How to Check Your Career Progress

At some point in your professional career, you may have asked yourself, “Where am I in my career and how do I grow?”

It could be hard to seek the right answer to this, as different people have different life circumstances. Some people are stuck in a rut and tend to seek ways to get out, such as finding a new job or career direction; some want to stay in a company but are having second thoughts to make that big jump towards a promotion. Either way, you should know how to accurately check your career progress so you can stay on track with your goals.

Here are some things you need to keep in mind when checking on your career progress, along with some tips on how you can give yourself a reality check and finding the right answers to the most pressing questions about career growth and direction.

Ask the key questions first

The most basic way of checking where you’re currently at in your career path is by asking yourself these questions:

What are the good things I’ve done so far?

How would it be if I did these things in another way?

These two questions can help you put the things you’ve done in retrospect, and give you an idea on how things could have been if they would have done differently. Try to highlight on the things that made you learn new ideas, those which positively changed your outlook in life and at work, and those that helped you grow your professional network and your own branding.

Assess current goals & foresee what’s next

Now that you’ve answered the two questions above, the next thing you should do is to check whether your current career goals were met based on the good things you’ve done so far. By doing so you’ll see a bigger picture of how you arrived at your current situation and the various factors that contributed in the way you accomplished your goals.

You should also be able to see what comes next after ticking your present goals’ checklist. Your career growth doesn’t stop simply because you’ve already reached your current goals – it’s a never-ending loop of good and bad experiences as well as bits of learnings as you take your career path.

Rinse, then repeat

By now you should’ve realized that your career path isn’t a straight line – it’s a cycle made of ups and downs. Don’t be afraid of failures and missteps, because these teach you how to be better in your future endeavors. You’ve already checked your current and future goals – what’s next? Do it all over again.

Try to develop your very own template or model for what you want your career path to look like. Not all people have the same goal strategy, that’s why it’s important to have your unique guide on how you can be successful in achieving your present and future goals. There could be more than one template – make sure to test each of these, and see whichever fits your personality and career purpose better.

Be mindful of the little things

The more you’re focused on checking on your career progress, the more you’re inclined to overlook the trivial things that form part of your reality check. It’s easy to forget the little things that helped you achieve your biggest career milestones.

Be more mindful of the little things that may have helped you to achieve your current situation. These could be a colleague who gave you a referral for your next sales deal, a stranger down the hallway whom you’ve asked for directions, or a document or article you’ve read online that gave you some insights on how to do certain things in another way.

Final thoughts

Your career progress varies from another person’s. Try not to compare yourself with other people, as it could distract you from your reality check. Be inspired by these people, but bear in mind that everything you do forms part of where you’re at now. These four steps might help you accurately evaluate your current career state, and teach you how you can grow further.

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source https://sprout.ph/blog/check-career-progress/