Today you’re going to learn how to be successful in your career.
Once you’ve completed the education and training required for your chosen career, the next step is entering the workforce and figuring out how to build a successful career. Getting your first job is only the beginning. As you gain experience and move beyond entry-level positions, the choices you make can have a significant impact on where your career eventually takes you.
Fortunately, career success isn’t reserved for people who seem to have everything figured out from day one. There are practical strategies that can help almost anyone grow professionally, whether you’re trying to earn a promotion, develop new skills, find a better job, or completely change career paths.
Start by setting clear goals. Document your accomplishments. Learn everything you can about your role, build strong professional relationships, and look for people who can offer valuable guidance. At the same time, don’t be afraid to reassess your plans when your priorities or circumstances change.
From asking your manager for feedback to finding a career mentor and preparing carefully for your next job search, these strategies can help you take greater control of your professional future.
How to Be Successful in Your Career:
1. Establish goals.
It’s difficult to reach a destination if you don’t know where you’re going. Before making major career decisions, take some time to define what you actually want to achieve.
Start by separating your career goals into three categories: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Your short-term objectives should move you toward your medium-term goals, while those goals should ultimately support the larger vision you have for your career.
Be as specific as possible when writing your goals. Instead of saying, “I want to be successful,” define what success actually means to you. Include realistic deadlines and measurable outcomes, such as earning a particular position, reaching a specific salary, managing a team, or developing a particular skill.
As you create your career plan, ask yourself:
- What am I genuinely passionate about, and does my current career allow me to pursue that interest?
- Does my current job and lifestyle make me happy, or do I frequently find myself wishing for something different?
- What does professional success actually look like to me?
- What would I like to accomplish over the next three, five, or ten years?
- For example, “In three years, I want to become an assistant manager or foreman” could be a medium-term goal that supports a larger objective such as, “In ten years, I want to become a vice president.”
The more clearly you define your destination, the easier it becomes to recognize the opportunities that can take you there.
2. Identify your next career move.
Building a successful career requires more than performing well in your current position. You also need to think about what comes next.
Ask yourself where you want your career to go. Do you want to remain with your current company and work toward a promotion? Would moving to a larger organization give you better opportunities? Perhaps you’re considering a lateral move that would expose you to a different area of your industry. You might even be thinking about leaving the corporate world and moving into the nonprofit sector.
There is no universally correct answer. The right move depends on your goals, skills, priorities, and circumstances.
Start researching the positions you eventually want to hold. How frequently do these jobs become available? Are they highly competitive? Do people typically move into them from your current position, or is additional education or experience required?
Pay particular attention to jobs that rarely become available. If your ideal position only opens once every few years, you may need to prepare well in advance so you’re ready when the opportunity finally appears.
3. Make a plan.
Once you know where you want to go, create a realistic career development plan to help you get there.
You might begin by deciding where you want to be one year from now and then expand that vision to three, five, or even ten years into the future. From there, identify the skills, experience, relationships, and accomplishments you’ll need along the way.
Don’t create your career plan in isolation. Talk with people you trust, including a mentor, colleagues, friends, or family members. They may see possibilities or obstacles that you haven’t considered. Sometimes an outside perspective is enough to turn a vague ambition into a much more practical plan.
Create a timeline that includes specific milestones and actions. If you want to move into management, for example, you might decide to develop leadership skills this year, take responsibility for a major project next year, and apply for your first management position after gaining the necessary experience.
- Remember to review and update your goals regularly. Your career plan should guide you, not trap you. New information, opportunities, personal priorities, and changes in your industry may require you to adjust your direction. Source
A good career plan leaves room for change.
4. Learn your job.
Every new job comes with an adjustment period. Even if you have years of experience in your industry, you still need time to understand a new company’s expectations, systems, culture, and processes.
Ask questions. Lots of them.
Your goal during those first weeks and months should be to understand not only what you are supposed to do, but why your work matters and how it fits into the organization as a whole.
If possible, speak with the person who previously held your position. They may be able to tell you about common challenges, seasonal changes, important deadlines, or unwritten expectations that aren’t included in your formal job description.
Take notes when necessary. There is no reason to rely on memory when you can create your own reference guide.
It’s also useful to understand how your colleagues’ responsibilities connect with yours. Knowing who handles specific tasks—and who you should approach when something goes wrong—can save you considerable time.
Ask yourself:
- Does your workload or role change during certain times of the year? If so, understand those changes before the busy period arrives.
