Have you ever considered what you want to really do with your life? Have you thought about your career path and how you would want to evolve into a successful career person? Career advancement should be an everyday goal for you.

Career advancement refers to using your skills and resources to reach career goals and enter more challenging positions. Here are five ways to boost your career goals and get closer to the top.

1. Clearly identify your career goals

Zig Ziglar rightly said that if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. You cannot start your journey without identifying your likely destination. What do you want to achieve in your career? Answering this question will help you take key decisions in your career. Without having career goals, you will go for anything that comes your way, and in the end, you will actually end up nowhere.

You can start by setting short term goals that will forecast your career within the next 2-3 years. Then you can have your medium-term goals which can guide you for the next ten years. Your long-term career goal should answer the question “At what point will I say I am a successful career man or woman?” We cannot argue with the experts when they say that it all starts with setting goals. Have a plan for your career.

2. Seek knowledge and perfect your skill

The world is rapidly evolving. 10 years ago, there was nothing like AI, or it wasn’t what it is today. In the next decade, there will be new discoveries. You cannot build a successful career with old knowledge and rusty skills. The skill that made you relevant 20 years ago may not be a top skill today. Life is a school, and if you decide to graduate yourself from the school of life, you probably won’t get any further in your career because there will always be new syllabus to learn and upgrade yourself.

So what do you do? Read books, listen to podcasts, take short courses, observe trends, speak to experts in the field, and use your skill. The more you put your skill to action, the better you become at it.

3. Build a strong network

Truly no man is an island. The power of networking cannot be overemphasized. Yes, you are building a career for yourself but have you seen or read about any successful person who built success all alone? It doesn’t work that way. You need to be intentional about building a strong career circle. A strong network can give you many contacts for finding career opportunities, sharing information and curating professional references.

4. Deepen your social media presence

Some few years back, this point would not have been too relevant in career advancement but today careers are literally built online. How does your LinkedIn profile look like?

Using social media for career promotion involves creating a professional online presence that showcases your skills and accomplishments. Start by updating your LinkedIn profile with detailed descriptions of your job roles, achievements, and any relevant projects.

Your next job that will boost your career goal can spring out from what you post on social media. On the flip side too, your career can take go on a downward spiral if your posts on social media are not professional. Human Resource Managers today conduct secret checks on interviewees’ social media accounts just to see the kind of people they are outside their jobs. Be careful what you post and say on social media.

5. Attitude is everything

Keith Harrel titled his book “Attitude is Everything.” That is a bold statement but that is probably the simple truth being said in the hard way. Ever heard, “A bad attitude is like a flat tyre, if you don’t change it, you can’t go anywhere.” You may have all the skills and knowledge needed to be successful. You may be the best amongst your colleagues and even have a solid career goal…but if you don’t develop the right attitude, you will get stuck somewhere along the line.

Your attitude includes how you are going to view the challenges and obstacles that come your way as you strive to climb the career ladder. Maintaining a positive attitude will keep you going through the days of rejection and the years of joblessness. Build a strong attitude and you will stand out and step up your career.