Chapter 16. On-the-Job Promotion
You're hired! Now what?
For many, the job search is the sum total of their career planning experience. In many cases, an employee simply becomes bogged down in the day-to-day work and loses sight of long-term objectives. For others, the job was the objective, and career planning from a long-term perspective has never crossed their mind.
The first group of career builders becomes focused on training and skills that help them maintain their current position. They become process-driven, ensuring that their skills meet the current and short-term demands. Although it is important to ensure that you have the skills to meet your current job requirements, if that becomes the total focus of your training and development program, you will find yourself stagnant in your career growth.
Opportunity, the kind that can greatly enhance careers, is developed when you not only meet your job responsibilities, but when you acquire the skills you need to enhance and grow your responsibilities. This increases your sphere of influence and separates you from the rank and file.
In this chapter, you will learn some of the skills you need to keep your career moving forward while on the job. This is a critical juncture in career development. Fight the tendency to rest on your laurels after you have landed a job or experienced small successes.