Achieving success in one’s career involves a careful balance of various factors that contribute to personal growth, job satisfaction and overall fulfillment. Whether you are already an established professional looking to climb the corporate ladder or a fresh graduate embarking on the journey of finding your ideal career path, understanding and prioritizing the essential elements that lead to success is crucial.
Below, 17 Forbes Human Resources Council members share the fundamental factors that every employee and job candidate should consider to thrive in the workplace and achieve their long-term career objectives. From improving essential skills and building strong networks to maintaining a growth mindset and finding a sense of purpose, discover the key elements that play a pivotal role in shaping a successful and fulfilling professional journey.
1. Be Resilient
Resilience is key to sustainable success in the workplace and to a rewarding career. Particularly with the fast-paced changes that weâre seeing with technology, learning how to build resilience enables employees to better manage stress and uncertainty, and navigate and adapt to challenges and setbacks. It fuels perseverance and problem-solving, which are essential skills in any work environment. – Albert Galarza, telusinternational.com
2. Find Your Match
Find a workplace that matches your skills, qualifications and desired compensation, as well as your values, interests and passions. Youâre more likely to have long-term success when you and your employer are aligned on the difference youâre making in the world. – Hugo Malan, Kelly
3. Have A Winning Attitude
Skills can be taught but attitude has to come from within. An employee with an attitudeâI will do my best; I will take ownership of my mistakes and be accountable for my results; I will never stop learning; I will help my organization succeed; I will make my team winâwill keep climbing the ladder of success. – Vineet Gambhir, DataLink Software
4. Be A Lifelong Learner
The most important skill set employees should have to thrive in our fast-moving workplace is a willingness to be lifelong learners. We can no longer stay in the same job for 30 years. Todayâs workers will change jobs an average of five times during their careers. To succeed, you must be flexible, adaptable and have a growth mindset. – Leigh Yanocha, Knopman Marks Financial Training
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5. Be Curious
I think the most important factor in all employees or job candidates is curiosity. If you are willing to learn and grow every day, your job will be fun and exciting as you experience new things, new people and new challenges. That curiosity will lead you to new things and opportunities. – Gordon Pelosse, CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association
6. Look At Your Peers
Look at the growth and progression of your peers at the job you’re applying to. Where are individuals with your title at two, five and seven years after they’ve joined the role you’re aiming at? Attack if you’re happy with what you see. – Nick Frey, Avomind
7. Find Work-Life Balance
Part of setting the stage for success in your ideal career includes finding the balance between work and your personal life. Achieving this balance is easier if your workplace’s company culture matches your values. A strong culture can improve your confidence, engagement and motivation to perform at the highest levels. – Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
8. Demonstrate Expertise In Your Field
Employees and job candidates should consider how theyâre demonstrating subject matter expertise in their field. Nowadays, doing your job isnât enough. You should demonstrate expertise as part of your personal brand by creating or sharing blogs, articles and videos on social media while keeping up with changes and updates through continuous learning, training and development opportunities. – John Feldmann, Insperity
9. Stay Current In Your Industry
One crucial factor for success in any workplace and career is continual learning. Staying current with industry best practices, emerging trends, evolving technology and skill requirements is vital. By showing initiative and dedication to personal development, individuals can adapt, remain current and relevant and increase their chances of success. – Joseph Soares, IBPROM Corp.
10. Consider How Potential Companies Can Support Your Success
Consider how companies can and should support your success. We focus a lot on skill building and networking to land the âdream job,â but if employers donât have the benefits or cultures that support your life and goals, then that job wonât feel so dreamy once you get there. As you consider the career path thatâs right for you, factor in your must-haves from a workplaceâthe things you need to thrive. – Ursula Mead, InHerSight
11. Ensure You Want To Work For The Company
Employees and candidates should ensure they want to work at the company. Does the company match your vision and values? They should think about if benefits and salary increases were paused, do they still want to be there? Believing in the company you work for makes it easier to come to work every day and stay with the company during challenging times. – Erin ImHof, CertiK
12. Focus On Soft Skills
Developing strong relationship-building and listening skills, along with continually developing your emotional intelligence, will take you far in your career. These skills enable you to be a good team player and support your team. They will give you insights that others may miss. They also are attributes that are critical for successful leaders. – Hazel Kassu, Sudduth Search
13. Learn How To Have A Difficult Conversation
One success factor is learning how to have a difficult, or crucial, conversation. This is a life skill that will serve you well personally and professionally. The ability to manage conflict in a healthy, productive way will lead to your own career success and progression. This is something that is often taught or learned too late in one’s career and can be a derailer. – Tracy Dodd, VNS Health
14. Create An Identity Outside Of Your Career
Do not allow your identity to only be tied to your career. Who you are outside the workplace supports your ability to do your best work. The moment I became more than my job, I started advancing and building my career. – Jessica Wallen, Marten Law
15. Be Adaptable
Every successful employee needs the ability to learn and adapt throughout their career. As many skills and as much experience as a candidate might bring to the table, every role will present new challenges to overcome. Succeeding against obstacles requires the ability to identify any skill gaps that may be getting in the way of your potential success and the ability to find the resources that are to close them. – Niki Jorgensen, Insperity
16. Cultivate A Growth Mindset
Having a growth mindset that views challenges as opportunities for learning and growth and embraces failures as learning opportunities is so important. People who possess a growth mindset are more likely to approach their work with curiosity, adaptability and a willingness to stretch. – Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
17. Develop Your Personal Effectiveness
It is essential to have the ability to gain and leverage professional knowledge and skills to achieve optimal results by contributing to the company’s success and developing your personal effectiveness. The success factors are curiosity, accountability, continuous development, influencing skills and resilience. – Dr. Nara Ringrose, Cyclife Aquila Nuclear