Working in business is a promising career path because there are a lot of different directions you can go. The opportunities are endless if you continue to work hard and are dedicated to improving your skills over time. Be glad to know there are a few actions in particular that you can take if you want to quickly advance your business career. This way you can get on the right path to becoming a successful and productive employee with the potential to grow and learn over the years. It’s going to take time to get ahead because of all the competition, so be patient with yourself as you develop into the leader you know you can be. Further Your Education A good first step in the process of advancing your business career is to focus on furthering your education. For example, take advantage of your down time by studying for a Suffolk University Online MBA and earning your advanced degree. In this program, you’ll learn the skills and abilities you’ll need to solve complex problems at a global level and how to better analyze data. It’s a great way to polish up your resume and make sure you’re keeping up to speed with the ever changing landscape of the business world. Find A Mentor You may also find it useful to secure a mentor to help you advance your business career. You can bounce ideas off of this person about your performance and ask questions that will help you become a more desirable employee. Pinpoint someone who’s been in your shoes before and has been able to work their way up the corporate ladder. This way you can follow in their footsteps and also hopefully avoid any same mishaps or mistakes they made along the way. Set Goals & Track Your Progress You’ll get a lot further in your business career when you set goals for yourself and what it is you want to achieve in your profession. Not only write down your objectives, but then construct a timeline for how quickly you want to meet each goal. Monitor your progress as you go and don’t be afraid to make adjustments based on your results. For example, aim to go after a promotion at work or complete an online class in an area where you find you struggle the most. Having goals in place will help you to move forward in a promising direction instead of getting stuck in one place and lacking the motivation to advance in your career. Speak to Your Boss In addition, be open and honest with your boss about how you feel about your job and career. Let them know if you’re bored and how you feel they can help better support you and succeed. Discuss chances for you to showcase your skills and abilities in your performance reviews by setting goals together that you want to meet in the upcoming year. Talk about what they feel your strengths and weaknesses are so that you can apply this information while going after the next big promotion opportunity. Always be Networking It’s also in your best interests to always be networking and meeting new people inside and outside of work. Be proactive and use your network for support whenever you’re feeling lost or confused about how you should proceed. It’s possible someone you meet will have good career advice for you or know of a job opening that will be a better fit. Advance your business’ career by staying in touch with those you meet and helping each other out as you each work on getting ahead professionally. Take on More Responsibility at Work...

Tips to increase your learning efficiency This article is well crafted by Anish Passi, Director at Neostencil, an Ed-Tech startup. Neostencil is an online and unique platform for UPSC Test Preparations where you can access live classrooms from the comfort of your home. NeoStencil offers you expert guidance for Civil Services exams, from doyens in this field, top teachers from popular IAS coaching institutes in Delhi, who have had years of experience in successfully mentoring the candidates to develop a holistic approach to their preparation for the exams. Learning is a continuous process, and one should always be keen to explore and learn more, anytime and anywhere. There is no better investment you can make towards improving yourself than acquiring more knowledge. When you are eager to learn, it will automatically improve your learning efficiency. Many times we have to improve our focus to learn something specific. For example, if an individual is preparing for UPSC examination, then you have to learn or prepare in a structured manner. Your UPSC exam training is time-bound for one. So, no matter what your general approach to learning is, at this particular time, you will need to put in a directed effort to improve your chance of qualifying as an IAS officer. Monitor your routine Now that you are preparing for an exam, your focus and energy must be diverted to achieve more in the given time frame. But, that should not be a cause for worry. You can keep stress at bay if you focus on learning fast and quicker than usual. By that we mean, you should attune your mind to find the value-add at every stage of your preparation. If you start looking for something new or in addition to what you know, you will look for resources, people and interaction with a purpose. You know what you are looking for and this way, you can achieve more than you hoped for. Open your mind You can only learn more if you have an open mind to invite suggestions and guidance. If you think you can do it all on own and don’t need assistance from people around you, then, you are at the risk of enclosing yourself in a closed box. Don’t make learning claustrophobic. It is good to read books, gain insight, but it is equally important to put that knowledge in a practical and constructive framework. It can only happen if you share knowledge and invite feedback, discussions, debates and even healthy arguments. It will make you more confident, and it will help you learn from a fresh perspective as well. Start using online chats, discussion forums, etc. Discover a new learning platform every day. Be self-dependent Since it is you and only you who knows what exactly you need to learn, it is therefore vital for you to be a self-dependent person. Take the initiative to be a part of learning forums like virtual ‘live’ classrooms and do it with the intention of contributing and participating in the discussion. It is essential to be visible in the discussion, reflecting exuberance and confidence. Also, always be inquisitive and interested to find out more, whatever be your source. You can learn by listening to others, and at times, you can learn better by debating on the same topic with others. It is as simple as that. Read and Read more Reading can help you gain a competitive edge. If you have an insight on the topic, then only can you discuss or share your knowledge with others. Reading enables you to understand every subject in detail and takes you in-depth, posing new questions, points and a unique perspective on...