Stay Relevant in the Workplace With These 6 Essential Career Tips

Rafael Magaña

Senior Director Of Development - Corporate Partnerships, Major Gifts, & Planned Giving

Published Nov 2, 2019

You never know what's around the corner. If you were to lose your job, do you think you could walk straight into another company without too much trouble? Too many employees rest on their laurels and don't keep in touch with their fields latest developments. However, all this does is hinder their chances of making progress in their careers. Make sure you don't fall into the same trap, and instead spend part of your working week exploring ways to stay relevant in the workplace.

1. There is Always More to Learn

If you want to keep pushing yourself, you should accept there are gaps in your knowledge. There are always ways to improve, and if you don't try to learn more, you will be quickly left behind. Embrace the challenge and be proactive in searching out new learning opportunities.

The hard part is not in the actual learning, but in finding what you should learn. It is easy to get stuck into habits with your work, and not realize there are other approaches, so explore everywhere. Google and the various social media outlets are all excellent starting points, but there are plenty of other options as well. Online videos can be a big help on YouTube or specialized blogs. There are also many online courses through websites such as Udemy or Coursera that can help you expand your horizons.

2. Expand Your Network

Staying relevant involves keeping up with the latest in your field. You stand the best chance of doing this if you widen your network of contacts. After all, the more people you meet, the more people you can learn from. Seeing how everybody else goes about their work can give you great pointers to use for yourself, boosting your career prospects.

LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for this. Almost every professional has an individual page, providing a simple method to reach out to others that have a similar skills. Not only this, but it is also a valuable means to find out what is happening in other companies to keep you up to date.

3. Keep up to Date by Freelancing in Your Field

If your skills allow it, consider freelancing outside of work hours. Working for yourself can be incredibly motivating, and freelance work puts you in contact with more people than in your day job. The more gigs you take on, the more you will see your skillset improve, and you will also get an idea of current demands.

Getting started with freelancing has never been easier, with companies such as UpWork, Toptal, Freelancer and Fiver offering a platform to advertise your services free of charge. If you want to be a bit more personalized, you could promote yourself on Craigslist or Gumtree, or even set up a company Facebook page to widen your reach. Think about how you can use your skills and try different approaches to reach the right audience for you.

4. Build an Online Presence

These days, almost everybody uses social media. However, not everyone is active in the right areas. Hidden beneath the cat photos and memes, is a fantastic opportunity to boost your career prospects, and connect with others to find information. To expand your knowledge, interact with companies, and respond to questions in your field.

If you are really enthusiastic, you could even start a blog. Regularly writing articles on your field will force you to research into different areas, while helping to cement the knowledge you gain. You should be looking at it as a learning experience, but you never know. If you get enough visitors, you could easily earn a nice secondary income.

5. Sometimes You Just Have to Ask

Bosses love to see a proactive workforce. Any spare time you get at work you can fill by exploring areas of the company that you may not be so familiar with. Ask your boss if there is anything outside your usual remit that you can lend a hand with or another project that you could contribute towards.

6. Put Yourself Forward For Conferences and Speeches

Forcing yourself to undertake public speaking engagements is a surefire way to ensure you do your research. No-one wants to stand on a stage and make a fool of themselves, so you will be sure to prepare thoroughly before your talk. Chat to your boss about any upcoming events, and let it be known you are keen.

Conferences also act as a source of collaboration. Listening to the other presentations will enhance your skillset while mingling with others will widen your network. There is a lot to be gained from getting out of the work environment and representing your company at various events.

To drive your career forwards, you should always be looking to stay on top of the latest trends and techniques in your field. Staying relevant requires hard work, but the benefits outweigh almost all other strategies of career progression. Be proactive and embrace every opportunity to learn, and you will be streaks ahead of the competition when the next opportunity arises.

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Rafael Magaña helps organizations grow. Helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. Specializes in donor-centered Philanthropy. Major Gift Officer -Veritus Scholar. Director of Development & Communications at BREATHE California of Los Angeles County. Director of Development at the Emphysema Foundation of America. Enjoys writing about leadership and management in nonprofit organizations. Successfully written and authored over 200 articles. Founder of Latino Professionals and Latina Professionals. Resides in California.

Follow Rafael on LinkedIn and on Twitter: @RafaelMagana

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own.