Climbing the Career Ladder: 10 Great Ways You Can Go the Extra Mile

With the economy today most of us are grateful to only be employed, but when actually working, we all hope that someone will maybe recognize our potential and help us advance in the career. If this is what you aim for, put yourself in the position of your superiors and think what they would want to see from their employees to be satisfied and decide to promote them. You can't just wait for the opportunities to fall out of the sky – you have to make them happen. Here's what you can do outside your regular job responsibilities to go the extra mile and move up the career ladder:

Attend and organize events. The events related to your industry or the business sector and the company you work in are great opportunity to meet new people who can help your career advance, expand your network and show off your expertise. Attend when invited or maybe organize your own event and gather the key executives and other people of influence. You can also offer yourself as a speaker to some local or national meeting.

Start blogging. If you blog on subjects related to your career choice you'll not only be more visible within your field, but you'll also build knowledge on which you'll only grow further. If committed to writing each week and maintaining the blog regularly while building your personal brand, you'll notice how you better process the information and learn from your everyday experiences. Blogging will also allow you to try out new ideas and interesting topics without actually changing your career.

Keep a networking log. As you expand your professional connections you'll need a networking log to register all the important personal details about the people you meet – their achievements and interests, the recent promotion, the names of their kids, etc. This way you'll easier follow-up and always "remember" the right details.

Practice, learn and turn down new job offers. Leaving the job search for the time when you are unemployed is a big mistake you can't afford making. Instead, you should be looking for new job opportunities even when you are satisfied with the job you have, and use the interviews as an opportunity to practice. This way you'll not only have a chance to react if the opportunity is a good fit (not because you just have no other option!), but you'll also personally assess how valued are your skills and personality on the job market.

Volunteer. That's right, there's no financial satisfaction from volunteering, but there are often so many other benefits, different opportunities that you can't afford not to. You can join a nonprofit organization or decide to fight for a cause, and you'll be surprised how many new like-minded people you'll meet and impress with your dedication.

Feel like staying at home? Throw a dinner party. Call your friends and organize a dinner party. The point is to be around the people you know the best – you don't even have to talk about business, just hang out and be social and who knows what opportunities will develop and where will they lead.

Look for a side job. Turning your hobby into a side job, or freelancing in your area of expertise will not only boost your bank account but will also help you build your resume and use the newly acquired skills to improve the security of your job position, climb up the career ladder or maybe transit into a completely new field. The experts think people are often under pricing their services and suggest they should charge double their original hourly rate.

Show initiative and create something. Instead of waiting to do what you love you can take it upon yourself and create it, no matter what your thing is – a website, start-up, or a dress. Not only that you'll be able to do what you've always truly loved, but you'll also gain some real-life experience in the process regardless of the end result.

Get professional career guidance. Most feedback people ever get on their work is from their superiors – if this guidance doesn't work for you seek out professional assistance from career mentors whose independent opinion will help you in the critical areas you need the most and advise you on how to properly navigate your career in the future.

Take additional classes. Learning new skills and sharpening your knowledge can best help your career advancement. Today's changing world awards the lifelong learners. Enroll in some course to enhance your professional knowledge, improve your competence, work on your strengths and weaknesses, and don't assume that creativity doesn't count – the right side of the brain will actually thank you for that drawing class you started attending.