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Turning a job into a career is about having vision; you need to see the big picture as well as how you can position yourself to obtain success over the long term. And though the idea seems complicated, it doesn’t have to be a chore. To help you take a job and craft it into your dream career, here are three simple things to help you head in the right direction.

1.Establish Yourself in the Field

A successful career often involves making strong connections with the right people. And part of that journey means building relationships with customers, co-workers and professional acquaintances with other organizations. This network will help support your long-term aspirations and can be the difference between just having a job and developing a career.

But a robust network won’t necessarily form without some investment on your part. Dedicate time to keeping connections strong, be that in person, over social media or through other communication mechanisms. Additionally, you may need to invest some funds and attend events that target your ideal network, like trade shows and conferences.

2.Manage Your Reputation

The reputation you have today will follow you throughout the next few steps in your career, if not indefinitely. This means you need to focus on having integrity in all of your dealings, and actively work to ensure feedback regarding your work is positive.

Professionals in every industry pass on information about their dealings with other companies and individual representatives. And bad word-of-mouth can hurt your chances of turning your job into a successful career. Focus on always being polite and professional. Avoid taking shortcuts that compromise the quality of your work, and never lie or withhold critical truths during your business dealings.

If you can demonstrate you’re a person of integrity, you may find growing your network is simple as people have a positive impression of you even if you have never actually met.

3.Be Accessible

One of the easiest ways to bolster a positive reputation is through responsiveness. When someone reaches out to you in a professional capacity; reply quickly. Even if you don’t know an answer to a question today, you can still send a quick note acknowledging the request, as this lets the recipient know their needs are on your radar.

By being seen as accessible within your chosen field, you are more likely to be seen as a go-to contact for the products or services you provide. However, it is important to extend your level of responsiveness to all dealings, even if they don’t specifically benefit you directly. Again, this helps you create an ideal reputation and increases the likelihood a person who initially sent a general inquiry will later send you something that can benefit you both.

Putting it Together

Much of the process involved in turning a job into a career is about your personal dedication to creating and maintaining the right relationships. While other efforts, such as acquiring additional training and education are also valuable, many won’t hold much meaning if you cannot position yourself as a go-to resource in the field.

If you are interested in more tips for creating a career from your job or are looking for new employment opportunities, the professional staff at Resolution Technologies can help you move forward. Contact us to speak with one of our skilled recruiters today and see how your job can become so much more.

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