Signs your boss cares about your career progression
You have been in your job for a while, and are starting to wonder how much more progress you can make at your current organisation. You know your job inside out, and are certainly performing well – but ask yourself – are you continually developing and learning within your career?
No matter your field, constant progression during your career is essential. Without it, your role will seem repetitive, your skills could become outdated, and you are hindering your chances of success when applying for roles elsewhere, as well as in the future.
To a large extent, career development is down to you. You need to know which areas you want to improve in, and what your long term career goals are. You will then need to proactively communicate these goals to your boss and suggest action points for achieving these.
Once you have done this however, your boss should use their experience, seniority and influence within the organisation to help you achieve your goals. Therefore, in order to gauge how much your boss cares about you and your career progression, ask yourself whether they are taking these below steps when you approach them to discuss your development.
Signs that your boss cares about your career growth with the company
Here are a few obvious signs your boss cares about your future with the company, wants to support and promote you, values your contribution, is impressed by your performance and will help your career thrive.
1. Your boss communicates regularly with you
If your boss really cares about your career progression, they will have proactively tried to create an open environment in which you feel you are able to communicate your thoughts on how you see your role progressing. They will also make their own suggestions and provide feedback on areas where you can develop.
2. Your boss encourages you to challenge yourself
3. Your boss connects you to the right people
Ask yourself, how often does your boss connect you with the people who can influence your career progression?
4. Your boss says ‘yes’ to training
5. Your boss gives you credit
6. Your boss welcomes promotional opportunities
What to do next
The above signs your boss cares about your professional development and career path will give you a solid indication of your potential long-term success with the company. Bosses who respect their employees, make you feel valued and care about your personal development at work are important advocates to have on your side.
Importance of a good relationship with your boss
So, ask yourself the above questions to indicate how much your manager cares about your career development. If you answer yes to most of them, then it’s a good sign. You have a good boss who is supportive of your personal development in your current job and cares about helping you achieve your future career goals. Therefore, it is important that you make them proud – your employer has invested their time and budget into developing you, and will want to see results. Make the most of any new challenges, projects, training and development opportunities that you take on in your current job, and feed back to your boss how it has helped you. Keep your relationship with your boss positive and respectful and thank them for their personal faith and commitment.
How to talk to your boss about career growth
If you answered no, then it’s time to have a conversation with your employer. Are they able to alter their management approach and support you more in realising your career goals? If not, and you feel like you won't receive the critical support required to succeed long-term in this office or workplace, then it may be time to move on and find somebody else who will.
If you do decide to look for a new role at a leading organisation where your career can thrive, don’t forget to emphasise your ambitions on your CV, when speaking to a recruiter and with prospective managers during the interview stage. Find out how much these companies can accommodate your career goals, how effort and success is rewarded, if they are known for taking the time to listen to each employee, what life is really like working there and if an individual person is likely to feel that their work is valued. It may also help to determine if their commitments to employee development are genuine, such as through real-life case studies on their website or in online employee reviews. These factors can all help you determine which employer is likely to support your career progression long-term. Good luck.
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