- What are your specific responsibilities? Are they formally documented? If not, create your own list so you have a clear understanding of what is expected.
- Who do you report to? Do you have one direct manager, or do different responsibilities require you to communicate with different people?
- How does your work contribute to the goals of your team or organization?
The faster you understand your role, the sooner you can begin improving it.
5. Develop good habits.
Start strong. Be dependable, organized, and willing to contribute. You don’t need to impress everyone with dramatic gestures. Consistency is often far more valuable.
Show that you take your responsibilities seriously and that you can be trusted to follow through.
- Be punctual, both when arriving at work and when completing deadlines.
- Finish your tasks on time so that other people aren’t forced to wait for you before they can do their own work.
- Listen carefully and respectfully to your colleagues and manager. When their suggestions are relevant, incorporate them into your work.
- Communicate clearly when you encounter a problem or realize that you may not meet a deadline.
- Keep reasonable boundaries between your professional and personal life.
Professional success is often built through small behaviors repeated consistently over time.
6. Take initiative.
If you want to advance your career, don’t wait for every opportunity to be handed to you.
Think about the skills you want to become exceptionally good at and identify ways to develop them through your current work. Talk with your manager and colleagues about projects, responsibilities, or training opportunities that could help you gain valuable experience.
You can also look beyond your immediate team. Working with another department or collaborating on a cross-functional project can expose you to different challenges, new technologies, and people with different areas of expertise.
Taking initiative doesn’t mean constantly trying to prove yourself. It means paying attention to opportunities and being willing to step forward when you can genuinely contribute.
That mindset can make a significant difference when you’re trying to build a successful career.
7. Present solutions, not just problems.
Everyone runs into problems at work. At some point, you’ll need to ask your manager or coworkers for help—and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
However, whenever possible, don’t stop at identifying the problem.
Think about potential solutions first.
Instead of walking into your manager’s office and saying, “This isn’t working,” try explaining what went wrong, what you believe caused it, and what you think could be done next. You may still need their guidance, but you’re showing that you’ve already made an effort to think critically about the situation.
For example, rather than simply saying that a project is behind schedule, you could explain which tasks are causing the delay and suggest two possible ways to get things back on track.
Your solution doesn’t have to be perfect. The point is to demonstrate initiative, judgment, and a willingness to take responsibility.
8. Assess your progress.
If you want to know whether your career is moving forward, you need some way to measure your progress.
Keep track of the work you accomplish, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Every three to six months, take some time to write down what you’ve achieved during that period.
Include measurable results whenever possible. Depending on your profession, that could mean the number of clients you gained, accounts you secured, projects you completed, sales you generated, money you helped raise, or other meaningful performance metrics.
This information may not appear on your resume exactly as you write it, but it gives you a valuable record of your professional development. It can also provide useful talking points when discussing your career with a manager or mentor. Source
You can also evaluate your career by asking yourself:
- Are you performing well and feeling fulfilled in your current job? If not, what would need to change? Is the work too easy, too difficult, or simply not meaningful to you?
- Can you imagine staying in this position for several more years, or are you already thinking seriously about finding another job?
- Is the job helping you build skills and experience that will be useful later, even if you don’t particularly enjoy it right now?
- Would staying long enough to complete an important long-term project strengthen your resume or demonstrate that you can follow through?
- On the other hand, are you unhappy, underpaid, and facing little or no opportunity for advancement?
Sometimes staying in a difficult job for a little longer makes strategic sense. For example, completing a major project can demonstrate persistence and give you an achievement worth highlighting in future applications.
But there is a difference between making a strategic sacrifice and simply remaining stuck.
If you are consistently unfulfilled, poorly compensated, and unable to see a realistic path forward, it may be time to begin searching for something better.
9. Change your course.
Not every career plan works exactly as expected. Sometimes you can work hard, follow your plan, and still discover that the path you chose isn’t taking you where you want to go.
When that happens, don’t automatically assume that you have failed.
Instead, reassess your strategy.
You might need to find a new position, move to another company, develop a different skill set, or even consider an entirely new career. The important thing is to compare your current situation with your original goals and determine whether the two still align.
Pay attention to where you have experienced the greatest success. Which types of projects energize you? What skills come naturally? Where have you received the strongest feedback? Look for patterns and use them to make smarter career decisions.
- Revisit your goals and motivations regularly. If you realize that you are moving in a direction you no longer want, don’t wait indefinitely to make a change. Adjust your strategy while you still have the flexibility to do so.
