the result of a person’s conscious position and behavior in a situation related to official or professional growth.
- Position growth- change in a person’s official status, his social role, degree and scope of official authority.
- Professional growth- growth of professional knowledge, skills, recognition by the professional community of its results, authority in a specific form professional activity.
Business career— progressive advancement of the individual associated with the growth of professional skills, status, social role and remuneration.
- Career vertical- the type of career with which the very concept of a business career is most often associated. A vertical career is understood as a rise to a higher level of the structural hierarchy (promotion in position, which is accompanied by a higher level).
- Career horizontal- a type of career that involves either moving to another. functional area activities, or the performance of a certain official role at a level that does not have a strict formal reinforcement in organizational structure; A horizontal career can also include expanding or complicating tasks at the previous level (usually with an adequate change in remuneration).
Business career management and professional advancement
A person builds his career—the trajectory of his movement—himself, in accordance with the characteristics of internal and extra-organizational reality and, most importantly, with his own goals, desires and attitudes.
A business career begins with the formation of the employee’s subjectively conscious judgments about his work future, the expected path of self-expression and satisfaction with work.
In the process of career implementation, it is important to ensure the interaction of all types of careers.
Types of business career
Types and types of careers
involves passing through all stages career growth(training, employment, professional growth, support and development of individual professional abilities, retirement) within one. This career can be specialized or non-specialized.
Interorganizational career presupposes that the employee goes through all stages of career growth in different organizations. It can be specialized or non-specialized.
- Specialized Career differs in that the employee various stages his professional activity takes place within the framework of one profession. The organization may remain the same or change.
- Non-specialized career assumes that an employee goes through different stages of his professional path as a specialist proficient in different professions and specialties. The organization can either change or remain the same.
Non-specialized careers are widely developed in Japan. The Japanese are firmly of the opinion that a manager must be a specialist capable of working in any part of the company, and not in any particular function. When climbing the corporate ladder, a person should be able to look at the company from different angles, without staying in one position for more than three years. Thus, it is considered quite normal if the head of the sales department changes places with the head of the procurement department. Many Japanese executives worked in unions early in their careers. As a result of this policy, the Japanese manager has a significantly smaller amount of specialized knowledge (which in any case will lose its value in five years) and at the same time has a holistic view of the organization, supported by the same personal experience. An employee can go through the stages of this career either in one or in different organizations.
Vertical career involves rising from one level of the structural hierarchy to another. There is a promotion in position, which is accompanied by an increase in wages.
Horizontal career- type of career. Which involves moving to another functional area, expanding and complicating tasks, or changing a job role within one level of the structural hierarchy, accompanied by an increase.
Stepped career- type of career - combining elements of a vertical and horizontal career. Stepped careers are quite common and can take both intra- and inter-organizational forms.
Hidden (centripetal) career- the type of career that is least obvious to others, suggesting a move to the core, to the leadership of the organization. A hidden career is available to a limited number of employees, usually those with extensive business connections outside the organization. For example, inviting an employee to meetings that are inaccessible to other employees, meetings of both a formal and informal nature, an employee gaining access to informal sources of information, confidential requests, individual, important instructions from management. Such an employee may hold an ordinary position in one of the divisions of the organization. However, the level of remuneration for his work significantly exceeds the remuneration for work in his position.
Business career models
In practice, there is a wide variety of career options, which are based on four main models:
"Springboard". Climbing the career ladder occurs when higher and better paid positions are taken. At a certain stage the employee occupies the highest position for him and tries to hold on to it for a long time. And then the jump from the “springboard” - retirement. This career is most typical for managers of the period of stagnation, when many positions were occupied by the same people for 20-25 years. On the other side, this model is typical for specialists and employees who do not set goals for career advancement for a number of reasons - personal interests, low workload, good team - the employee is satisfied with his position and is ready to remain in it until retirement.
