How to Take Charge of Your Career This Year

How confident are you in your career? If you’re struggling to make the most out of your current skill set, or you feel that you’re yet to unlock your full potential, then you’re not alone. In fact, surveys suggest that most Australian employees dislike their current job.

Life is too short to be doing something that doesn’t delight and engage you each day. We devote countless hours of effort to our chosen position, so it only makes sense to fill the time with something you can be genuinely passionate about.

Taking charge of your professional future could mean that you deepen your connection to the projects you handle, take pride in your work, and improve your opportunities for further progression or explore the opportunity to move to a new organisation.

Are You a “High Potential” Employee?

Most people, no matter their background, have an unlimited supply of potential brewing beneath the surface. The problem is that this power is rarely recognised or channelled in the appropriate way. Unlocking the actual capacity of your future means discovering the truth of what you’re capable of, and finding a way to highlight that ability to employers in your chosen industry.

According to the Harvard Business Review, “high potential” employees are those who cultivate a drive for development, an ability to consistently learn and evolve, and an enterprising spirit. Candidates who can tap into those characteristics when engaging with a specialist recruitment agency may find that they take control of their personal talent faster, and more efficiently.

If you think it’s time to discover what your real potential looks like, the following suggestions might help you to reach peak performance in your next role.

1. Get to Know Yourself

Before anyone can successfully start the job-seeking process, you need to ensure that you have an in-depth understanding of what you want to achieve and why. Think about what excites you in the current marketplace, what kind of skills you have, and what you can offer employers that they both want and value.

Pinpointing the things that fulfil and inspire you in your daily life will enable you in finding employment that motivates you every day. When you discover a position that appeals to your internal needs, you’ll find that your success will naturally magnify, as you’ll be able to harness the advantages of your personal skill set.

2. Expand your Education

Once you’ve found a potential role you’re passionate about, it’s up to you to mould yourself into the perfect fit for that position. While it’s likely that you’ll already possess some of the skills necessary to excel in your chosen industry, you may need to attend industry events to strengthen your network, consider further study to make yourself more competitive, or refine your performance in “crucial” areas.

Speaking to experienced specialist recruitment companies or reading job descriptions may help you to define the tasks that are central to the role you select. Once you know precisely what the companies you apply to in the future will be searching for, you can begin to develop your existing knowledge to underline your employability.

3. Cultivate a Stronger Character

Businesses in specific industries will undoubtedly work with recruitment professionals to find candidates that possess a set of skills and talents. However, your ability to excel in your chosen position isn’t connected exclusively to your education or qualifications. Sometimes, your personality and attitude towards a job can make all the difference to a hiring manager.

Today’s organisations are searching for recruits that not only fill the talent gaps in their enterprise but also suit the company culture that they already have in place. With that in mind, it’s essential to research the businesses you’re interested in and ensure that you have the correct soft skills to delight and impress at your next interview.

4. Create Your Career Roadmap

Finally, for many high-potential individuals, harnessing the full potential of your professional life means creating a strategy for success. Over the next 30 days or so, make sure that you refine your goals for the year into a complete idea of what you want to achieve. This will help you to consider both short, and long-term ambitions on your path to lucrative employment.

Remember, finding your dream job can be difficult – and it’s not always something that people achieve immediately. As you progress, you’ll encounter countless new ways to bring passions into your search, and test yourself in new positions.

As you grow, be prepared to let your strategy grow with you. After all, there’s no telling where the future may take you, and unlocking your potential means committing to a degree of flexibility.

About JobFitts

JobFitts Consultants are a specialist provider of professional Recruitment Services for the Financial Services sector and related suppliers in Australia. Since 2003 we have recruited and placed a breadth of operational roles at all levels from; HR, Accounting, Marketing and Customer Service/Frontline.

To find out more visit our website at JobFitts here or call us on (02) 9220 3595 or email here.