A career change doesn’t necessarily mean starting over. Sometimes it simply means taking what you’ve already learned and applying it somewhere that fits you better.
10. Be clear about what you want.
Are you looking for someone to provide strictly professional advice? Do you want guidance about leadership, career advancement, entrepreneurship, or a specific industry? Or are you looking for someone who can discuss broader professional and personal decisions with you?
Finding a mentor can be one of the most valuable steps you take when developing your career. But before approaching someone, you need to understand what you actually want from the relationship.
These are different types of relationships.
Think carefully about the questions you want a mentor to help you answer and the kind of experience you hope to gain. The clearer you are about your needs, the easier it will be to find someone who is genuinely suited to helping you.
You should also understand that mentorship is a relationship, not a transaction. The right mentor isn’t simply someone with an impressive job title. It’s someone whose experience, communication style, values, and perspective are compatible with what you need.
11. Identify possible candidates.
Don’t limit yourself to one potential mentor. Start by identifying four or five people whose experience could be valuable to you. Some may be unavailable, while others may simply not be interested in a formal mentoring relationship.
If you don’t already know these people, begin building a professional relationship before asking them to become your mentor.
You might connect through professional networking platforms, send an email complimenting them on a particular piece of work, attend an event where they are speaking, or ask a mutual contact to introduce you.
The goal isn’t to immediately ask, “Will you be my mentor?” Instead, start a genuine professional conversation.
When evaluating potential mentors, consider what each person could realistically offer you.
- Look for someone you can communicate with comfortably. A strong professional relationship depends on trust, openness, and mutual respect.
- Consider who has already faced challenges similar to the ones you are dealing with. Someone who has successfully navigated the path you’re considering may be able to offer especially practical advice.
- Think about whose experience fills the gaps in your own knowledge. The person with the most impressive resume isn’t necessarily the person who will be the most helpful.
- Finally, consider whether you need a mentor who can also provide sponsorship. A sponsoring mentor can advocate for you within an organization or industry and help connect you with people at higher levels. If this is important to your goals, you may want to focus your search on someone within your company or professional network.
12. Approach your top candidates.
Once you’ve identified several potential mentors, it’s time to reach out. Be clear about why you’re contacting them and what you hope to learn. Explain the type of career guidance you’re looking for, but keep the request respectful and realistic.
Remember that a successful professional may already have a demanding schedule. They may not have the time or interest to take on a formal mentoring relationship, and that’s okay. Don’t take a rejection personally.
If your first choice isn’t available, move to the next person on your list.
Whenever possible, consider meeting in person, particularly if the person lives nearby. If your relationship has developed primarily through email or professional networking, a thoughtful message can be an appropriate way to make the request.
Your message should be personal rather than generic. Explain why you admire their work and why you believe their experience could help you.
For example:
Dear Ms. X, I have followed your work since seeing your “Bingo!” campaign, which played a major role in inspiring my interest in advertising. I currently work at ZVT, but my long-term goal is to start my own agency. I’m looking for practical career advice and wondered whether you would occasionally be willing to share your perspective as a mentor. I realize you have a demanding career, but I would be very grateful if you would consider it.
Or:
Dear Mr. J, As a fellow Wharton graduate, I’ve been impressed by your experience and reputation in the business world. I recently moved to the Bay Area and am exploring opportunities in your field. If you have some time, I’d appreciate the chance to meet for coffee or a drink and ask you a few questions about your career. I understand you receive many requests for advice, but I would be grateful for an opportunity to learn from your experience.
The goal isn’t to create a perfect message. It’s to open the door to a genuine professional relationship.
13. Interview each candidate.
Choosing a mentor is different from choosing someone to follow on social media or read about online. Mentorship involves an ongoing personal relationship, so you need to determine whether the two of you are actually a good fit.
Treat your initial conversation almost like an informal interview—but remember that it should work both ways.
Ask questions about their career, experiences, and lessons learned. You can also bring up a real work-related challenge and ask how they would approach it. Their response can tell you a great deal about their communication style and whether their advice is useful to you.
Pay attention to more than the content of their answer.
Did they listen carefully? Did they explain their thinking clearly? Did they ask questions about your situation? Did their advice make sense given your goals?
You can also learn something from how they respond to your initial request. If someone repeatedly ignores your messages, responds dismissively, or doesn’t seem interested in helping, they probably aren’t the right person for a mentoring relationship.
A strong mentor should challenge your thinking without making you feel incapable.
