Career Counselling: 10 Outside Factors That Can Help Or Hinder Your Progress | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

Career Counselling: 10 Outside Factors That Can Help Or Hinder Your Progress

Climbing the career ladder is a dream shared by millions. If you are going to make that ascent in the fastest and most efficient, though, it’ll be necessary to follow the right pathway. This means that you have to make the right decisions on a daily basis as well as the best choices when dealing with bigger issues.   

While you’d be forgiven for assuming that your progress is determined solely by the work produced, you could not be further from the truth. A whole hot of outside factors will influence your earnings and prospects. Pay attention to the 10 below, and you’ll maintain far greater control over your journey.

1. Personal Appearances

First impressions count for a lot in business. You might not like to hear it, but everyone from employers to colleagues and clients will make judgements based on your appearance. They assume that attractive people are trustworthy, successful, and just plain better. Is it fair? No. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore it.   

The good news is that you needn’t look like a supermodel to cast the right type of figure at work. However, you should always dress to impress. Even if you work in manufacturing or another job where you’ll need to wear practical clothes, you can still invest in your grooming or beauty. Keeping your body in good shape is never a bad idea either.

If nothing else, looking good makes you feel good. This added sense of self-confidence can only have a positive impact.

Career Counselling: 10 Outside Factors That Can Help Or Hinder Your Progress | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

2. Working Relationships

We’ve all heard the old cliché that it’s “who you know” that really counts. Plenty of people do achieve great things without those shortcuts, but there’s no doubting the impact of working relationships. If you truly believe that the best person for the role always gets the vacancy, you’re very naïve indeed.

As an employee, showing your boss that you can be dependable will put you in a far stronger position. Whether you’re trying to keep your face in the picture for promotion or want to negotiate a better wage doesn’t matter. If the management team can see that you have the personality to support your work ethic, it can only increase your hopes of success.

Similarly, getting on well with colleagues shows that you could be a great candidate for a managerial or leadership position.   

3. Living Situation

In theory, your home life should be entirely separate from your career. In reality, though, this simply isn’t the case. While most employers aren’t overly fussed about the type of home you live in, the location could be key. If you live close to the office or store, your availability may be better. This is very attractive to a company.

Aside from the appeal to the employer, you should consider the impact your home life will have on yourself. Living in a damp property, for example, will impact your health and could lead to sick days. Conversely, finding a safe and comfortable terrace house provides the platform for a happier existence. This can only enhance your career as well as your personal life.   

Crucially, your career is there to support a better life. As such, your home should be a priority regardless of the work elements.    

4. Social Media Presence

If you work in media or entertainment, you may well have a website or online portfolio. However, it’s not only people working in these industries that need to take care online. Employers will check your social media profiles before hiring you. Moreover, the IT department is likely to keep tabs on you once you’ve been employed. Do not fall victim to it.

Career Counselling: 10 Outside Factors That Can Help Or Hinder Your Progress | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

There’s nothing wrong with posting your family photos and giving a little insight into your life. In some cases, joining in with the political debates may be OK too. Nonetheless, it’s vital that you learn to treat your social media accounts as though they are a professional entity. Too many people have lost jobs due to poor decisions in this field. You must do better.   

If you don’t trust yourself to use social media in a responsible fashion, delete your accounts. It really won’t hurt you.

5. Driving Capabilities

Your driving status can and will influence the type of jobs you can apply for. It’s OK to not have a licence, but you should be aware of the implications. It is that simple.

6. Personal Relationships

When you meet that special someone, they don’t only influence your love life. The impacts will spread to all aspects of your world, including your career. In truth, this can be positive or negative. Naturally, then, you need to ensure that it’s the former. Otherwise, you could start to resent your partner, which is never healthy.   

A great partner will understand how important your career is. They will give you the extra source of motivation and can actively help by helping you prepare for interviews. There is an extra need to get this right when you are in a relationship with someone at the same company. Sill, those concerns should never stand in the way of love.

Friendships can have an influence too, but only to a lesser extent. Still, you must give them the attention they deserve.

Career Counselling: 10 Outside Factors That Can Help Or Hinder Your Progress | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

7. Work-Life Balance

As an aspirational worker, you may be fooled into thinking that working all hours is the way to go. However, without a solid work-life balance, you may find that both aspects of your life begin to suffer. After all, the disillusionment in general life is likely to harm your productivity. This will impact your career progress.

There’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on luxury holidays. Days out to local attractions or spending time with friends and family can be equally pleasing. As long as you are able to create magical memories with the people that matter most, you won’t go far wrong. Take time out during the working day too. Otherwise, you could suffer from exhaustion.

You want to accomplish great things in business, but your job is only one aspect of your life. Do not forget it.

8. Personal Finances

A poor work-life balance can certainly distract you at work. In reality, though, there is no greater distraction than the one posed by financial problems. Millions of people are hindered by debt, and it can feel completely overwhelming. While you don’t need to be rich, you should be focused on regaining control.

While earning more money is the long-term goal, you must not ignore the need for immediate action. You can reduce your monthly outgoings by using grocery coupons, getting better deals on household bills, and making your own lunch. Even skipping the daily trip to Starbucks could save a three-figure sum each month.

Borrowing money from friends or a professional lender could be an option too. However, you must always check that you can meet the repayments.

Career Counselling: 10 Outside Factors That Can Help Or Hinder Your Progress | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

9. Openness

Everyone deserves to have their own belief systems. However, you cannot afford to dismiss or discriminate against people that don’t share those views. Politics, religion, and even sport can be touchy subjects. Even if you have no interest in changing your opinions, being open enough to increase your education is vital.

This increased knowledge can work wonders when dealing with clients, colleagues, and associates. You don’t have to agree with people to have a productive conversation. Crucially, you should be open to new ideas on how to complete various work tasks. From embracing new tech to new methods, those upgrades could open the door to new opportunities.

Given that society is more diverse than ever before, you simply cannot afford to let this issue slide. If you do, some employers may mentally blackball you.

10. Your Voice

Communication is at the heart of all business. Be friendly yet assertive, and you should see positive results. It seems like a small issue, but it makes a big impact. This doesn’t just mean how you speak to people face-to-face, but also your CV, emails, and any other correspondence.  Using the wrong tone could affect your job prospects. However, working with a firm that speicalises in the executive search can make things easier, as they should provide advice and find the right placement for you to get your dream job. 


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