Conor Heavey is programme director at UCD Smurfit Executive Development which partners Bord Bia in providing food industry talent scholarship programmes.

He has worked for almost 20 years with recent and experienced graduates and has observed five things that high achievers, and those who get promoted quicker, usually do better than most.

These greatly enhance their chances of maximising their potential, enabling them to achieve personal fulfilment, financial security and a work-life balance.

So, what are these five things?

1. Identifying exactly what they want: high achievers have identified exactly what they want and are clear on their mission and their dream job. They create and implement well-considered, short- and longer-term career plans. They can easily articulate their career goals such as their preferred role, responsibility, culture and size of organisation, products, markets and salary expectations.

We have all heard the standard advice ‘follow your dream’, ‘make a plan’ or ‘don’t stop until you achieve this’. However, the biggest barrier to people going after their dream job is them not having a clear picture of what they really want. ‘I’m keeping an open mind’ can sometimes become an excuse for inaction. For a large number of people, the development of their career can occur as a result of drifting, over time, from one job to the next. It happens almost by accident, rather than design, in a reactive way, driven by random external events. Therefore, to optimise your potential what is needed is a straightforward but necessary process of investigation to allow for well-informed career planning.

2. Aligning current efforts to longer-term goals: once they have committed to a clear mission, the high achiever then works backwards to align their longer-term mission to their current skills/experience-building efforts. Writing down professional objectives can be powerful. These objectives should evolve over time and regular review and revision is important to keep themselves accountable and on track.

3. Having a strong value proposition: the third step taken by those who usually succeed in getting the job – or promotion – is their ability to articulate, with passion, a strong value proposition. This means that they can explain clearly how they see themselves adding value to the company, drawing on evidence of their strengths and experiences. Being able to do this differentiates candidates at formal interview – they don’t just sell themselves, they sell what they can do for the employer. In addition, because the majority of positions are now not advertised, this ability enables them to pro-actively create and pursue networking opportunities. Having a strong value proposition is a powerful way to show the right levels of initiative, resourcefulness and strategic thinking, among a host of other benefits. It helps to convince business owners/managers that they are more likely to start adding value to the organisation quicker than other candidates.

4. Dedicating time: those who optimise their potential to secure jobs or promotions usually dedicate brief but regular time to managing their career progress to ensure it develops by design. Despite career management being a priority for executives generally, it is rarely urgent enough that they must do it today. Therefore, it tends to get pushed onto the long finger and does not get sufficient attention.

5. Meeting for coffee: high achievers recognise that they will get significantly more turn-downs than offers and are prepared to identify a long list of target companies and people that could align with their own career plan. They are not afraid to invite senior decision-makers for a coffee with a view to sharing their value proposition. Having prepared well, they are confident holding a conversation which demonstrates a strong appreciation of the commercial and other challenges facing the company. This approach means that they are seen to be ‘offering their expertise’ rather than cap-in-hand ‘asking for a job’. Albeit they do this with an appropriate balance between confidence and humility.

To recap, take control of your career potential and happiness by: identifying exactly what you want and what skills and experiences you need to get it, selling yourself well to the right people, starting the process today and sustaining momentum.

Conor Heavey will be speaking at the Agri Careers on 14 February in the RDS. In partnership with Bord Bia, UCD Smurfit Executive Development is now offering 70 full scholarships to recent and experienced graduates. Apply now at www.smurfitschool.ie/bordbia