"Ladder". Each step of the career ladder represents a specific position that the employee occupies. certain time(no more than 5 years). This period is enough to enter a new position and work with full dedication. With the growth of qualifications, creative potential and production experience, a manager or specialist rises through the ranks. An employee takes up each new position after advanced training. He reaches the top step during the period of maximum potential, and after that a systematic descent down the career ladder begins, performing less intensive work. Psychologically, this model is very inconvenient for managers due to the reluctance to leave the “first roles”. Here we can recommend paying close attention to such employees - including them on the board of directors, using them as a consultant.
"Snake". It involves the horizontal movement of an employee from one position to another by appointment, holding each for a short time, and then occupying a higher position at a higher level. The main advantage of this model is the opportunity to study all the functions of activity and management, which will be useful in a higher position. This model is typical for, since they associate themselves not only with a separate profession, but also with the future of the entire company. If personnel rotation is not observed, this model loses its significance and may have Negative consequences, because Some employees with a predominant melancholic and phlegmatic temperament are not inclined to change teams or positions and will perceive it very painfully.
"Crossroads". When, after a certain period of work, a certification (comprehensive personnel assessment) is carried out and, based on the results, a decision is made to promote, transfer or promote the employee. This is similar to that typical for joint ventures.
Career and features of its formation
Career configuration by Driver
As can be seen from the previous section, the level of professionalism and status changes in the process of work, but the combination of these changes in careers different people different, which gives rise to a picture of an individual specialist’s career. There are several typical career configurations.
Target careerTarget career - an employee once and for all chooses a professional space, plans the appropriate stages of his progress towards a professional ideal and strives to achieve it.
Monotonous career - the employee outlines once and for all the desired professional status and, having achieved it, does not strive for career advancement in the organizational hierarchy, even if there are opportunities to improve his social, professional and financial situation.
Spiral career - an employee is motivated to change types of activities and, as they master them, moves up the steps of the organizational hierarchy.
A fleeting career - moving from one type of activity to another occurs spontaneously, without visible logic.
Stabilization career - a specialist grows to a certain level and remains there for quite a long time, more than seven years.
A fading career - an employee grows to a certain status, stops there, and then begins a downward movement.
Types and stages of career
It is possible to identify several fundamental trajectories of human movement within or that will lead to different types careers.
Professional career— growth of knowledge, skills, abilities. A professional career can follow the line of specialization (deepening in one line of movement chosen at the beginning of the professional path) or transprofessionalization (mastery of other areas of human experience, associated, rather, with the expansion of tools and areas of activity).
Intraorganizational career- is associated with the trajectory of a person’s movement in an organization. It can go along the line:
- vertical career - job growth;
- horizontal career - promotion within the organization, for example, work in different departments of the same hierarchy level;
- centripetal career - advancement to the core of the organization, the control center, increasingly deeper inclusion in decision-making processes.
Career stages
When meeting with a new employee, the HR manager must take into account the career stage that he is currently going through. This can help clarify the goals of professional activity, the degree of dynamism and, most importantly, the specifics of individual motivation. Let's imagine short description career stages in the following table:
Human needs at the career stage|
Career stage |
Age period |
a brief description of |
Features of motivation (according to Maslow) |
|
Preliminary |
Preparing for labor activity, choice of field of activity |
Security, social recognition |
|
|
Becoming |
Mastering the job, developing professional skills |
Social recognition, independence |
|
|
Promotion |
Professional Development |
Social recognition, self-realization |
|
|
Completion |
After 60 years |
Preparing for the transition to retirement, finding and training your own replacement |
Hold social recognition |
|
Pension |
After 65 years |
Engaging in other activities |
Search for self-expression in new field activities |
The preliminary stage includes school, secondary and higher education and lasts up to 25 years. During this period, a person can change several various works in search of a type of activity that satisfies him and meets his capabilities. If he immediately finds this type of activity, the process of self-affirmation of him as an individual begins, he cares about the security of existence.
This is the period when the foundation of both general theoretical and practical knowledge is laid, and a person manages to receive secondary or higher professional education.
Formation stageNext comes the formation stage , which lasts approximately five years from 25 to 30. During this period the employee masters a profession acquires the necessary skills, his qualifications are being formed, self-affirmation occurs and the need to establish independence appears. The employee is concerned about safety and health issues. The emergence of families for the majority of workers, the birth of children, leads to an increase in the need for higher income.
