4 Tips for an unstoppable career

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Building a career takes a tremendous amount of dedication and focus.  Career women A.K.A. the “Girl Boss” deserve to be celebrated and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t join the rank.  While it may require you to go to university and excel in your textbook knowledge, a career requires a lot more than a degree certificate.  Here are my top 4 tips for an unstoppable career.  If you bear these in mind in addition to the material substance of your job requirements, you will be guaranteed to have a wildly successful career ahead of you.

Time is everything.

Show up on time for every single meeting.  If you take away only one of my 4 tips for an unstoppable career, be sure it’s this one.  Never miss a deadline.  At worst, if you foresee that a task or project will take longer than expected, notify the affected party as soon as you have this realisation.  Your time-keeping skills can make or break your career.

First impressions are lasting.

The second of my 4 tips for an unstoppable career may seem unbelievably obvious but you would be surprised how many people forget about this one.  Your manners should always be impeccable.  No doubt your parents taught you this lesson but here’s another reminder.  You never know how life might work – be rude at someone in the grocery store when you’re in a hurry and then find yourself sitting opposite them in a boardroom in which the power sits with them.  In that case, you’ve blown your chance before you’ve even opened your mouth.  You might as well pack your bags and walk.  I’ve heard many, many stories similar to this scenario so it happens more often than you’d think.  Take care to avoid any situation such as this one by simply being a nice human.

Always remember that presentation is key.  You don’t need to spend a fortune on your appearance but you do need to ensure that you are neat – clothes ironed, nails groomed, no laddered stockings, you know the drill.  Prepare in advance.

Prior to a meeting, always ensure that you know who you’re meeting with and the topic of the meeting.  You will set a great impression if you know a little about the person with whom your meeting and, most importantly, you can prepare for the subject of the meeting to ensure you have a great foundation for any questions you may be asked or you will be able to suggest alternative successful strategies.  If you aren’t well researched and end up flipping through your unorganised pages, you will create the impression that you aren’t dedicated to your work and ultimately, you will miss out on a new client or a promotion.

Keep in contact. 

This is a piece of wisdom that an old boss shared with me early on in my career and it most definitely deserves its place here as one of my 4 tips for an unstoppable career.  Stay in touch with old friends from school, university, previous workplaces.  Malcolm Gladwell stated in one of his (many) incredible books that the majority of hires are made by a personal referral.  This is so true.  People find great comfort in being referred to a person through a mutual acquaintance rather than over a blind introduction.   Similarly, work often flows from one to another in this way.  Stay in touch with others.  You could pass work on to another making you a valuable resource and often people are more than willing to return the favour.  Pick up the phone.  Drop a quick mail.  Have a quick coffee catch-up.  There is truth in the proverb “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.

Stay current.

Sign up for mailing lists for whichever subject your career is specific in.  Whatever field you find yourself in, there are always fantastic lists to subscribe to that you can glimpse through in a couple minutes each day.  If you see there is a new course available, sign up for it and learn as much as possible on the topic.  Dedicating yourself to the constant study of your field will ensure you are on top of your game and your clients will love you for it.  It will keep them coming back for more of your work.  Pride yourself on becoming an expert and invaluable to those who use your services.  It makes a big difference when scaling your career.

I hope you are able to take away a few great pointers from my 4 tips for an unstoppable career.  I celebrate great career women and I encourage you to inspire the others you work with.  There is a great amount of power in a woman that takes her career seriously and there are, in my opinion, never enough women at the top.  Let’s look upward, move forward and meet at the top.  Good luck.  Go make the most of your unbelievable skills.