5 things you need to do to strengthen your career

A career is not just about earning a salary, it is about putting your skills and talent to build a niche space for yourself, it's about finding a bigger meaning to your days, it's about self-respect. Here are five ‘must-do’s to keep your career on the right path.

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Keep learning 

A man educates himself till the very end. Every day is an opportunity to learn new things, be it self-discovery, or a new skill, or language. Learning new things keeps the brain young. It's important to divide your learning time both for things directly related to your chosen area of work and things that are of general importance to life itself.

Maintain a focused personality

Be known in your circle for something. ‘Jack of all trades’ is not a great compliment. You could be great at organising, or you could have a natural flair for teaching, or at helping others overcome challenges. Build a strong personality that would complement your regular work. It's critical to go beyond the set job description to have a successful career.

Network

In an interview with Fortune, Tom Farley, President of NYSE, emphatically declares how he owes every job he ever got to networking. He describes networking as, “collecting relationships with interesting or influential people irrespective of the immediate benefit of these relationships.”

Most people see networking as a selfish act. That's not true. Of course, networking is good for business. But there’s more to it. Networking helps you take your skills and talents and share them with more people. It widens your circle of influence. It teaches you a lot about people and people management.

Take stock

It's absolutely important to take breaks in your career journey, to relax, and take stock of where you are, where you want to be, the high points, and the low points. This time of reflection is like the pit stop where you get refreshed and rejuvenated. Taking stock helps you discard the unwanted, abandon useless plans, analyse your current strengths, and plan for the future.

Share knowledge

Writing on LinkedIn, Amrita Bulchandani, Business Manager at NR Doshi and Partners, says, “If things are properly shared, employees become aware about what is expected out of them and they can thus create a road map keeping in mind the availability of resources, its pros and cons and try to achieve better results for the company as well as clients and themselves.”

Sharing knowledge is the often the most overlooked way when it comes to building a career. Everybody wants to learn, to acquire a new skill, and to further their careers. Very few (smart people) understand the importance of sharing the knowledge they have acquired. The more you have to give, the more support you would receive in strengthening your own career. Start with writing blogs, seek speaking assignments at events, and organise training sessions proactively. These are just a few ideas through which you can inspire people as a mentor.

Your whole career is the sum of each little positive action of yours that you carry out every, single day. From being nice to fellow workers, to showing curiosity, and eagerness to learn, and participate, each and every single decision of yours matters when it comes to taking charge of your career.