Promotion stageThe promotion phase lasts from 30 to 45 years. During this period there is process of professional development, career advancement. Accumulation occurs practical experience, skills, the need for self-affirmation, achieving a higher status and even greater independence grows, self-expression as an individual begins. During this period much less attention is focused on satisfying the need for safety, the employee’s efforts are focused on increasing wages and caring for health.
Save phase characterized by actions to consolidate achieved results and lasts from 45 to 60 years. Coming Peak improvement of qualifications. There is a need to transfer knowledge to others. This stage is characterized by creativity in work, peak self-expression and independence, and an increased need for respect. There is a growing need for increased wages and interest in additional sources of income.
Completion stageThe completion phase lasts from 60 to 65 years. The employee is preparing to retire, a replacement is being searched for and applicants are being trained. This is a period of crisis, physiological and psychological discomfort. The need for respect and self-affirmation increases. The employee is interested in maintaining the level of wages, but strives to increase other sources of income that would replace them wages given organization upon retirement and would be a good addition to the pension benefit.
Retirement stageOn the last one - retirement stage career in this organization (type of activity) is completed. There is an opportunity for self-expression in other types of activities that were impossible during the period of work in the organization or acted as a hobby. Attention is paid to health and maintenance financial situation. Such specialists are often happy to agree to temporary and seasonal work in their organization.
Practice has shown that employees often do not know their prospects in a given team. This indicates poor management of personnel, lack of planning and control of careers in the organization.
In my work, I constantly come across employees who dream of achieving career growth. Unfortunately, not everyone succeeds in this and it does not always depend on the person, but, nevertheless, making a career is not so difficult if you follow certain rules.
The author of this article received his first management position at the age of 20, while the rest of the team was much older and had more experience and education. After that there were many ups and downs career ladder, there were also falls that taught me a lot.
This article is intended primarily for those who want to become a leader and manage people.
Why do you need career growth?
Before talking about how to achieve career growth, I really want you to answer the question for yourself: why do you need career growth? The fact is that the answers can vary greatly: some want to earn more, some like to command, and some are tired of working as subordinates. Only a few become managers to achieve new knowledge, gain experience and achieve new ambitious goals. The main difference between a manager and a subordinate is motivation; a manager cannot be solely focused on achievement. If you don’t quite understand what this means, I recommend reading about it, it will also be useful to you in managing people.
I would like to deliberately upset those who want to become a leader, because they will not have to do the work of a subordinate, for example: selling, going to the fields, etc. Even if you become a leader, you still won’t succeed. If you don’t like your job, you need to change it, that is, go to another field of activity. There is nothing worse than doing something you don't love.
Worked for me for a long time The seller was a young girl, I saw that work was a burden for her, she was not, conflicts often occurred with colleagues and customers. She was a veterinarian by profession, and she kept complaining that she liked it, but the veterinarian was paid too little, so she was forced to work as a salesperson. She also often said that animals are much better than people(i.e. buyers) and stuff like that. I helped her get a job in a private clinic, where she earns more than me, since she treats purebred animals. A person is satisfied and happy because he is doing what he loves.
What is the difference between a leader and a subordinate?
So, you have decided that you need career growth, then you should, first of all, understand how a manager differs from his subordinate. I’ll make a reservation right away that I will not consider professional qualities, such as product knowledge, sales experience, work results. Of course, if you don’t know how to work and fulfill your duties as a subordinate, no one will promote you. So, the main differences:
Motivation to work
As stated above, this is motivation for work. If you need to be “kicked” all the time so that you deign to do your job, then, excuse me, you shouldn’t expect a promotion. Sometimes I hear from subordinates something like this: “... if I worked as a manager, then I would not be late and would work well...”. No one will promote you with the expectation that you will change. Motivation to work always comes from how much you generally like the work and how interesting it is to you. If there is no interest in work, you need to change it, and not look for career growth. You must show by your behavior that your work is interesting and important to you, when your immediate supervisor sees this, he understands that he can rely on you and add greater authority.
