williamlesslier

Relish the challenge of gaining a promotion and the added responsibility? A few simple steps can improve your chances

Accepting that we want to get on in our careers is the easy bit. It’s choosing the path towards career success that is difficult. Should you focus on your self-image and work on appearing more professional? You could instead put in extra hours at your desk to impress your superiors. Or perhaps you can follow the mantra of ‘It’s not what you know…’ and try to ingratiate yourself with the right people near the top. While these tactics work for some, there are better, more fulfilling, ways of improving your career prospects…

Improve your reputation

If you’re serious about improving yours skills and proving that you’ve got the ability to get ahead, don’t settle for any old short course. Quality and reputation are key in military resume writing and that can mean it’s best to go for management and leadership qualifications which offer greater quality assurance to clients about your management capability. After all, they’re independent verification of your abilities. By improving your management credentials, you can become a selling point for your organization's activities, giving your career a leg-up in the process.

Go soft

The bedrock of effective management is formed out of such “soft” skills as listening, good communication and workplace emotional intelligence. And since these are skills eagerly sought after by employers, you can give your career a boost by improving the way you interact with others. A course such as CMI’s Level 4 Management and Leadership is one route. It covers team dynamics, creation of organizational culture and managing for equality and diversity.

Increase your productivity

Not only do qualifications improve your professional credibility to others, they also turbocharge your productivity – as well as that of your organization. At a time when 43% of line managers consider their line managers to be ineffective, you can get ahead by improving your fundamental workplace skills. Nine out of ten managers confirm their decision-making, change management skills and strategic awareness were all improved after completing a management qualification .If only the ineffective 43% would follow suit!

Get chartered

Want to go beyond qualifications? Chartered Manager is a seal of quality on your CV that shows you have transferable skills and have demonstrated your ability to make an impact in the workplace. Chartered Managers report that they’re better managers after getting chartered: more self-aware about how their actions affect others, and more confident in taking the lead. What’s more, the evidence suggests they add £391,443 in value to their organizations, marking Chartered Managers as proven high-performers.

Boost your exposure

It’s easy to overlook the access that studying for a management qualification may afford you. For instance, some management and leadership qualifications demand that their students present a work-based improvement project to senior management. Otherwise, seek shadowing opportunities or secondments. Daunting, possibly, but where there is risk, so lies opportunity. The exposure such projects give you may well prove more important than having your recommendations implemented, and the experience of dealing with senior decision-makers could prove invaluable.