For some time now, column inches have flowed on the subject of our re-defined employment market and its wider impact on career development. But on one thing the Commentators are all agreed – nowadays when it comes to career development, the ball is firmly in your court.
Years ago, longevity was key. People joined one organisation and stayed there until their retirement. These days, modern businesses such as Innovex, are at the forefront of new trends in employment, flexing their resources continually to meet the needs of their customers and empowering their people to make change work for them in their careers. To the uninitiated with the ‘old school’ outlook this can seem a little daunting, but Innovex is several steps ahead of many more traditional organisations, providing the resources and the frameworks that support individual career development.
Structured career pathways, ongoing career management, formal training and self-managed learning through the Training Resource Centre (TRC), are all hallmarks of Innovex today. As an organisation committed to growing its business through developing its people - and with an extensive range of services and roles on offer - the potential for self development and progression within Innovex is considerable. But, as with every other contemporary company, it’s up to the individual to take advantage of the tools and support at their disposal and make things happen in their career.
Generally speaking, opportunities come to those who know what they are looking for and take the appropriate steps to find it. So the first step to managing your career successfully, is to work out exactly where you want to go. As Rob Yeung, Business Psychologist at leading organisation consultants Kiddy and Partners, explains: “Knowing what you want will make you happy. But knowing what you are good at will make you successful.”
Talking to your manager and your colleagues and even finding yourself a mentor, are equally valid methods of identifying objective answers to these questions, and you can take this one stage further by asking your manager for a career management meeting, to explore these issues and the options open to you, on a one-to-one basis. The current climate and company performance also have a bearing on the number and nature of opportunities available at any one time, and so you may need to think outside the box and be prepared to make lateral moves to reach your end destination. Taking on additional, related responsibilities within your existing role can have the combined advantage of raising your profile with those who have influence over your career, in addition to providing you with the opportunity to acquire the requisite skills for the role you are seeking.
Ultimately, progression is dependent not only upon your ability, but also upon the right opportunity becoming available, so networking with colleagues who work in the areas of interest to you, can be a useful and informal way of identifying a suitable opening. In short, once you have decided where you want to go next, the more you can do to keep close to developments in that area, to boost your skills and ensure you are equipped to make that move when the opportunity arises - the more likely you are to succeed. |