Look for opportunities, not reasons
There is a saying: “The strong look for opportunities, the weak look for reasons.” This saying can be elevated to the life credo of any leader. It is from your reaction to life’s difficulties that you can understand what kind of person you are. And how much you can be trusted. Remember, if you often complain that you can’t do something or don’t know how, in general, you constantly come up with excuses for why you didn’t do the work, then you can forget about career growth.
Don't be afraid to take responsibility
There are often times when you are asked to do some work that is not within your scope of responsibilities. You don’t need to give it up right away, first evaluate what it can bring you. Maybe within the framework of this work you will be able to prove yourself and show off your best side.
Many people do not take responsibility because they are afraid of disgracing themselves or failing the job. There is always a risk of making a mistake, everyone makes mistakes and there is no need to be afraid of it. Career growth is guaranteed for people with an active lifestyle.
Self-PR
When one of my former leaders invited to a new position, he said “in the first months I will do self-PR, I need the new management to notice me.” It is very important to be noticed; the problem is especially acute when there are many subordinates and there is a lot of competition for the position. They will always pay attention to someone who is famous, whose name is well-known. One of the self-PR tools is the initiative mentioned above. But this may not be enough to “stimulate” career growth. Most the best option PR is to earn some kind of encouragement, for example: to become best employee and so on. Remember - you should be noticed, or better yet, well known from a positive side.
Discipline
Whatever you say, disciplined employees, and people in general, inspire much more respect and sympathy. Constant lateness, systematic failure to fulfill one's duties can nip the possibility of career growth in the bud. In addition, it is the key to successful personal development.
Know your worth
Develop yourself
Career growth through connections
One of the common opinions of employees is that career growth is possible only through connections and nothing will happen to us mere mortals. In fact, this is not the case at all. In market conditions and high competition, a highly qualified employee is a very valuable asset and there is always a demand for him. It is important for you to show that you are such an employee, and the employer will definitely give you a chance.
Is education necessary for career growth?
Another common opinion is that you need to get some kind of special education and you can’t do without it. This philosophy begins to be propagated to us from childhood, but those who graduated from universities with a degree in management can tell you that this education will not give you serious advantages. In general, personally, in all my practice, I have never seen a graduate without experience in this field being hired for the position of an ordinary manager.
Of course, higher education is one of the requirements for employment, but I am familiar with a large number good leaders who do not have a diploma and are perfectly hired. For me personally, higher education is a good school of life for a person, but it is not such a significant factor in deciding whether to take a manager or not.
How to quickly climb the career ladder?
So you got your first management position; for sales people, this is usually a supervisor. Naturally, after working in this position for some time and gaining experience, the question arises, what next? I want to take a new step up the career ladder. In fact, in order to develop successfully in your career, you need to work quite a lot on yourself. Managing people is an art and it can be honed throughout your life; there is no limit to perfection. Therefore, read literature, go to trainings, get a second education. To move up, you not only need to demonstrate all the business skills described above, but also have life experience and experience dealing with people. From experience, I can say that to grow from a supervisor to a store director or head of the sales department, a year of work is enough. It is important, first of all, to show good results work and show growth
If you become a department editor after working as an ordinary journalist for six months, this is vertical growth.
But remember that you should not strive for such growth without weighing all the pros and cons. You may not be ready enough for a promotion. And you can be quite prepared for new position– a lot depends on the level of your management skills.
- Horizontal career growth means going deeper into your field.
You do not strive to become a leader, but develop while at your workplace. Constant learning and acquisition of new competencies is a necessity for “survival” in a highly competitive environment in the labor market.
If it seems to you that horizontal career growth is something shameful and that if you have certain knowledge you should go for a promotion, this is not so. Horizontal career growth suits many “wingmen.” In addition, narrow specialists and experts in their field are highly valued in the labor market - you can always find a job with a good level of remuneration.
Career growth tree - what it looks like and how you can make it yourself
A career growth tree is a visualization that displays your most important successes. Drawn computer program the tree has blank branches on which you can write about your career achievements - from the lowest to the most significant, which will be located at the top. In this way, you will motivate yourself for further achievements - all your career successes will be before your eyes, and thoughts of “professional incompetence” will not even arise.
