The manufacturing industry, as in all areas of business, can be difficult to break in to. However, it can be even harder to accelerate your career when you are already part of the manufacturing industry. Therefore, it is important that you are able to acknowledge some of the most recommended ways to get a foothold on that promotion you have been looking for, and the steps that you can take to achieve your dream role.
Consider the Roles Available
Before you can start to make progress in achieving goals in your career, you should think about the types of roles that are available for you in manufacturing. For instance, consultants and business analysts are in high demand in all industries in the current climate, with many companies looking to improve their standards and business processes. Once you have chosen a role that appeals to you, you can then take more focused steps in achieving it.
Get the Right Qualifications
One of the best steps that you can take is to get the right qualifications for the role that you are looking into. If you are unable to afford these qualifications yourself, you should speak to your manager about any schemes that the business you work for runs in order to increase their employees’ skills, such as paid training programs or qualifications. You should always keep learning throughout your career, and these qualifications should reflect the modern requirements of the manufacturing world. For instance, Six Sigma black belt training programs can aid your career by allowing you to understand the lean processes that your company is looking to implement and opening many job roles up to you, including consultant and leadership positions.
Do an Internship and Apply for Graduate Schemes
Another way to increase the likelihood of accelerating your career fast is to do an internship or apply for graduate schemes which can enable you to work in a professional environment. If you are already part of a manufacturing company, this may take the form of looking at shadowing and exchange opportunities within your company, giving you a chance to experience the other job roles within the business that you work for and understand whether they are appropriate for you, as well as the skills that you may need to perform them.
Speak to Your Manager
Those who don’t ask, don’t get. Although those new to manufacturing may decide that networking is key to the acceleration of their career, for those that are looking for career progression, the least that you can do is to speak to your manager about the opportunities for progression within your firm and what you can do to make this possible. You should state your ambition for a promotion in your annual one-to-one meetings and discuss what you need to do to be able to achieve this, including improving any weaknesses in your technique and any qualifications that you may need to be suitable for the position.