Quality Experience to Advance Your Career

I’ve been promoted 11 times in 20 years at 6 companies Here’s how I did it: 1. Eliminate entitled expectations and patiently play the long game 2. Be truly exceptional in your current role - don’t underestimate how long it takes to achieve mastery 3. Clarify and communicate your long term career goals including your ideal next step  - it is not up to your manager or anyone else to do this for you 4. Demonstrate you can do the next role by taking on key responsibilities of that position - you don’t need to ask permission to solve important business problems 5. Make your manager’s life easier, become indispensable to them and seize learning opportunities to take projects off their plate 6. Lead by example by exuding optimism, assuming positive intent and helping others, especially through challenging times 7. Don’t complain and only talk about problems, design and implement solutions that drive real results 8. Act like an owner and don’t let your current job description hold you back from doing what is required for the business to be successful  9. Respond to inevitable disappointment gracefully and don’t give up  10. Choose the company and evaluate the hiring manager wisely - a great company and an invested manager are two key ingredients to create the conditions for career advancement My biggest lesson 20 years into my career: The promotions are great but don't feel as good as you think they will - focus on the journey and the process, that's the good stuff #personaldevelopment

Looking to advance your career in 2024? As a business owner, I take note of the individuals who increase their knowledge and develop new skills throughout the year. These are the employees I evaluate first when filling leadership positions because they know our culture, are proficient in their current role, understand what it takes to help others succeed, and have taken the initiative to continually improve their skills and their value within our business.   If you want to advance your career, remember not all training or development programs provide the same value. Just like deciding what capital investments will generate the best returns for a business, you have to identify and evaluate what opportunities provide the greatest return on your investment, both financially and your time commitment.   The snack industry provides a variety of programs with a balance of experiential education, leadership training, collaborative problem-solving, and interactive sessions. Many of our managers have enjoyed the leadership training offered by SNAC International as its programs bring together educational, organizational, and industry experts to provide a holistic perspective. SNAC International also offers advocacy sessions that bring together industry leaders and members of Congress to discuss how legislative policy affects the industry. I strongly encourage employees to seek development opportunities outside industry associations, as well. The Lehigh Valley Manufacturers Resource Center, our region’s chapter of the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center Network (IRC) and the Federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) programs, offers training opportunities that can broaden an employee’s knowledge beyond their coworkers. Local Chambers of Commerce, like Greater Reading Chamber Alliance and its Family Business Alliance, are also valuable sources for technical training.   Other forums and groups offer continuous training instead of set sessions that are very impactful. These groups provide insights into areas of operation including production, manufacturing, marketing, and more.   The goal is to continually expand your knowledge to increase your value within your business and potentially open new doors for future growth.

I remember being so upset when I didn't get advancement opportunities at work. I quickly learned that being a "good" performer often means being overlooked when it comes to career acceleration. Good performance leaves you in the people pile with the majority of employees. The key to career acceleration is to stand out. The best way to stand out is to Exceed Expectations. I realized I had to get very clear on what exceeding expectations meant to my leader. Here are some questions I asked: 1️⃣ What needs to be true for me to exceed your expectations?  2️⃣ What did the last person in this position do very well and where did they miss the mark?  3️⃣ What would you say are my strengths? How can I grow them further? 4️⃣ What are my opportunity areas? How do you suggest I grow in these areas? By asking these questions and acting on the feedback, I started to stand out. Leaders started to notice, and I started to get offered more opportunities inside and outside of my organization. 🌟 Don't settle for being just another face in the office —aim to stand out and reach your career goals whatever they are. You got this! 💪 How are you ensuring that you exceed expectations in your workplace? Share your strategies in the comments below. 👇 #LeadershipCoaching #CareerDevelopment #ThoughtLeadership

Here's the promotion strategy most professionals completely miss: being amazing at your current job doesn't automatically get you promoted. I see this mistake constantly. People think exceptional performance equals advancement, but that's not how promotion decisions actually work. Companies don't promote you for mastering your current role - they promote you when you've already proven you can handle the next level. Here's the strategic shift you need to make: Stop waiting for recognition of past achievements. Start demonstrating future capabilities right now. How to operate at the next level before you get there: 1. Think beyond your immediate responsibilities - Understand broader business challenges and opportunities. Your perspective needs to expand beyond your current scope. 2. Contribute strategic insights, not just status updates - During meetings, present solutions and analysis, not just task completion reports. 3. Communicate with next-level authority - Present solutions, not just problems. Your communication style should reflect the level you want, not where you are. 4. Take initiative on stretch projects - Demonstrate leadership capability before receiving the formal title. Show them you can handle increased responsibility. The visibility factor is everything: Companies promote people who have already proven they can handle more responsibility, not those who might be capable with proper development. By consistently operating at your desired level, you make promotion the logical next step rather than a developmental risk. You eliminate the guesswork about your readiness and position yourself as the obvious choice when opportunities arise. What strategies have you found most effective for demonstrating readiness for advancement? Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://vist.ly/3ycta #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #careeradvancement #promotionstrategies #leadershipdevelopment #careerstrategist

