Anyone can give 100% in their job, especially if the environment they work in or have the chance to progress to a new role in the future. But for some of us, we are just ‘in a job’ and may reach a point in our career where we plateau, where we are not challenged and ultimately, we have no job satisfaction.

If the latter sounds like you, look for a career where you enjoy what you do every day, where you want to give more than 100% on a daily basis and you can take pride in your work! We tell you how:

Getting the Most Out of Each Role

There will be times when you need to work longer hours and extra days to reach deadlines but going beyond this, there are ways you can get more from your role that will impress the people above you. According to the specialized recruiter Cititec, being willing to do the extra work to meet deadlines is excellent, but for technical roles, there are changes and updates to technology, equipment and processes that need to be learned, understood and then used. If you can do this consistently on your own time, it shows how committed you are and that you want to invest in your future.

Going back to school to receive additional training is another way to put yourself on the right track and ahead of others who haven’t bothered to further their education. For example, if you want to move into a sales role where you give presentations to outside organizations, learning how to use new forms of technology would help you greatly. The Master of Education in Instructional Design and Technology degree would assist you in this capacity, as you would learn how to utilize the cloud and other forms of technology as part of your presentations.

Taking on extra responsibilities also allows you to develop new skills and proves that you are looking to progress. By doing this, you may also find you enjoy other aspects of your sector that you had never considered before and this can open up new career paths. It’s important not to take on too much and overwork yourself, though!

Setting Yourself Realistic Goals

While becoming the MD of a large company in ten years might not be the most suitable goal – depending on what your experience is – it can be very helpful to have a goal, or even a series of goals, planned out to help you focus your career and where it should be going.

These shouldn’t be set in stone. Flexibility is important because you can never tell what life is going to throw at you, and what opportunities will come your way. Set a series of goals to aim for but avoid setting dates or timeframes for you to complete them, as this can have a negative impact if you don’t meet those deadlines. If you can track everything you’re doing and prove to yourself your making steps to your goals, that is more important than getting their faster than anyone else.

Don’t be Afraid of Change

Some people will tell you that finding a job you can be happy in throughout your career will make a huge difference to your life. This is true, to a point. You can spend years in one company, even changing roles a few times but unless you feel like you are being challenged and are developing your skills consistently, the job, and company, will get old very quickly.

You’ll have friends and colleagues you don’t want to leave behind but changing companies, jobs, and even location, can be exactly what’s needed to push your career forward. You can keep in touch outside of work and you will meet new people as you carry on. Change can often seem scary, especially adapting to new people, policies, procedures and responsibilities but it also presents the greatest challenges to overcome.