You can right now on Evio-club.
Career growth techniques
- The main thing is self-education. Take advanced training courses on the Internet, attend lectures in your specialty, read specialized media. The promotion will not be long in coming, as you will become a more competent person.
- If self-education is not enough for you, try taking an internship at a foreign university. Such a weighty argument as a recommendation from abroad will help you overcome all obstacles on the way to your desired position. At the same time, you will demonstrate an excellent level of foreign language proficiency.
And finally, the last method of career growth is moving to a new place in another company. If the previous two did not work, then this company cannot satisfy your requests. Most likely, several HR recruiters will immediately “take you away” on the market, and then a job offer is just a stone’s throw away.
Advancing up the career ladder is a very difficult process, especially taking into account the fact that competition in absolutely all specialties is now greatly increasing. Therefore, you really need to have outstanding talent and presentation skills to seriously apply for a promotion. Remember, only the best can improve their career, so you may want to check out some ways to accelerate your career growth so you can achieve success faster.
Work on goals that matter
Career growth is about moving forward. But you won't be able to move forward if you don't have specific goals. Therefore, if your superiors do not set them for you, set them yourself so that you can always strive for something. Only progress will allow you to grow and thereby qualify for higher positions. At the same time, try not to scatter yourself on all sorts of small and not the most significant goals - play big, and then you can get a decent win. Of course, tasks that you can easily perform semi-automatically are easier to work with, but something that almost everyone can handle will not lead to a promotion.
Organization
If you want to advance your career rather than always stay at the same level, you may need good system organizing your working time. Previously, it was not easy to create or find one, but now, in the Internet era, there are a variety of organizers and electronic diaries that have enormous functionality and allow you to organize your work process in the best possible way. So don't stop using high technology, if they can really help you in your daily work.
Learn to earn more
Don't think that doing your daily work will help you grow. You will not only be able to advance your career, but even gain new skills and abilities that would help you. So don't try to move up by just doing what is required of you - learn more. On the Internet you can now find a huge variety of courses that will help you gain new skills absolutely free. And already using these skills, you will be able to fight for promotion and further advancement in your career.
Power
High positions always come with ever-increasing amounts of power. Almost every person dreams of gaining more power - at least a little more. However, it is one thing to gain power, and another thing to use it and control it. This task looks much more complex, but necessary to solve. After all, if you cannot retain power and direct it in the right direction, then you should not even think about higher positions than the one you are currently in.
Focus on results, not time
Almost all people start their careers with jobs that pay you based on the time you work. Therefore, many people begin to equate time worked with value created. However, it is hardly possible to come up with a statement further from the truth. You can sit looking out the window for several hours at your workplace - and at the same time you will not create any benefit, although you will receive your money for the “time worked”. At the lowest positions this is possible, but if you aim higher, then you need to forget about such a thing as hourly wages or hours worked. The higher your position, the more emphasis is placed on what you did, rather than how much time you spent on the job. Proper goal setting is the key to success.
Take full advantage
Many people work in companies and don’t even think about what exactly this can give them. They focus only on getting a salary and well-deserved rest on weekends and vacations. But if you are focused on promotion and career advancement, then you need to carefully study all the advantages that your work position gives you. And after studying all the information, you can use it to move up your career ladder as effectively as possible.
Respect the network
If you work for any company, then you must understand that this is not about you. First of all, we are talking about the company itself, which consists of tens or even hundreds of employees forming a dense network. If you work in small company, then you should study and respect the entire network - remember your colleagues’ birthdays, their favorite foods and movies in order to establish a good relationship with everyone. As you move up the career ladder, you may need the support of your team, so you better get everyone to have a positive attitude towards you.
Watch your health
Yours main value- it's you, your brain, your ability to work. Value yourself and protect yourself, take care of your health so as not to lose your ability to work.
Conflict management
If you want to move up the career ladder, then you will need to thoroughly develop your conflict management skills, since more high levels This is the skill that is most revered.