Ethan Evans went from managing 6 people to over 800 at Amazon. He credits The Magic Loop for his quick rise over just 8 years. The Magic Loop is a framework that will accelerate your career. It will accelerate your job search as well! Here's what it is... 1️⃣ Do Your Current Job Well The most surefire way to advance in your career is to be good at your job. In your job: This allows people to trust that you're someone to invest time and energy into. In your job search: It also makes you one of the first ones people think of when they see an attractive job opening that needs to be filled. In Step 2, if you go to your manager and ask how you can help and their answer is, "Do your job," you're not ready to move on. 2️⃣ Ask Your Manager How You Can Help Managers put on a pretty face, but everyone needs help. In your job: Ask your manager what they need help with or even better, identify areas that they need help with for them and ask to help them with it. In your job search: Ask the team at your target organization about the problems they have. Dig deep to understand the specifics and how you can help. Be the most helpful person on the team. 3️⃣ Do What They Ask If you do steps 1 and 2 but don't execute on step 3 you may do more harm than good. It's critical that once you say you're going to do something... you do it! In your job: Understand the task at hand, create a plan for execution, share that plan with your manager, begin execution, and share regular updates with your manager. Upon completion, share results, next steps, and ask for more. In your job search: Take the problems you have uncovered, create a resource that solves the problem for them (case study, playbook, spreadsheet, etc.) and send it to the team. Bonus points for offering to do free work to implement it for them. 4️⃣ Ask For Work That Advances Your Career Many people think their manager has the superpower of mind reading. No one is thinking about you and your career as much as you are. And you don't get what you don't ask for. In your job: Seek tasks that interest you and improve your skills, aiding your 5-year career goals while benefiting the company. In your job search: Look for roles that bridge your current skills and your 5-year objectives. Once you've proven your skills, ask to discuss potential team openings and how you can be an asset to the company. 5️⃣ Repeat The Process The cycle continues with more good work. In your job: This is what leads to promotions. In your job search: Once you have executed all 5 steps for one target company, move on to executing them for your next target company. This process works and has been proven in both careers and job searches to produce outsized results. As you can see, it takes work. But the ones who get where they want to go are willing to do the work. --------------------------- P.S. Enjoy this? Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for more. #startups #startupjobs #hiring #jobsearch

𝗜𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 - 𝟱 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝗧𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 - Employees often assume (wrongly) that their hard work and results will be enough when leaders make decisions about their future growth and promotion opportunities. Performance is critical for advancing your career, but it is far from the only reason employees get promoted. 𝟱 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫: 𝟭) 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 - Clearly communicate that you desire guidance, feedback, and coaching to improve your performance and development. If you and your manager do not have ongoing conversations about your career development, it is your responsibility to initiate these conversations. Take the responsibility to ask your manager if you can set up quarterly meetings that focus on your performance and ongoing development. Show up prepared to engage with them about your performance, future development, and career aspirations. 𝟮) 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 Visibility matters, when you have occasion to mention accomplishments to your leaders, do so. Clearly let them know that you enjoyed being involved and that you were excited about your contribution. When you receive compliments from clients or customers, request that they send a note to your manager and their manager. It is okay for you to be an advocate for yourself! 𝟯) 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 - The benefits of receiving feedback include increased self-awareness and improved performance. For you to truly receive honest feedback, they must be deliberate about creating a safe environment by actively giving permission and expressing openness and desire to receive feedback. 𝟰) 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 - To be recognized as an individual who can take on greater responsibilities, employees need to demonstrate advanced social and emotional skills that are necessary to navigate important, complex, and relational situations. Companies need employees to be effective at their tasks, contribute to others' performance, and use others' contributions to improve their performance. 𝟱) 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫 - A senior-level mentor can have a broader view of potential future opportunities, introduce you to their peers, and advocate for development opportunities. Being strategic about navigating your career is not manipulative or inauthentic. If you expect someone else to care about your career more than you do, you will always be disappointed. Being an advocate for your career is essential to achieving your professional aspirations. Do you agree? Share your COMMENTS below. ⬇️ 𝗛𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 🔔 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 | Tony Gambill   #leadership #management #careers #humanresources

