Published on 17 Aug 2023

Step up your career

Spent a few years in the workforce and feel like you are stuck in a rut in your career? Identifying skills and competencies is one of the secret ingredients of a well-rounded professional life. Follow these tips to position yourself for success.

Text: Junn Loh

1. Change your mindset

It is common to fall into the trap of measuring your career success through salary and promotions alone. These are important, but your career goal need not be earning ‘x amount’ within ‘x year’ in the company or getting a promotion every few years. 

Building a career requires a long-term plan, and it’s more important that you stay focused on your values, interests, personality, and skills, also known as VIPS. “Once we become deeply aware of our VIPS, we can transform that into self-mastery,” says Danny Gan, a career coach at the NTU School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

Changing your mindset to one of “self-mastery” is very important to help you stay motivated and succeed. “The right question to ask is not why I’m not promoted. Rather, you should ask how this job is adding value to my career in the long term?” Danny stresses.

2. Be proactive

No boss will refuse employees who look for extra tasks after getting their work done. Being proactive showcases leadership traits, such as having high levels of self-motivation, initiative and accountability. These are qualities of an emerging leader valuable to any organisation.

But take note that it’s not about loudly trumpeting your every move to get noticed. Instead, strategically sell yourself at work through methods like proposing solutions to solve pain points in the company, lending a helping hand to prop up your co-workers and volunteering for opportunities outside your normal duty.

Shannon Toh, a career coach at the NTU School of Humanities, says that leaders tend to see the bigger picture. Therefore, if you show that you share a similar big picture view at work, such as by solving issues and helping your co-workers for the benefit of the team, “it is easier for you to get noticed and promoted,” she says.

Shweta Mishra (NBS/2010), Director, HR Business Partner at Dell Technologies, adds: “It's not about bragging about how good you are, but about coming up with solutions for your teammates.”

However, the goal is to get visibility. Excellent performance in your current role alone doesn't guarantee advancement. If you have a desired role, start embracing the skills crucial for it.

“Don't wait for mind-reading managers. Express your ambition, embrace growth, and seek stretch assignments. You’ve got to create a broader organisational impact to ascend to new heights in your career," Shweta explains.

3. Acquire relevant certifications

Certifications are a fantastic way to stand out among other professionals. Even if you are not looking to move into a new job scope right now, certifications are a form of upskilling and reskilling, which can only be a good thing when opportunities arise in the future. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to stress over what type of certifications to get.

SkillsFuture Singapore has published a Skills Demand for the Future Economy Report, which provides insights into priority skills and skills that will see high demand growth in future.

“It’s a very useful tool if you are not sure what skills you need to stay in demand in the job market. By picking up hard skills that may not be that trendy now, you will likely become a pioneer in the relevant area by the time those skills become desirable down the road,” says Shannon.

4. Get a mentor

Your senior colleagues in the office probably like sharing more than you think.

Having been there, done that, they are often the best people you can approach to give you more information about your organisation and team – what is welcome, and not, and tips to overcome problems at work.

“Identify trusted and reliable friends with a growth mindset, such as seniors at work, or aunts and uncles around you to talk to. Not only can you learn from them, but they can motivate you too. Having listened to them, decipher what applies based on your values, interests, personality, and skills. You may also seek advice from professional career coaches who can help you take a step back and see things more clearly,” says Danny.

5. Consider finding a new job

Before changing jobs, it’s important that you initiate an open discussion with your supervisor, to understand from their perspective what it takes for you to progress to the next level of your career.

“Sometimes people get stuck in a rut in their roles because there are misaligned expectations. What you think you need to deliver and what your leader expects you to demonstrate for a promotion is different,” says Shweta.

Only after clarifying expectations and pushing yourself to drive your own career development should you consider moving on to a new job.

"Despite your efforts, if the team or organisation doesn't align with your goals, remember that you're not bound forever. It might just be that you're in a sunset industry, so seek new horizons for growth. Emphasise skill development and the accumulation of experience – stagnation offers no true value,” Shweta adds.

Take charge of your career

If you are keen to switch careers, consider boosting your employability in the new sector through the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP). The programme supports your career transition through in-demand courses, such as NTU's Centre for Professional and Continuing Education's modules that provide training in areas like UX design and data and information analysis. For those with a busy schedule, enjoy learning flexibly with the NTU FlexiMasters programme. You get to choose classes across multi-disciplinary areas that best suit your needs, time and pace. Academic units earned from the classes can be stacked towards professional certifications or a master’s degree.

 

This article first appeared in issue 3 of U, the NTU alumni magazine

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