Long-term career plan for new workers

I’m a fresh college graduate, now in my first month with a medium-sized corporation. It’s my dream to work in this industry. What’s your advice for a new employee like me? — Time Travel.

Don’t waste time. Study the company’s policies and programs, including its performance appraisal system. Exceed the job expectations and in due time, you’ll get many favorable opportunities that could increase your motivation and pave the way for a fast-track promotion.

That is, if you don’t mind working your way up from the lowest level in the organization. Ordinarily, that means spending three years showcasing what you can do best. But first, your concern is to meet the terms and conditions of your six-month probationary employment contract.

If you can prove your worth, there’s a good chance you can be a regular employee in four months. That is if your employer has a strategic human resources (HR) program that could improve your chances of getting high marks in your performance appraisal after the first three months.

Don’t be distracted by external noise like applying for jobs elsewhere. Focus on your current job. Don’t engage in office gossip or other non-productive activity. Aspire for a perfect attendance award, even if there is none.

Don’t be sidetracked by comfort zones, which would be disastrous, and could delay your confirmation as a regular employee, or complicate your work relationships.

PROMOTION SYSTEM
Have a long-term career plan in that organization, not elsewhere. Job-hoppers, especially for a fresh graduate like you, are frowned upon by many employers. Therefore, the best approach is to understand the current expectations of your employer and achieve them all with flying colors.

Understand the system and use it to your advantage. Many companies believe in meritocracy rather than seniority or length of service, which is used only when breaking a tie between and among several internal candidates. There’s no other way but to work your way up with due deference to your boss, colleagues, and top management.

Here is a step-by-step guide that you can explore:

One, understand the performance appraisal system. Internalize their specific requirements. What kind of system is in use? Is it the 360-degree appraisal that requires peer assessment from your work colleagues and team members? Does it allow self-assessment based on attitude, behavior, and actual job performance? A simple Management-by-objectives system?

Two, study the promotion policy in great detail. It goes hand-in-hand with appraisal. There’s no use meeting the minimum requirements of the appraisal system if you just wait for an internal job vacancy to happen. You have to seize the day and create your own luck.

Seek out experienced people who were there before you. Don’t be disappointed if their experiences are negative. Your situation could be different from others.

 Prepare a personal promotion chart. Observe fast-trackers who were promoted recently. Befriend them. Know their secrets. Then draft a promotion roadmap starting from your current job up to the most likely senior position open to you.

Make a Point A to Point B goal that includes all requirements of the job, such as a post-graduate degree, performance milestones, awards, and other skill requirements. Now, plot all the steps in between. Then, mark your current place. Cross off each step as soon as you accomplish every stage of the process.

You can also include other skills that you may find unique to your situation, especially if they are difficult to acquire.

RELATIONSHIP
Developing a long-term career plan is like being a movie actor, choosing the role, memorizing a script, and maintaining a good reputation. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s your mission statement. Whatever you do, be the best person that you can be to your boss and work colleagues.

It may seem simple, but having positive work relationships is equally important, or even more important than the roadmap you’re following. You may be the ideal candidate for a promotion, but if you are perceived to be a horrible person at dealing with people, then you may not be able to get what you want.

Bring Rey Elbo’s popular problem-solving and decision-making workshop called “Kaizen Blitz” to your organization. Save millions of pesos from operational invisible wastes. Contact him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or e-mail elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.com