After fifteen years in professional recruitment and having interviewed over 3,600 people (face to face, I haven’t kept track of the telephone/skype interviews) I can say two things with complete confidence
You probably know this already, it is one thing to be talented yet another to work hard, master your craft and achieve your career goals.
So whether you’re just starting off in your career or preparing your next move; here are some tips to improve your performance and excel.
The company you work for pay you to deliver objectives in accordance to their goals. You may ‘work hard’ but do you deliver? What is your contribution? Having a goal minded approach will help you feel more satisfied in the workplace, help you manage and ultimately achieve career success.
Do not wait for your annual appraisal! The only way to achieve career success is to take ownership of it. Identify quantifiable goals and set a timeline for achieving them (mixture of short term and long term). Break them down into tasks (weekly or daily), monitor them; not only will you be able to see your progress, so will your manager/employer.
Managers don’t like problems, they like solutions. Demonstrate your attitude by offering solutions. I remember my first manager; whenever I went to him with a problem, his first question to me was always “what have you attempted already?” He knew I would always consider solutions before I went to him. I may not have had the final decision, but he sure has hell knew my value to the team.
Breaking news. You don’t know everything. In fact if you’re starting your career you probably don’t know anything at all. Be prepared. You will have many questions, take notes, research. Above all be interested. People are more willing to teach those who are prepared to learn. Be attentive, be open and be willing.
We all face barriers that affect our progress. Sometimes they knock us off course altogether. "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success." -- Thomas J. Watson.
As much as we try to avoid it (lets be honest, it sucks), at some point failure will come knocking. So, what do you do? Have a pity party if you must, cuss, shout, cry, scream (I do; all on occasion), then own your part in the failing and learn from it. Look at people who have succeeded in your field, what did they do? What will you do? Finally, step outside of your comfort zone. That is where the magic happens.
Saj Akbar is an innovative northwest based consultancy that focuses on executive search, professional recruitment and business coaching.