Is it Time to Revisit Old Career Advancement Methods?

As the working world gets more complex and sophisticated, so have job search and career development techniques. As well they should. Ours is clearly not the world our parents navigated just a few decades ago. The pace has become more frenetic, more intense, less stable.

There just isn't a place for the career strategies that proved so successful for Mom and Dad, right? Well, not so fast. Yeah, the notion of being handed a great long-term career with one or two iron-clad companies is largely a museum piece. But a lot of the other methods that made your folks successful aren't any less effective now then they were back then. They just aren't as trendy.

Try these great techniques to give your contemporary career a classic luster.

Find what matters and focus on that
Like those storied career superstars of the 20^th Century, you'll do well find what tasks your company values most and what the organization needs above all else. Then apply yourself to excel in doing those things. By doing so, you make yourself immediately more important to the company and put yourself at the heart of the action.

Doing top quality work
No matter how savvy your career moves are, how charismatic your personality is, or how carefully you chart your climb to the top, ultimately you'll be judged primarily on the quality of your work. That was true for your parents and it will almost certainly remain so for as long as there is work to be done and organizations to do it in.

Be modest - but not too modest
If your dad managed to climb his way high enough to even see the top of the ladder, he almost certainly understood the delicate balance between being recognized and appearing like a show off. And today that balance is still as important as ever, although what's considered "bragging" is a little different than it used to be. Look for ways to make your successes visible and clearly attributable to you, without giving the appearance of straining for attention.