Some of the best career advice will come to you from your colleagues. Some will come from your mentors. But some can come from the industry, because at the end of the day, professionals often deal with the same challenges over the course of their careers. Here’s a collection of the very best advice shared across the IT profession to help you navigate the ups and downs of your career.
Remember that People Are Counting on You
When you are part of a team, the need is clear. You are responsible for being present and prepared, and the people you work with are counting on you to do so. Punctuality or a lack of preparedness leaves a strong impression on your coworkers. That impression is that you either don’t care about them enough to show up on time or ready to discuss important topics. Or that you don’t have your act together to do so. When you are working on a contract, you only have a short period of time to make a good impression. Things like punctuality can be more influential on someone’s impression of your professionalism because there is not a lot of time to develop other impressions. Or recover from bad first impressions. So put the extra effort to make sure your managers and coworkers see your best side.
Volunteer for Challenging Projects
If you want to grow in your career in IT, you can’t just wait for new projects to land in your lap. You need to seek out increasingly difficult projects to show your growth. When asking for more responsibility doesn’t result in clear differences, there are things you can do on your own as well to build that trust. One of the most important things you can do is to offer to help others where help is needed. Challenge yourself to identify and then work to solve complex problems that don’t have a clear solution. Your expertise and experience can help you look at things from a unique perspective. Once you are able to address real world challenges, responsibility will likely come your way whether or not you ask for it. So put yourself out there and see how you can push your career forward with an aim to develop your skills even further.
Feedback Is A Gift
Top performers will regularly solicit input and feedback on their work efforts in order to better understand what is expected and what they can do to improve. The ability to accept criticism and learn from the feedback of others is critical to personal and professional growth. Maintaining a certain authenticity through this process is also a great trait for potential leadership to have. Rather than getting defensive, great employees ask for how they can improve. Then act on those recommendations when they are on point. It’s a professional strength and a sign that someone is eager to move forward beyond their current stage.
Recognize the Value of Networking
Professional networking is the single most successful tool in advancing your career. This is true across most professions, and IT is no outlier. But it can be difficult for IT professionals to network outside of their current company as those interactions don’t happen as naturally as other professions. Often, IT professionals have difficulty reaching out and making high quality connections without coming across as needy, forced, or time consuming. But seeking out and making those connections can be the most rewarding thing you do in your career, so make the effort and take the time.
For more great advice on building your career in IT, connect with the recruiting team at ESGI today.
