Are You in the Driver’s Seat of Your Food & Beverage Career, or Just Along for the Ride?

October 28, 2013 in Career and Job Search Tips

 

 

“If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.”

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

These quotes sound cliche, but they actually make good sense when it comes to your food & beverage career.

The urgency of your day-to-day activities may make it tempting to take a back seat in managing your professional growth, waiting for:

  • a recruiter to email you;
  • HR to contact you regarding a promotion;
  • a senior executive to offer his mentoring services;

However, the simple fact is that ensuring your long-term career success is up to you. Today, Kinsa offers five tips for proactively managing your growth as a professional:

  • Identify your growth areas. Determine the aspects of your current job that are most rewarding. What do you enjoy doing? What are you naturally talented at? Ideally, you should focus growth goals in these areas, so you can spend more time doing what you excel in and enjoy.
  • Maximize every opportunity to learn. Once you know your key growth areas, do everything you can to gain knowledge and skills in those areas. Read the industry’s best blogs, magazines and trade publications. Participate in LinkedIn discussions. Attend courses and workshops to educate yourself and develop transferable skills. In short, keep on top of the in-demand skills and trends that are shaping the food & beverage industry – so you can plan the next step in your career.
  • Continually develop your network. Growing as a professional is often as much about who you know as what you can learn. Create a list of potential contacts (including former colleagues, internal employees, professional association contacts, clients, vendors, friends and family) and identify those best equipped to assist with your career progression. Once you determine exactly who you need to know, find a way to get face time with those people:  ask for introductions; offer to buy coffee; volunteer to serve on committees they spearhead; request them as mentors.  Engage in positive, productive activities that will keep you moving forward in your career.
  • Change jobs before you stagnate. Your current position provides money, but does it provide a clear path for career progression? If you haven’t assumed any new responsibilities within the past six months, approach your boss. Discuss your concerns about stagnating in your current role and your interest in creating a long-term career path. If he can’t offer opportunities which will keep you viable on the job market, it may be time to start looking for a new job.
  • Plan career management time. Proactively managing your career requires both time and attention. Make your career growth a priority by setting aside a few hours each month solely for the purposes of planning, networking and education.

The most successful careers are proactively managed – they rarely happen “by accident.” Trust Kinsa to deliver the sound advice and executive food & beverage opportunities you need to stay in the driver’s seat of your career.