How to Use Work Experience to Maximize Career Success

Research indicates that we retain only 10% of what we hear; 20% of what we see; 65% of what we hear and see; but 90% of what we hear, see, and do. Every day at work we demonstrate what we hear, see and do when we use a combination of our knowledge, wisdom and skill to perform a task or plan what we will do at a later date. This combination of intellect, insight and ability is called experience. We learn from our experiences. If they are positive, we tend to repeat them again and again until we become proficient and our skill levels increase. If they are negative, we file them away in the back of our minds as cautions or red flags to be recalled when a potentially dangerous situation threatens. Experiences are dynamic. It’s
really up to us to take charge of our experiences and not let them just happen to us. This article identifies 7 steps to take to use your experiences to maximize career success.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Act on the data, facts and information you have, and apply them to work responsibilities and situations. Knowledge by itself is useless and unproductive. You gain work experience when you put into practice all you
   have learned.

2. 

   Connect with people and wholeheartedly become engaged in your work. Job Experience is gained when you are continually and actively involved over a period of time.

3. 

   Increase your ability to work collaboratively with others. You impact others through your work experiences, and as a result, their experience levels increase.

4. 

   Apply the invaluable lessons you have learned from your work experiences and move forward. You are shaped by your experiences. They are the sum total of things you have done, had done to you, as well as your past thoughts and feelings.

5. 

   Over the next week, take a small career break—a time-out to reconsider, reflect and do some career planning. Your work experience is an integral part of who you are, and consists of every job or assignment you have ever had.

6. 

   Identify three things you could do differently on your job to increase your career success.

7. 

   Develop a plan to enhance your job experience and overcome the obstacles that are holding you back at work.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, it’s not what you know that counts; it’s what you do with what you know that counts. That's experience!
• Use the resources below to maximize your work experience and achieve career success.

Resources

• Turn Your Work Experience Into Career Success!
• Take Your Career to the Next Level

[EnlightenedPen]

on 6/29/2008 I like step 5, I think we all need to take the timt to reflect and focus on our career direction