If you’re trying to exit your job, focusing on how to get the heck out can be the logical place to put your efforts. However, you can still pursue growth opportunities at your current company to help you with your career journey. With what you learn from these 5 actions, you may even learn you’d like to stay where you are, but in a different capacity. Be open to the possibilities and pay attention to what energizes you during these growth experiences …
1) Take advantage of development & training opportunities. Continue to learn and grow at your current company by participating in workshops, webinars and conferences in your area of interest. Look for topics that energize you and sign up! If the topic is outside of your typical area of responsibility, present it to your manager as a growth opportunity and a way to contribute to the company with a larger skillset.
2) Shadow a colleague. Request to shadow someone in a job you are interested in to find out the challenges and opportunities that come from that position. Use it to inform your next career step.
3) Find a mentor. Schedule lunch or a meeting with folks who can be career mentors. You can learn a lot about your best next career step by hearing about the career journeys of others.
4) Take on a stretch assignment. Look for opportunities to grow your skills by leading a new team, mentoring new hires, presenting at department and company meetings. All of these skills (and others) are transferable with a new career.
5) Help others doing what you enjoy. Isn’t that what we all ultimately want? To do what we love and use our gifts and experience to help others? Even if you want to exit that job or company, find out if there’s a way to do what you love at your current company. For example, if you’re working in accounting but want to be a writer, are there opportunities to write for the company newsletter or website? If you’re in the Human Resources department but want to be an image consultant, is there an opportunity to put together an employee workshop for looking your best, professional self on the job? Think out of the box to spend time doing what comes naturally. You can grow your reputation in the area that you love.
Let me know in the comments section below which one of these resonates the most with you and why:
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