如何走出职业发展的死胡同？

    不要贸然地在休息时间给公司高层领导打电话寻求建议，你可以自愿支持公司内的活动，例如全球性的内部会议，你会在这里遇到许多高层领导。软件公司SAP Global Customer Operations首席人力资源官布里盖特•麦金尼斯-戴伊表示，充当这种角色时，“你更容易引起人们的注意，并且有机会接触许多职能部门。这样的经历将帮你树立名声，证明你希望接触更广泛的层面，而不是一位只关心自己工作的工人。”

    SAP与牛津经济研究院（Oxford Economics）最近联合发布的劳动力报告显示，仅有7%的千禧一代员工通过社交得到了职业发展，因为他们更依赖正规的培训和指导，来提升自己的能力。此外，全球29%的千禧一代员工希望能够得到更多反馈，39%的千禧一代会因为缺少培训和发展而考虑跳槽。

    33岁的克里斯蒂安•休斯是纽约一家保险公司的项目经理，在自愿成为一名有关公司责任的主题专家时，她认识了公司的一位高管，而公司责任恰好是这位高管的专业领域。不久，这位高管便为她推荐了公司内部和外部的其他人，建议她与这些人接触，看看是否有更好的机会。休斯说道：“他为我打开了一扇门……因为他几乎每个月都会与我谈论我的职业发展情况。”休斯最初也不相信，通过官方辅导计划能建立如此牢固的关系。

    学无止境

    仅靠关系不可能让你走得更远。你还要提前掌握下一个阶段所需要的技能和经验。许多年轻人会因为下面这种左右为难的情况而感到沮丧：要想得到一份你想要的工作，你必须首先证明自己具备该职位所需要的经验，但如果没有机会，你又不可能积累经验。

    休斯说道：“从小到大，人们都在告诉我们，通过努力工作，你可以做自己想做的任何事情。但许多公司不会因为一个人的潜力而聘用他，他们雇用的是一个人的能力。”

    有时候，能否得到积累经验的机会，可能取决于你寻找机会的方式。一个新人直白地问：“我该如何进步？”，可能会令在一家公司打拼了五六年的人对他产生不满。相反，可以询问一些更宽泛的信息，帮助你找到积累经验的机会，深入了解公司和部门，以及自己能否适合这家公司等。

    要想了解其他人对你职业素养的看法，可以请求同事评价你的工作或在会议中的表现。他们的意见能够帮助你获得非正式的反馈，SAP的研究显示，超过三分之二的千禧一代希望得到更多这样的反馈。麦金尼斯-戴伊表示，你可能从同事那里了解到，你在办公室里说话声音最大，或者你总是太过安静。

    她说道：“一定要清楚自己有哪些方面偏弱，需要加强。”她还鼓励有抱负的员工接受那些可能不怎么炫目或令人兴奋的机会。“通过同级调动来拓展自己的技能。”

 Instead of simply calling up a senior leader in your company for advice over coffee, you could volunteer to support a company-wide initiative, such as a global internal meeting that will include many senior leaders. In that kind of role, “you’re big and visible and touch lots of functional areas,” says Brigette McInnis-Day, chief human resources officer at software firm SAP Global Customer Operations. “Those help you get a name and show you’re broader than just to be a worker at your specific role.”

    A recent SAP and Oxford Economics workforce report found that only 7% of Millennial workers received professional development through networking, as they rely more on formal training and mentoring for skill development. Also, 29% of Millennial workers globally expect more feedback than they get and 39% would consider leaving their jobs due to a lack of training and development.

    Christian Hughes, 33, a project manager for an insurance company in New York, got to know a senior executive at her firm when she volunteered to become a subject matter expert for corporate responsibility, his area of expertise. Before long, he was suggesting other people she should meet with internally and externally to talk about opportunities. “It’s really opened up a door … because every month or so he wants to talk to me about my career,” says Hughes, who doubts she would’ve developed such a strong relationship through an official mentoring program.

    Always be learning

    Relationships alone won’t get you far. You also need the skills and experience to advance to the next level in your career. Here’s where many young professionals grow frustrated with the following catch-22: you can’t get the job you want until you can demonstrate experience in that role, but you can’t build the experience without an opportunity.

    “We’ve all grown up being told you can do whatever you want to do [by] working hard,” says Hughes. “But a lot of companies are not hiring for potential … they’re hiring for skills.”

    Sometimes, it can all hinge on how you ask for an opportunity. Someone who’s been grinding away at a company for five or six years will chafe at a newbie who asks bluntly, “how do I advance?” Instead, ask more broadly for information that will help you learn about opportunities to gain experience and learn more about the company, its divisions, and how you fit in.

    To understand how you’re perceived professionally, ask peers for feedback on your work or participation in a meeting, for instance. Their input can help provide the informal feedback that more than two-thirds of Millennials would like in greater amounts, according to the SAP study. You may learn that you’re the loudest voice in the room or have a tendency to be too quiet, McInnis-Day notes.

    “Make sure you understand the areas where you are weak and need to develop,” she says, encouraging ambitious workers to be open to opportunities that may not be as flashy or exciting. “Take lateral moves to broaden your skills.”