How to Look for Career Opportunities EVERYWHERE and Act on Them

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Notebook & Pen
Time
Positive Attitude
Out-of-the-box/Unconventional Thinking

Step 1

Without neglecting your current boss or job responsibilities, spend some time meeting and talking with co-workers, other managers, customers and vendors to build a larger personal community. Plan to either attend one networking event a month, or to have lunch/coffee with someone.
Step 2

Decide to feel differently about your career goals. In addition to focusing on the quantitative goals you wish to achieve, consider relational ones as well—how you want to “feel” about your customers, co-workers, and the company, and how you can meet their needs. As a result, you’ll approach your interactions differently and develop more meaningful relationships, leading to an improved work life and a high-level career.
Step 3

Stop doing more of what you've always done. Explore whether you're blaming others for problems in your work or career instead of examining your own personal and leadership styles.
Step 4

Join career-related associations or professional groups. Consider even the hobby related groups. You never know when a surprising career opportunity may surface.
Step 5

Be clear about where you want to be. Visualize where you'd like to be in one, three and five years. This includes the type of job you'd like, where it's located, whom you want to work for and with, and your pay expectations. This way, you'll have a goal in mind and make better choices.
Step 6

Make sure you have back-up plans in the event your job situation changes beyond your control.
Step 7

Excel in your current position. The best way to be visible and rise higher in your career is by being passionate about your work and doing it exceptionally well.
Step 8

Market yourself within your existing company. If you're doing an outstanding job and higher ups don't seem to be noticing you, perhaps you aren't talking about yourself enough. Many people do not “toot their own horns” because they do not want to appear conceited. They expect others to notice what they've done, but unfortunately, we are all a little selfish and only pay attention to our own accomplishments. Therefore, sometimes you have to tell people what you’ve done.
Step 9

Refuse to remain “stuck” where you are if you are unhappy in your work. Choose to be satisfied and happy, and find ways to make this choice a reality.
Step 10

Consider leaving your current work situation behind and moving toward something new or different to complete what's missing in your current job and work environment.
Step 11

Develop an action plan to identify and take advantage of every career opportunity that comes your way. Use it to map out a new career or revamp your career goals. Remember, the opportunities are endless.
Step 12

Uncover any obstacles and roadblocks. Many obstacles and barriers may be preventing you from pursuing a different kind of occupation or changing the way you work. They might include age, money, time, education or lack of experience. Learn how to get around them.
Step 13

Determine your success motivators. Seek to identify the things that energize, stimulate and give you a sense of personal fulfillment.
Step 14

Work at being successful. Any dramatic success takes preparation and hard work. It's not enough to be ambitious. It would be great to skip having to make investments of time, energy, and money in skill- and credential-building and go straight to the rewards. But there's a learning curve. The lessons and skills you learn on the path to accomplishment can be as rewarding as the goal itself.
Step 15

Consider the little wins as well as the giant successes. Little wins add up to big wins and are more easily achievable. They include the satisfaction of resolving a customer dispute, gaining a new skill, writing a report, getting a good performance appraisal, improving on an existing ability, and learning to handle constructive criticism. These little victories are the building blocks of a good reputation, the name you acquire for yourself through your work.
Step 16

Pursue your career dream with dauntless persistence. Understand your career path, and what you may personally need to do to develop, advance, or even change your career. A career path is the road that will lead you to your career goals.
Step 17

Celebrate your talent, skills and competencies. Learn more about the careers that are available to someone with your skills and training and identify the path you need to take to get there.
Step 18

Manage your own behavior. Your feelings can be your ally or your enemy. Use them to create and accomplish meaningful goals, rather than engage in self-sabotage. Between feeling and productive action lies rational thought. Before acting spontaneously on negative feelings, calm down and then develop and implement an effective action plan.
Step 19

Take calculated risks. When building a career in the competitive work world, you must be willing to take risks to reap the rewards you seek. A key to successful risk-taking is knowing your risk tolerance. To do that, you must be able to evaluate the potential consequences of your decisions and be prepared to live with worst-case scenarios.
Step 20

Learn how to perform under pressure. In today's fast-paced business world, many companies operate on tight budgets and lean staff levels. Employees across the board are managing larger workloads and longer hours. Now more than ever, success can depend on your ability to show grace under pressure.