14. Select your mentors.
After speaking with potential candidates, decide who seems like the best fit.
Interestingly, the person with the most impressive title or highest position in the organization may not be your ideal mentor. Someone closer to your current stage of development may understand your challenges better and be more accessible.
Look for someone you respect and can communicate with openly. Trust matters. So does compatibility.
And don’t assume you have to choose only one mentor.
You can have different mentors for different areas of your career. One person might help you navigate your workplace, another might provide industry-specific advice, and someone else might offer guidance about entrepreneurship or leadership.
Having multiple mentors can expose you to different perspectives and prevent you from relying too heavily on one person’s experience.
The best mentorship relationships aren’t necessarily the most prestigious ones. They’re the ones that help you make better decisions.
15. Review your current employment.
Before leaving your job, take some time to understand why you want to go.
Are you looking for a higher salary? Is there little opportunity for advancement? Do you have a difficult relationship with your manager? Are you bored, overworked, or simply ready for a different challenge?
Be honest with yourself.
Think about what you enjoyed in your current position as well as what frustrated you. Consider the skills you developed, the experiences you gained, and the mistakes you made. Most importantly, ask yourself what you would do differently if you had the opportunity to start again somewhere else.
This reflection can make your next career move much smarter.
- Use what you’ve learned from your current position to guide your search for a new job. Look for roles that offer more of what you value and fewer of the problems you’re trying to leave behind.
- You may decide to make a lateral career move into a position with similar compensation. Although you might not receive an immediate financial benefit, a change in responsibilities or industry can give you new skills and potentially create better opportunities later.
- Before accepting a lateral move, consider the long-term consequences. Will the new position give you greater opportunities for growth, or are you simply moving sideways without improving your future prospects?
Leaving a job should be more than an escape. Ideally, it should move you closer to the career you actually want.
16. Consider the consequences.
A job search can create complications you may not anticipate.
Finding the right position can take weeks or even months. You may need to submit numerous applications, attend interviews, complete assessments, negotiate compensation, and make decisions while continuing to perform your current job.
Before announcing that you’re looking for work, think carefully about the potential consequences.
Research job opportunities across multiple employment websites and industry-specific platforms so you have a realistic understanding of what’s available. At the same time, consider how your current employer might react if they discover you’re searching.
Ask yourself:
- Can your job search remain confidential?
- What is your employer likely to do if they find out?
- Are there contractual restrictions on leaving?
- Are you subject to a non-compete or other employment agreement?
- Could leaving before completing a project damage important professional relationships?
A career move should be strategic. Don’t create unnecessary problems simply because you’re eager to leave.
17. Prepare a strong job application or resume.
Your resume and application materials are often your first opportunity to demonstrate your value to a potential employer.
Read the job description carefully. Understand exactly what the employer is looking for, then show how your experience and skills match those requirements.
Avoid sending the same generic resume to every company. A strong application is targeted to the specific position and highlights the experience that matters most for that role.
Before submitting anything, have another person review your application. A second pair of eyes can catch spelling mistakes, unclear wording, inconsistent formatting, or claims that aren’t as convincing as you thought.
Quality matters more than quantity.
Applying to fifty jobs with a generic resume may be less effective than submitting ten carefully prepared applications to positions that genuinely match your skills and career goals.
And remember that the professional world is smaller than it sometimes appears. Even if you don’t get the position, the people reviewing your application may cross paths with you again in the future.
Always leave a professional impression.
18. Find employment opportunities.
Once you’ve decided it’s time to move on, don’t rely exclusively on job boards.
Your professional network can be one of your most valuable resources when looking for a new position. Reach out to former colleagues, clients, classmates, and other professionals in your industry. Let them know what you’ve been working on and that you’re exploring new opportunities.
If you have a strong relationship with someone, you can be more direct and explain that you’re considering a career move. They may know about an opening that hasn’t been publicly advertised yet.
- Contact former colleagues or clients and ask whether their organizations are hiring.
- Check company websites for open positions and then ask your contacts whether they can provide an introduction or referral.
- Tell friends and family that you’re exploring new opportunities. You never know who might know someone hiring in your field.
- Use online employment platforms such as Indeed, Monster, or Glassdoor to expand your search.
- Consider working with a professional recruiter or headhunter, particularly for specialized or senior-level positions. A mentor or trusted colleague may be able to recommend someone they’ve worked with before.
The broader your search, the more opportunities you’re likely to uncover—but keep your standards aligned with your long-term career goals.
