We are a team dedicated to empowering women to gain independence and confidence through skills training. Career networking involves using personal, professional, academic, or familial contacts to assist with a job search, achieve career goals, learn more about your field, or another field you’d like to work in.
Powerful Career Strategies for Women: 10 tips for Advancement
- Always have a current resume:
Without a well-written, well-organized resume, you will not be able to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. My most important career advice for women is to learn how to write a resume that will make you competitive in today’s market.
If you feel intimidated by the prospect, using a professional resume builder and professional cover letter builder can help you write a cover letter that emphasized the most impressive credentials on your new resume.
- Develop a strong personal brand and be visible:
One of the best pieces of career advice for women is to develop a strong personal brand. A strong personal brand and a strong reputation can put you on the radar for exciting career opportunities. So, get visible and make sure you are clear on what your unique skills and accomplishments are. You need to be able to tell your career story in a concise and interesting way.
- Build your network:
Network both inside and outside of your organization so that you have options if your situation changes. You want people to remember your name when interesting projects are being discussed. Get to know the right people and impress them with your work. Building a strong network is worth time and effort – this is a piece of career advice for women and men alike.
- Ask for feedback:
Another bit of career advice for women is to ask for feedback. The only way to improve is to know what to improve on. Feedback will help you meet expectations and avoid any miscommunications that might jeopardize your prospects for growth. Employees who proactively ask for feedback from management and then implement it wisely typically end up being the top performers in their field.
- Always take on new challenge:
If you are asked to do something that excites you but that you are not sure you are completely ready for, always say yes – you will figure out the “how” later.
- Be persistent:
Do not give up, if you really want that job or promotion. Sometimes things do not happen as fast as we would like but once you have set yourself a goal, be single minded about it. Write down your goals, review them regularly and get support to achieve them. I have noticed I was procrastinating on creating my online course as I felt too overwhelmed. Since I have hired a coach, the progress was significantly faster, and my course is almost complete!
- Be someone people want to work with:
If you do a bit more than what is expected of you, you will often be recognized. Also, always behave with integrity and kindness – do not ever be bitchy at work. You could be the most qualified person but if people do not trust you, or you are not likeable, it will be hard for you to achieve your career goals.
- Plan your career:
Career planning is an important career advice for women who might have more twists and turns in their career than men e.g. due to taking time off to raise family. Having career goals will not only will it allow you to track your progress, but it will allow you to make alterations if your circumstances change.
- Find a career mentor:
The best mentors are often senior women that you establish a relationship with and then they end up being a sounding board for you. Put yourself out there and get to know senior women in your organization and if they reciprocate your interest, you can then build the relationship like you would any other relationship.
- Self-promote:
A lot of women feel uncomfortable talking about their accomplishments. However, if nobody apart from people you work closely with knows about your contributions, you are in a more vulnerable position in case of any organizational changes.