My growth as an Individual Contributor across Amazon, Uber, PayPal, and Google wasn't an individual effort. It was a journey shaped by phenomenal leaders who invested in my development every step of the way. Working at some of the most inspiring companies, I've been truly blessed to have amazing guides along the way. From my first agency internship with Susan Elmore, to Becky Zavala, MBA Zavala at Dow Chemical, Natalie Domond in Amazon Operations, Christina Sorenson who gave me my first corporate role on the Amazon Incentives team, Ricky Rios my first manager in NYC leading our team through a new Amazon product launch, Nancy Joyce Ghosh at Uber and Purva Bhandari at Paul Murray Google. Each of these leaders took a chance on me and came from such different backgrounds. Their guidance allowed me to gain exposure to diverse strategic approaches, learn how to tailor communication for different audiences, think outside the box to solve tough problems, confidently promote my skills, and engage effectively with senior leadership. Having strong managers has played a monumental role in my career, and I am truly grateful for the lessons learned from their unique leadership styles. Here are some key tips I've learned that you can apply with your managers: - Structure Your 1:1s: Use your one-on-one meetings to highlight areas where you need clarity on prioritization or where your manager can help remove blockers for you. - Seek Exposure: Volunteer to shadow or sit in on meetings with your manager. This is invaluable for gaining additional exposure to what that next level looks like and how decisions are made. - Communicate Your Goals: Clearly articulate your career goals and the skills you want to develop. This enables your managers to actively seek out opportunities for you when they arise. - Ask for Real-Time Feedback: Always ask for open feedback in real-time. This allows you to course-correct immediately and continuously improve your performance and approach. A huge thank you to everyone who's been instrumental in my career journey! Your guidance has made all the difference. #Mentorship #CareerGrowth #Leadership #InterviewSuccess #CareerAdvice #MyJourneyToTech #ProfessionalDevelopment

Gaining experience is necessary for career development and can be done in various ways WITHOUT pursuing another degree. . . . Here are a few ways I have gained experience throughout my career: 👉🏾 Internships offer hands-on experience in a specific field or industry. They provide an opportunity for practical application, learning from professionals, and building your network. 👉🏾 Volunteering allows you to contribute your skills and time to meaningful causes while gaining valuable experience. Seek out volunteer opportunities in organizations or projects aligned with your career goals. This can help you develop new skills, expand your network, and demonstrate your dedication and commitment to potential employers. 👉🏾 Joining professional associations and attending industry-related events, conferences, and workshops. Participating in these events can provide opportunities to learn from experts, gain insights into industry trends, and potentially find mentors or job opportunities. 👉🏾 Completing relevant courses and obtaining certifications can enhance your knowledge and skills in specific areas and can demonstrate your commitment to learning and staying updated in your field. 👉🏾 Consider starting a side business or pursuing entrepreneurial ventures in line with your interests or skills. This allows you to gain firsthand experience in various aspects of business and it also showcases your initiative, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities. 👉🏾 Seek opportunities within your current workplace to collaborate on cross-functional projects or request a job rotation. Participating in different projects or roles exposes you to different aspects of the business and allows you to broaden your skill set and knowledge. 👉🏾 Identify professionals in your field who can serve as mentors or arrange shadowing experiences. Mentors can provide guidance, share their experiences, and help you navigate your career path. Shadowing allows you to observe and learn from professionals in action, gaining insights into their skills, decision-making processes, and industry dynamics. Remember, gaining experience is a continuous process, and it's important to actively seek opportunities, demonstrate initiative, and make the most of the resources available to you. By taking proactive steps to gain experience, you can strengthen your skill set, expand your network, and position yourself for career growth. ✨

High performers, here’s a career advancement tip: Every day after work, go home and spend 10 minutes writing down something you learned. Your job is a gold mine for insights and takeaways. Capture them. A snide co-worker provides human behavior insights. A production disaster provides operational lessons. The CEO hated your campaign idea, but you fought for it, and he changed his mind. Connect dots. Add your own take. Mix in humor. Share to your peers. Do it under an alias if you have to. Best case scenario, you become a thought leader in your discipline. Maybe a published author. Worst case scenario, you now have firsthand wisdom, jokes and aphorisms at the ready. Front of mind, tip of tongue. Soon you’re a bit sharper. Mentoring the new kid. Speaking at the company offsite. Crushing interviews. Getting promoted. Having fun. Writing is thinking, and thinkers win. 

Here’s a straightforward and effective strategy to propel your career forward: Step 1: Master the Art of Precision in Delivery Begin with the core responsibility: delivering on expectations with precision. Excellence in your work forms the bedrock of trust and reliability. It's about ensuring that your output not only meets but also aligns with anticipated outcomes. This step is crucial, as it establishes your reputation as a dependable and competent professional. Step 2: The Power of Adding a Little Extra Once you've mastered the art of delivering with precision, elevate your game by adding just a little more to your efforts – aim for an additional 5%. This isn't about overextending to the point of burnout, it's about integrating a marginal yet impactful enhancement to your work. Whether it's through added creativity, a deeper level of analysis, or simply going a step further in your service, this slight increase can significantly differentiate you from your peers. It’s the extra mile that’s less traveled and it yields disproportionate rewards. Think of it as a dinner mint with your meal - nothing huge from a cost perspective, but it certainly can move the needle and push a good experience over the edge, to greatness. Step 3: Embrace the Cycle of Continuous Improvement The journey of career advancement is ongoing. Thus, 'rinse and repeat' becomes your mantra. Consistency in delivering quality work, coupled with the habit of always providing just a bit more, becomes a powerful cycle of improvement. Each iteration not only enhances your skills and value but also solidifies your position as a standout professional in your field. Advancing in your career is not about the grand gestures but often about the subtle, consistent efforts that accumulate over time. How will you add that extra 5% to your next project?