career, begin to network virtually where physical networking is not available. Using a web camera and other similar technology, it is easy to simulate an in-person meeting, whether an interview or an impromptu discussion around a business topic interesting to two individuals.
Take the time to get your home office situated and get set up with a secure and reliable WiFi connection. From there, begin the application process and start to interview. The more work you put in, the more attainable those short and long-term career goals will be. Take your career to the next step and open yourself up to new opportunities that did not exist just a few short years ago!