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                                                                                                                                                      Careers

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                                                                                                                                                        • Getting Started
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                                                                                                                                                          • Develop Your Career Vision
                                                                                                                                                          • Develop Your Career Vision
                                                                                                                                                            • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Questions for Hiring Organizations
                                                                                                                                                            • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Questions for Hiring Organizations
                                                                                                                                                              • Resumes & Cover Letters
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                                                                                                                                                                • Leverage LinkedIn
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                                                                                                                                                                            • Global Opportunity Fellowship GO: AFRICA
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                                                                                                                                                                                • Getting Started
                                                                                                                                                                                • Getting Started
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Develop Your Career Vision
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Develop Your Career Vision
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Questions for Hiring Organizations
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Questions for Hiring Organizations
                                                                                                                                                                                      • Resumes & Cover Letters
                                                                                                                                                                                      • Resumes & Cover Letters
                                                                                                                                                                                        • Leverage LinkedIn
                                                                                                                                                                                        • Leverage LinkedIn
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Finding Job Opportunities
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Finding Job Opportunities
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Salary & Career Trends
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Salary & Career Trends
                                                                                                                                                                                              • Interviewing
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                                                                                                                                                                                                • Negotiating
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                                                                                                                                                                                                  • US Business Immigration Overview
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                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Global Opportunity Fellowship GO: AFRICA
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Growing on the Job
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Growing on the Job
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Becoming an Entrepreneur
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Becoming an Entrepreneur
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Being on Boards
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Becoming a Board Member
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Becoming a Board Member
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Balancing Work & Life
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Career Re-Entry & Flexible Work
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Considering Retirement
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Growing on the Job
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Growing on the Job
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Becoming an Entrepreneur
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Becoming an Entrepreneur
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Being on Boards
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Becoming a Board Member
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Becoming a Board Member
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Nonprofit Board Service
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Nonprofit Board Service
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Diversity on Boards
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Diversity on Boards
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • From C-Suite to CEO
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • From C-Suite to CEO
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Balancing Work & Life
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Balancing Work & Life
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Career Re-Entry & Flexible Work
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Growing on the Job

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          You love your organization, but you want to move up. Explore resources to help you get to the next level of your career without having to move organizations.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Landing a good job, even one that meets your ideals, is less an end in itself than one stage in a larger drama of growth – your growth.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          In many cases, the job itself will provide the challenges and resources necessary for expanding your skillset and adding depth to your leadership abilities. But regardless of the quality of the job, whether it facilitates your development or not, continued growth depends largely on your own initiative.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ultimately, growing on the job requires two things: identifying the areas in which you would like to grow, and establishing goals for your progress.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Assessing needs and goals

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Performance reviews can help you identify areas in which you need to improve or acquire new skills. The fundamentals of these reviews, and their variety, should be familiar to any jobseeker or employee.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The key is to not assess yourself in isolation, but with the input of managers and/or peers who can give you external perspectives. Most of us have a limited ability to see our strengths and/or weaknesses, or identify areas for improvement, objectively.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Tip: Get feedback from people who have skills you admire, and can help you envision a path toward their level of achievement.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          After you have gathered your assessments together and arrived at an understanding of your growth needs, you have important choices to make regarding your goals. Typically, these are:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Improved performance in specific skill areas;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • General expansion of skills, including the development of new ones, which can contribute to your long-term career interests.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Tip: Go beyond establishing goals as a destination; set tangible markers for yourself so that you can see and measure your progress along the way.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ongoing obligations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Like growth itself, assessment is not static, but a dynamic process that continues throughout a career. It's important to make the examination of skills, needs and goals a recurring and routine process.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          And keep in mind that "your growth" is not a matter that's yours alone. Managers can not only help you assess your abilities, but find opportunities – through projects, assignments, and new roles – to expand your skillset, contribute more to your company, and plot a more personally and professionally rewarding career path.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Harvard ManageMentor Featured Lesson: Managing Your Boss

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          You and your boss are critical to each other's success. Take the initiative to have the best possible working relationship to help you move forward in your career.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Learn More

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          From the Career Blog 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “You may find a fabulous mentor - or someone who can play certain roles of a mentor - who is closer in age to you than you might assume.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Sarah Bua
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          HBS Career Coach
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Read Post: Ask a Coach: How Do I Find a Mentor?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “You may find a fabulous mentor - or someone who can play certain roles of a mentor - who is closer in age to you than you might assume.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Sarah Bua
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          HBS Career Coach
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Read Post: Ask a Coach: How Do I Find a Mentor?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Build upon professional development skills using Harvard ManageMentor Spark's Skill Builder toolBuild upon professional development skills using Harvard ManageMentor Spark's Skill Builder tool   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Past Program Resources

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Navigate Conflict & Build Stronger Relationships at Work

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Amy Gallo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Amy Gallo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The most effective leaders know how important it is to be able to navigate difficult conversations and work through conflict to improve our relationships.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The most effective leaders know how important it is to be able to navigate difficult conversations and work through conflict to improve our relationships.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          →View the webinar to learn strategies

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