What separates those who want to progress in their careers from those who actually achieve success? It’s not enough to dream about promotions, great new jobs, and higher pay, you have to develop a plan to achieve those goals. The factors that determine whether or not you succeed are motivation, personal initiative, and taking the steps (ACTIONS) necessary to make your dreams come true.
Many corporations and federal agencies encourage employees to develop their careers and enhance their knowledge and skillsets. However, it’s the employee’s responsibility to discuss their career aspirations with supervision to discover available upward mobility opportunities within the organization.
The potential for upward mobility in the private and federal sectors is excellent for those who identify and aggressively pursue their career goals.
Self-Assessment (First Step)
A through self-assessment provides and inventory of your skills, knowledge, abilities, interests, accomplishments, values, networking contacts, and personal traits as demonstrated in your day-to-day activities at work, school, home and in the community. Include previous jobs and the following areas in your assessment:
- Previous jobs
- Duties and responsibilities
- Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Details and temporary promotions
- Key Contacts
- Education and Training Profiles
- Other training / certifications
- Association memberships, positions held, and committees served on
- Community activities
- Hobbies and recreational activities
- Personal interest inventory
This process may affirm that you are already in a satisfying and rewarding position or it could steer you to a totally different occupation. Either way, you have opportunities to progress or make significant changes to enhance your work life.
Explore Opportunities
Current employees start with an advantage. Unlike those looking for their first job, you have a sense of what’s available and may know of a number of desirable positions worth exploring. Many employees deal with various departments within their organization and interact with specialists from many fields. You may already have an informal network that you deal with on a regular basis.
Use this network to find out more about desired positions, qualifications, educational requirements, etc. During your research you may discover areas that need improvement.
Research options with other companies or federal agencies that better suit your self-assessment and personal traits. If you identify a desired field significantly different from your current position, additional skills, education and training may be needed to meet basic qualifications.
Federal sector jobs are posted on www.usajobs.gov or sites like ClearanceJobs.com. The job announcement lists qualifications and training requirements for that position. Many seek out secure high paying federal government jobs for their exceptional benefits and three-tiered retirement plan.
Use the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) to identify qualifications, training, and average salary for most job titles. They also list related occupations that you can research.
Obtaining Needed Skills and Training
If new training and skills are required for a desired position or career, your organization may pay for this training and offer lateral details to gain needed experience. I used the GI bill to pay for most of my college education after leaving the military to enhance my management and business skills.
Early in my career, I required a first-class FCC license to maintain the same avionics systems in the private sector that I worked on with the military. I studied for months to take and pass the exam and obtain certification to maintain commercial avionics and broadcasting equipment.
This license opened up many other positions and I took a part time job at a local radio station to utilize my license and to explore the commercial broadcasting sector.
The path to a federal job
This doesn’t happen overnight; it takes patience and perseverance to achieve your goals. Once you start on this path, perform a basic assessment, research desired positions, and set your goals you will be well on your way to improving your situation. Start today and outline an action plan to begin your journey.