19. Do the research.
Sometimes the job we think we want looks very different once we learn what it actually involves.
Before accepting a new position—or making a major career change—research the industry and the specific role thoroughly. Look into typical salaries, job satisfaction, career progression, working conditions, required qualifications, and future growth potential.
Then research the employer.
What do current and former employees say about the organization? How is the company managed? Does the workplace culture appear compatible with your personality and priorities? Are employees generally satisfied with their experience?
If you’re changing careers, pay particular attention to occupational requirements. You may discover that additional education, certifications, training, or experience is necessary before you can make the transition.
Informational interviews can be particularly useful here.
Talking with someone who already works in your target career can give you a much more realistic picture than reading job descriptions online. Ask about their typical day, the challenges they face, the skills they use, and what they wish they had known before entering the field.
- Use informational interviews to learn what a career is really like from someone who has experienced it firsthand.
- Choose people who have already achieved some of the professional success you’re aiming for.
- Prepare thoughtful questions before the conversation.
- Treat every informational interview as a professional opportunity. The person you speak with may eventually become a colleague, referral source, mentor, or even a potential employer.
Do your homework before making a major career decision. A little research can prevent a very expensive mistake.
20. Practice interviewing.
Job interviews come in many forms. Some companies may conduct a brief 15-minute conversation, while others use several rounds of interviews, practical tests, presentations, group sessions, or full-day assessment processes.
Find out what type of interview you’ll be attending and prepare accordingly.
Start by researching the organization. Understand what it does, who its customers are, what challenges it may be facing, and what the position involves.
You should be prepared to explain why you’re a good fit—but remember that the interview is also an opportunity for you to evaluate the employer.
Prepare your own questions.
Ask about the responsibilities of the position, expectations for the first few months, opportunities for professional development, team structure, and company culture.
Then practice.
Make a list of likely interview questions and ask a friend, colleague, or mentor to conduct a mock interview. Answer out loud rather than simply thinking about what you would say.
If the first practice session feels uncomfortable, that’s useful information.
Do it again.
The more you practice explaining your experience and achievements, the more confident and natural you’ll sound during the real interview.
21. Consider your job offer.
Eventually, the work you’ve put into your career search may lead to one or more job offers.
That’s exciting—but don’t accept the first offer simply because you’re relieved to have one.
Think carefully about what you’re willing to accept. Salary matters, but compensation is only one part of the decision.
Consider benefits, working hours, flexibility, vacation time, job security, company culture, responsibilities, location, professional development, and opportunities for advancement.
Most importantly, ask whether the position fits into your broader career plan.
No job is perfect. Few people remain in their first position for their entire working lives. What matters is whether the opportunity makes sense for where you are now and where you want to go next.
If you’re currently employed, compare the new opportunity with your existing position. A higher salary isn’t necessarily a better career move if the new role offers no growth, poor working conditions, or takes you away from your long-term goals.
Look beyond the immediate benefits.
Ask yourself where this job could take you in three or five years.
22. Respond professionally.
Whether you accept a job offer, reject it, or decide to remain where you are, handle the situation professionally.
Thank hiring managers for their time. Respond to messages promptly. Be respectful and courteous, even when the opportunity isn’t right for you.
The same principle applies when leaving your current job.
Give appropriate notice, communicate professionally, and avoid unnecessary conflict. You may be excited to move on, especially if your current workplace has been frustrating, but there is rarely any benefit to burning bridges.
The professional world is surprisingly interconnected. A former manager could become a future employer. A previous colleague might recommend you for your dream position. Someone you worked with years ago could eventually become an important client, business partner, or mentor.
You never know where your career will take you.
So leave every position with your reputation intact whenever possible.
Final Thoughts on Building a Successful Career
Career success rarely happens because of one big decision. More often, it comes from dozens of smaller choices made consistently over time.
Set meaningful goals. Learn your job. Develop strong professional habits. Keep track of your achievements and look for opportunities to grow. Build relationships with people who can challenge your thinking and help you see possibilities you might otherwise miss.
At the same time, stay flexible.
The career you imagine today may not be the career you want five or ten years from now. That’s not necessarily a problem. As your skills, interests, priorities, and circumstances change, your professional goals may change too.
A successful career isn’t simply about climbing as high as possible. It’s about creating a working life that makes sense for you—one that uses your strengths, provides opportunities to grow, and moves you toward the future you actually want.
Keep learning. Keep evaluating your direction. And when the evidence tells you that it’s time to change course, have the courage to do it.
