The Key To Professional Success? Continued Learning!
Whether you are just starting in business, or have been working for several years in your industry, it is important to understand that there is always an opportunity for growth. Though you may consider yourself to be an expert in a particular topic, nobody knows everything.
If you want to see long-term, sustained success throughout your career - you need to be willing to accept the fact that there is always something else to learn that will allow you to do and be better.
In fact, a willingness to learn is often considered the key to professional success. This means that you must find ways to keep learning, even after you have secured your dream job.
With that in mind, here are just some of the ways you can continue to learn and grow at work!
Ask for feedback. During the first few months of your employment, you may be under review. This means you will gain consistent, constructive feedback on your performance. However, you can continue to ask your boss for guidance even after this probationary period is over. Instead of asking for praise - ask them to highlight the areas you need to work on. This is a great way to develop skills and become more confident in the workplace.
Consider signing up for additional courses. By now, you may think that your years of studying are far behind you - especially if you worked your way through a degree or two. However, additional studying is a great way to develop more specific knowledge and will always look great on your resume. For example, if you are an accountant working in the oil and gas industry, an APA (Accredited Petroleum Accountant) qualification can help diversify your knowledge and change the way you approach certain cases. You can learn more here about what the course offers.
Focus on transferable, useful skills. The chances are that you may not want to stay in your current job forever. For example, you may wish to climb the ladder towards a managerial position or work for a different company altogether. Therefore, you must focus on developing skills that you can use across various positions instead of your current one. For example, you may want to focus on enhancing your communication or time management skills.
Learn from others. Don’t underestimate the amount you can learn from those around you. Even if you have a position of seniority over other staff, they still have something they can teach you - whether they bring in fresh ideas to your company, or open your mind to a new approach that you had not considered before - you can learn something from each and every person you work with. For example, it is important to remember that everyone has lived through different experiences, that provide them with unique insights and valuable knowledge that you can learn from. Therefore, you should not be afraid to ask questions, though you can also learn quite a lot through observation. Either way, enter the workplace each day ready and willing to learn.
