Everyone who works — whether it’s a part-time, full-time or even volunteer job — wants to feel a sense of satisfaction, productivity and success. Part of that desire to succeed includes getting ahead in their position.
Getting ahead can look different for different people. For some, it’s an increase in salary, for others it’s increased responsibility and for many of us, it includes being continuously challenged and learning on the job by using and improving our skills. (A 2013 Society for Human Resource Management survey demonstrated that compensation/pay and the opportunity to use your talents and skills at work fall in the top three indicators of job satisfaction.)
Here’s the rub: While we all want to get ahead at work, this can be difficult sometimes, because there are so many other people trying to do the same thing — often within the same office. Getting to the next level in your career requires work, creativity and thinking outside the box. It’s not something that gets handed to you on a silver platter.
Ann Landers once said: “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” Because creating career opportunity requires taking initiative, many are quick to dismiss the idea. It is easy to become complacent in our jobs. But in reality, creating your next career opportunity may not as hard as you may think. In fact, it can be quite satisfying.
Creating an opportunity can mean many things, from creating a new position at your company, to moving into a different department you would prefer to enhancing your current role so it’s more rewarding and possibly demands a higher salary.
Here are four ways to proactively work on your next opportunity, rather than waiting around for your next standard raise, promotion or job opening:
Identify your organization’s needs. This first step requires digging deep into your organization’s needs to see how you can fulfill a need that it either recognizes but doesn’t have a solution for, or — even better — doesn’t even know it has in the first place.
Does your company still use a lot of paper? Perhaps you can suggest a position, or added responsibilities to a current position, to help your company become greener. Is there room for better budgeting, and is that something you enjoy and could excel at? Do some research online for budgeting systems, or talk to friends who work in other organizations about how they handle theirs for ideas about best practices. Could you train other employees in an area of expertise useful to the organization, like communication skills?
You may need inspiration for identifying the organization’s needs, so research what other successful companies in your industry are doing. See if you can implement any of their ideas, tailor them to your company and create suggested plans for implementation — whether it’s a new position, an addition to your current one or a project you can work on that could turn into a new position. This is more than just a short-term project, so make sure the need you identify is a possible long-term job opportunity that you could step into.
Action tip: Research your company on the Web as if you were a stranger, and ask yourself: “What do we need to remain successful?” Notice colleagues’ complaints to see if they are things that could be fixed with a new job. Keep a log of your ideas, and review them to decide which one would be best to pursue.
Evaluate your skills. Once you have identified your company’s needs, compare them to your skill set. You can do this by reviewing your résumé to see if there are any skills you are not currently using at your job.
For example, if you took writing classes in college, but currently work in sales, could you apply your writing skills to create a new position or enhance your current one to eventually move into another role? Perhaps you could develop a newsletter for your sales team that shares best sales practices each month and would help you develop and demonstrate your writing skills to your organization. Doing so may enable you to move into the marketing department, for example, if that is a new opportunity you want to create for yourself. Is your company utilizing social media ineffectively or not at all? Could you offer your writing skills in this area?
Action tip: Next to each entry on your idea list, write down what skill set you have that could make you the right person for that need. If you need more ideas, talk to a trusted friend or mentor.
Name your position. It’s not enough to tell your boss you have discovered a need he or she has and how your skill set can fix it. You have to go further to really sell the idea. Create a plan. For example, if it’s a new position, draft a job title, schedule for implementation, salary and any equipment you may need. Could you take on these responsibilities while caring for your current responsibilities?
Again, this requires research. If you have discovered a need in your company that other companies have addressed, what do they call the position? Decide who you would report to and what department would fund this new position. How much money would this new position save the company, or how would it contribute to their success? Add all of this to your plan as appropriate.
Action tip: Take one to two hours each week to develop your new career opportunity. This needs to be well thought out, so pick a quiet place to add to your ideas. Take your time to really make it attractive to your superiors.
Decide how to propose it. This is the last step, and in many ways, it’s one of the most important. You could have the greatest idea in the world, but if you don’t present it properly, it could lose its appeal. Decide who is the best person to present this idea to — is it your immediate boss or a higher-level superior? What is his or her style and communication preference? Does this person prefer charts, graphs, pictures or a written report?
Request a meeting, letting him or her know you already have a presentation prepared. He or she will be more likely to listen to your idea if it’s clear you’ve done your homework.
Action tip: Determine who is the right person to propose your idea to, and request a meeting. Pursue this idea as long as there is a possibility. If it gets accepted, ask about next steps as well as a timeline for implementation. Start to take action.
If the idea gets shot down, ask why, so you can find out if there’s a possibility to adjust it or if it’s a no-go completely. If it’s a no-go, think about your next course of action. Do you need to consider moving to another organization for your next opportunity, or stay put and try for something else?
These steps are not complicated, but they require dedication, creativity and gumption. If you find a need within your company you can be excited about, it will drive you to conduct your research effectively and create a compelling presentation. That presentation will hopefully be the springboard to the next level in your career path, whether it’s at your current organization or another one you identify!
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4 Ways to Create Your Next Career Opportunity originally appeared on usnews.com
