Your career is basically what you do to earn your daily living. It is usually an engagement we prepare ourselves for and carry out over a long period of time. This then becomes a very primary and important part of one’s life.
The Part 1 of this piece looks at the meaning of career development for mid- and senior level career positions. The Part 2 will delve into entry level career positions mostly for graduates, persons launching into the world of work or into new areas of work experience. We will also touch on career development as a tool for your personal growth. As you grow into adulthood and into greater maturity, it is imperative that you have a career in hand that sustains your livelihood.
This article emanates from what I observe from where I sit. As a Human Resources (HR) Administrator in a non-profit organization, providing support for and documentation of recruitment processes and staff-related concerns are a normal part of my daily tasks. In that position, I get to ensure that vacancies are filled and that the best hands are brought in to get the job done and done professionally. Hence, it provides me with the opportunity to come across many Curricula Vitae for various positions and to participate in several job interviews.
In engaging in the above-mentioned tasks very often over the years, I have made several observations which, to me, speaks to the need for individuals to intentionally engage themselves in their own career development on a continuous basis.
When people say there are no jobs, this statement is only correct to an extent. True, given the population of individuals willing to get a job, surely the vacancies do not go round. Then for the vacancies that are available, how many of these job seekers, experienced and inexperienced have the right attitude, right preparations, right career development, and have positioned themselves to take up these positions? Except you are a HR person or a staff who supports recruitments in a company or organization, you may not really understand the challenges and sometimes frustration in getting the right persons to fill up vacancies.
The interesting thing is that work experience counts but that is also not all. A person may have a high number of years of work experience and still not qualify for a position within his or her field. Ok, does this surprise you? If I were not a HR person, I would find it difficult to agree with this too.
This is just for us to understand that serious organizations or companies who want to fill up their vacancies with the right persons and with the right hands, have certain elements they look out for so as to be sure that the work will be done well.
Do note that this article’s Part 1 seeks to address my observations around career positions for mid- and senior-level careers, not so much entry levels, though they may learn something from here.
Let us give some examples here as they relate to what I have observed for mid- or senior-level career positions. The examples may mostly come from the world of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) since that has been my area of work over the last decade. However, they could be applied across board.
CV Presentation: Your CV presentation does not do any justice to the years of work you have put into your area of expertise. I once looked at the CV of someone whom I had an idea of how much work she had done around her area of expertise. Yet, the CV itself could not justify that. Why so? The CV was packed with information yet it did not streamline in an orderly manner what her work and achievements were for her specific area of expertise.
Do not take your years of experience for granted that it would automatically speak for you. Ensure that when applying for a specific position, you can take out of your CV information that are not relevant to that position. If you do not do this, the irrelevant information simply clouds out the most relevant ones and it makes your work experience look scattered and haphazard.
Position Growth: By position growth, I mean your advancement in position within your line of work. As much as possible, endeavour to take up positions that portray an advancement in career position and increasing responsibilities.
For example, you may have joined a company as a Graduate Assistant. It is expected that subsequent positions should be some officer position, then Supervisor or Manager position or a career growth in that line. Or you may have joined as a Youth Corper and then you become an Assistant, then an Officer.
This progression may or may not happen within the same company. It may require moving from one company or organization to another, but always remain appreciative of your roots. Avoid taking up positions that take you higher and then go back to positions which bring you lower. However, in some cases, this could happen for some reason you choose. Yet, it should not be the general trend on your CV.
Take up Relevant Courses and Professional Courses: After several years of work experience, making money and climbing the ladder of various responsibilities, a lot of mid- or senior-level personnel do not take the time or the necessary resources to take relevant courses that bring them up to speed with updates and new learnings in their field of expertise. This is a very big mistake, and it could eventually cost the person a life-changing opportunity that puts little or no weight on the experience already garnered. Take up professional courses and exams that make you a full member of relevant associations.
Opportunities that you should naturally flow into due to your many years of experience would come but you will be found unsuitable because you have not built yourself or prepared yourself in some way. A quick example from my work. How do you work as a Finance and Admin staff for 5 or 10 years and yet you do not have ICAN and you are not familiar with any accounting software? Like, do you live on this planet earth or this global village?
Attend Trainings, Conferences and Workshops – Online and Offline: When you attend trainings, conferences and workshops relevant to your area of specialization, you are able to expand your knowledge, share and exchange learnings and experiences. It is also an avenue to grow your Network around your area of expertise.
As it is said, “Your network is your net worth”. These connections and networks you acquire could very likely be your link to your next big level or position within your field. Opportunities and information, which comes through people you know, are often what we need to take our next step in our career growth. Don’t stay in your little corner admiring your past achievement and thinking you are a king. Always ask yourself, “Can I compete on the world stage within my Career?”
Pay attention to new ideas, concepts, trends and global directions as they relate to your area of expertise. There would be papers presented, research work done, regular newsletters in your area of work that you need to keep abreast with.
There was a manager in our organization who had the habit of going through job adverts in his field with the intention of keeping up with new expectations and new terms arising in his area of work. And when he found some terminology he is not familiar with, he would google it up and do a research around that term. Such a person will certainly always increase his personal value and would be an asset to any company he joins.
Building a Tent Around Your Comfort Zone: After a while in a certain position, organization and environment, you begin to slide into a comfort zone. If you want to remain relevant, you cannot build a career in this way. Move out of your Comfort Zone. When things become normal or routine-like for so long and has stopped challenging your mind and stimulating your creativity, then it is time to move.
Persons who are ready to take the risk and plunge into the dark are those who move on towards greater achievement and who attain greater heights. When you are used to dwelling in your comfort tent, you do not know that you are supposed to be beyond where you are. You tell yourself things that justify where you are. When you hold on to your comfort zone, you limit yourself and your potential.
In conclusion, and with the above said, if you desire to remain relevant and valuable to your organization, then you would do the needful. You can get yourself to the next level seamlessly without competition, without fights, without bringing anyone down, but through merit. If you do your part, the right time for your elevation will naturally come.
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