Whether you’re an individual entrepreneur, doctor, nurse, school teacher, accountant, or any other professional, you need to learn the tips that will take your career to the next level.

There are several pro tips that you can use to accomplish any career goals you define. Read below to learn how to advance your career using the following building blocks.

1. Build Your Online Presence and Treat it Like a Portfolio

You need to think of yourself as your own business, even if you work for someone else’s company. This means setting up an online presence that clearly shows what you bring to the table as a professional.

Having your own blog and website will be a great start. This lets you create some evergreen content, while also showing off examples of your work.

This will act as your portfolio and can generate new career opportunities for you. When at all possible, create some video content based on your area of career interest.

Right now, about half of all people watch at least 5 videos every single day. This will help you create content that people love to enjoy and that is easily shareable.

2. Educate Yourself on the Most Pertinent Information

It’s also important that you educate yourself based on your field. This means getting the necessary degrees, certifications, or any other education that you need.

Investing in enrollment in an online career school can be one of the best decisions you make.

There are online schools that can help you go into just about any field that you can imagine. Look up the curriculum in advance and make sure you choose programs that are accredited.

3. Attend as Many Networking Events as Possible

Networking is one of your most important tools because it gets you leads for future opportunities. When you have a solid contact list of people you can ask favors of and lend favors to, you will always be in demand as a professional.

Add several networking engagements to your professional calendar and attend them regularly. With these events, it’s quite easy to come away with 10 to 15 new business cards each time.

This will inevitably lead you to have a circle of friends that will pay off in the long-run.

4. Consistently Work on Your Communication Skills

Always work on your communication skills so that you can carry yourself with conviction. Clear and engaging speaking ability will help you win over a room whether you’re holding a seminar or going in for a job interview.

Writing skills are also crucial since you’ll need to know how to write engaging web content and business proposals.

Working on your communication helps to understand how people take in information, which can lead to more sales and better business relationships.

5. Become a Voracious Reader

A person that reads regularly will always have the propensity to become a better professional. There are no skills or ways of thinking that you can’t learn about in a book.

Reading is also crucial in business because it introduces you to new perspectives and paradigms. This builds your empathy and ability to reason.

There are several books that you’ll want to add to your list as a budding professional — to include “Think and Grow Rich” By Napoleon Hill, “Relentless” By Tim Grover, and “Greatness is Upon You” By Eric Thomas.

Set goals for reading, such as a new book every week or month. Be sure to read books in your industry as well so that you can become inspired and informed.

6. Keep Up With the Most Important Professional Skills of the Day

Take the time to acquire the skills that will be most helpful in your field.

For instance, someone looking to get started in information technology (IT) may want to go after Cisco certified internetwork expert (CCIE), Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect or Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications.

Nurses may want to take continuing education classes that help them deal with patients who have intellectual disabilities, and marketing pros will want to keep learning more about search engine optimization (SEO).

7. Upgrade Your Wardrobe to Be More Professional

Be sure that you’re always upgrading your wardrobe as you also upgrade your professionalism. This creates the right first impression to people and gives you something to wear on your many different business engagements.

Get some outfits for every potential occasion, such as business casual, formal business attire, and clothing to wear for professional lunches and dinners.

Keep hardcopy and digital receipts for all of these clothing purchases so that you can get tax deductions when it’s time to file. You can also get deductions for donating these clothes to non-profits when they get too old.

8. Find Mentors That Can Help You

Mentorship is critical for anyone trying to climb the business ladder. There are several professionals that have experiences that you’re hoping to gain someday.

By developing a relationship with these professionals, they can open more doors for you than you can imagine. They’ll also help you to avoid some mistakes and setbacks that can stifle your development.

9. Get Your Finances together

When you aren’t in debt and living check to check, it’s easier to make sound professional decisions. People that are only building their career to shore up financial setbacks will be prone to desperation.

Conversely, when you are debt-free and thriving, your professional decisions will be all about your heart’s calling and what you want to contribute.

10. Set Goals and Regularly Meet Them

Above all, regularly set goals for your professional career. Chunking these goals incrementally will help you set benchmarks that will carry you far.

Give yourself deadlines for these goals and create a plan of action for achieving all of them.

Learn How to Advance Your Career on Your Own Terms

These tips are helpful when you’re learning how to advance your career. Your dreams are achievable as long as you have a plan of action and the right retargets to get you there.

Check out more information on our site that will help you piece together your dream career.