Don't miss these 5 career tips that will help you advance and get to the top!

To be a good working professional (and not just a promising one), always be on the lookout for new opportunities to grow and advance. Success in your career - whether that means getting promoted, getting a raise, or finding a better job - is never guaranteed but can be more likely if you consult the following tips, guidelines, and pieces of advice in this article.

When pursuing personal advancement in your career of choice, make sure you consider and act on the following tips for career advancement:

• Acquiring new knowledge and skills

• Seeking out honest feedback

• Asking for help

• Networking with strangers and colleagues

• Making and following through on plans

The king of career tips: Learn new skills and refine old ones

Even after completing your primary/secondary education and entering the workforce, you should always try to learn new things. Sometimes this process of learning is as simple as reading a book or well-sourced article. In other situations, you may want to go the extra mile and sign up for classes, seminars, lectures, or subscription-based learning resources.

Never grow complacent with the skills and talents you currently possess. In or outside your workplace, think of ways to improve your work efficiency, self check your recently completed work for mistakes, or brick up gaps in your knowledge. 

Never strive for perfection or hold yourself to impossible standards; do, however strive to grow a little bit every day.

Solicit feedback from talented people you trust

It’s hard to measure your talents and progress without a basis for comparison. For this reason, you should regularly seek out feedback from knowledgeable people you respect, asking questions about your current strengths, your current weaknesses, and what you can do to work on both. If you’re working directly under a manager you respect and get along with, they can be a very good source of constructive criticism thanks to regularly overseeing the work you do. Reach out to them if they’re not too busy or try to schedule an appointment with them in advance to chat in detail about your progress and struggles.

Besides managers, you can also get feedback from colleagues, career coaches, or even friendly acquaintances. Whatever their background, the wellspring of advice you consult should have these three qualities at the minimum:

• Knowledge related to your career and field of expertise;

• The perspective needed to give you honest criticism, even if it’s painful;

• The ability to give you clear, viable advice on how to progress.

Here are some specific tips for career growth through feedback.

Ask for help when you need it

You should always try to improve yourself and surpass your limits as a professional in your workplace of choice. At the same time, you should never take on more work than you can handle or work overtime on a project to the point of collapse. Doing either of these can wreak havoc on your physical/mental health while also eroding the quality of your work in general.

For this reason, asking your workplace colleagues, supervisors, and managers for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. In fact, asking for help as soon as you realize you need it (rather than waiting until the last minute) is a form of self-advocacy that will help your career develop.

Sometimes asking for help means admitting that there are blind spots in your workplace knowledge and you need a colleague or supervisor to fill in the blanks. If you’re confused about an unfamiliar topic or how to perform a certain procedure, ask questions with a “yes or no” and “this or that” answer format. 

In other scenarios, you may simply need help trying to deal with a workload that’s way too large for you. If your colleagues in the workplace aren’t too busy, you can ask them to help you complete certain side tasks. Alternatively, you can ask your immediate supervisor for a deadline extension. (Again, the earlier you make this request, the better it'll go over.)

Network with new people and touch base with colleagues

Even if you’re extremely good at your job, you won’t get any promotions, commendations, or other chances to progress your career if people don’t know you exist. Indeed, career networking is one of the most essential tips for career growth because it gets your name (and the names of others) out there and into the minds of people who need someone like you.

The first pillar of business networking is to attend physical events like mixers or virtual events like online seminars and actively greet unfamiliar people who work in your chosen industry. Introduce yourself by name, exchange contact information, and ask them about their projects, goals, and thoughts.

The second pillar of business networking is keeping in touch with your work friends, casual acquaintances, and list of business contacts–sometimes so you can ask them for help or information but mostly so you can learn what they’re up to and how they’re doing. By promoting their name and helping them out, you can also expect them to do the same for you.

Tips for your career: make plans with clear goals and evaluate your progress

To avoid moments where you feel stuck in your career, it’s vital you take time to identify your goals, make a practical plan for achieving those goals, and work hard to hit the milestones that will lead you to your objective.

Sometimes planning ahead means reviewing your current list of responsibilities and deciding when and how you’ll cross each task off the list. (Time management tools like the popular Eisenhower Decision Matrix can help you sort out which tasks are the most important and need to be done first.) 

Under other circumstances, you may have long-term ambitions to change major parts of your life such as the ones below.

Once you’ve figured out what you want to change and have outlined the steps you’ll need to take to reach this goal, schedule a time every few months or years where you sit down and  evaluate the progress you’ve made towards realizing your goal.  

If you haven’t hit all the milestones you expected to, you might want to review these and other career tips and then change or update the methods you’re using to achieve your goals. 

Key takeaways

1. If you want to advance in your job and/or career, here is the king of career tips: Never be complacent with your current level of talent and seek out chances to learn new workplace skills.

2. Seek out feedback and constructive criticism from forthright people who know you and your work history.

3. Ask for help at work if you’re overwhelmed and out of your depth.

4. Keep in touch with your professional contacts and strive to meet new people within your industry.

5. Create concrete multi-step plans for achieving long-term goals and regularly evaluate your progress.