Moving Up the Ladder

Ten strategies women need to master in order to be successful

Get adequate education and training

Education is your most powerful ally. Acquire the highest degree you can and consider informal modes of education as well. Attend conferences, online webinars, and stay up-to-date with trade publications in your area of focus. When seeking a job, consider organisations that offer training programmes and professional learning opportunities. Develop skills that are transferable and applicable to various career fields.

Plan your career

Set a goal for where you want to be five years from now and allow for flexibility in case of a change in circumstances. Explore different career paths. Your aim should be to find something that you can be happy with in the long-term and having a plan will help you to stay on that path.

Expand your network

Invest time into making contacts and get competitive in the sphere of networking. This shouldn’t be difficult as the number of networking groups is steadily increasing. The all-women networking group can be beneficial to women looking for a trusted circle or for a mentor who was successful at overcoming barriers that others may struggle with. Maintain a diverse array of relationships and build alliances.

Build your personal brand

The first step is to make sure you are refining it authentically, and that it is in line with your mission, vision, purpose and strengths. Then do a check of how you are representing your brand online—does it reflect what you offer most accurately and positively? Take your brand as seriously as you do your career, and it will take you far.

Find a mentor

Mentoring relationships are a great boon for all organisational members. Mentors can help you learn how to navigate your way past obstacles to career success. Women who have succeeded in their careers and reached positions of influence credit their success to a mentoring effort.

Incubate your talents

Spend time working in organisations that will help you ‘incubate’ your talents. Corporate incubators can give you useful experience with different aspects of business such as customers, suppliers and competitors. They can also help you develop managerial, technical and planning skills.

Express gratitude

The success of most tasks demand the cooperation and effort of others. People contribute to our success as much as we contribute to theirs. Success doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Successful people show gratitude to those who work and support them every day and this in turn nurtures loyalty. Foster your relationships and keep them strong.

Your cover letter is your story

We all have a story to tell and you should consider your cover letter as your opportunity to leverage yours. Spend the early part of your cover letter talking about what makes you a great candidate and make sure that you mention accomplishments, projects and skills.

Articulate your value

Know how to market yourself, leverage your talents and let people know what you do. Working hard isn’t the end of it; you have to get people acquainted with your accomplishments. Understand your own unique selling proposition; it could be past experience or personal interests. Once you’ve developed and sharpened your USP, let future employers know about it.

Look for opportunities to grow

Take initiative in areas that display your ability to do a challenging job well and learn about your chosen field from every perspective. The more experienced you are in your field, the more effective you will become, making you even more appealing to prospective employers. Never hesitate to learn new things; few learning experiences will be wasted, and many will lead to new opportunities.