15 Proven Ways To Maximize Your Potential.

Many of us struggle to find a job, climb the ladder at our current company, or do what we love for a living. Doing so can be difficult, especially when you feel like you're going in circles and struggling to get ahead with interview questions about what programming languages are used. You might want to try one of these 15 proven ways below before giving up on your career.

1. Don't be afraid to work for free in exchange for valuable experience.

If you want to impress an employer, you need to put yourself out there. Crafting quality code is so important that many employers will pay you, without dictating how often or when you'll do it.

Offer your services hourly for as little or as much as they can afford, and don't be afraid of giving them a taste of your skills on a case by case basis if they're a large company who has the funds to pay you.

For the inexperienced and the small businesses that may be qualified to work with you on your free time, this could be a great strategy moving forward so they can get their foot in the door.

2. Have a good reason for not calling yourself a "Programmer."

There are various positions you can handle within the realm of software engineering, and the core skill-sets required to hold these positions are not drastic different from one another.

However, you need to learn how to separate yourself from your peers through marketing. Maybe you want to use "developer" as your title, or even anything that makes it known that you're an expert in your particular field of work, so people know what they're getting when they hire you for a job. This will help people differentiate who's qualified and who isn't, based on the title listed in their resume or any projects that they have worked on.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations from your coworkers.

People know that you're trying to get ahead in your career, so they can help you if they see potential in you. If they feel like they can put a good word out there, or give you some quick advice, they will.

This shouldn't be too much of a problem when it's a small company because everyone knows everyone else and are more likely to give information out if asked. If it's a larger company, getting recommendations is not as easy, but still possible.

You could submit your resume while someone is interviewing, and if they see potential in you and have an opening, their boss may recommend you to that person.

4. Don't give up if you don't get a job right away.

You have to be willing to take the initiative and keep working if you're looking for a job in any field of engineering or technical work. You should be proactive, and not waiting around passively while others jump ahead of you in the queue.

Instead, looking for a job that you would like to do and is in line with your skillset can help you land a position fairly quickly. Also, always be on the lookout for opportunities within your company by asking around about new open positions that are going unfilled or low on applicants. This could mean an increased chance of landing a position if there's an opening in your field of expertise.

5. Don't be afraid to take stuff that you're not paid for.

You might be tempted to go freelance and start charging a fee for your services, but you need to understand that these are often just tasks that need to be completed quickly.

If you want to do something pro-bono or on a case by case basis, this can be a great idea for finding work if there are no other options available or if the individual is an established client. This can also bring exposure for your skill-set and experience level because of these needs.

6. Be willing to work in the trenches, even if it's not ideal.

You may not be happy with where you're working, but you need to make yourself useful. If they don't have a permanent developer, they couldn't really afford to hire someone locally because it would take too long. For now, you can make it a point to be the go-between for them and the outsourced developers or programmers that they use.

This can be beneficial because you bring in some major knowledge that you may not have had with other clients, and this will raise your value and expertise within the company.

You also have to be willing to keep learning new things on the job because there's always something new that could come your way if you're willing to put in the time.

7. Don't be scared to get a job even if you don't have enough training.

If you need training and want to advance, but don't have the knowledge or the financial means to do so, look for a career that's closely related to your field and try doing some hard work to show them.

You will be earning your keep while you're there learning on-the-job and putting in extra hours, but it will pay off in the end when you have all of the necessary skills needed to work in that industry.

If all else fails, consider getting some experience with an internship during college or working as an assistant at your current job before trying something new.

8. Network with people who know a lot more than you do.

Think of the people that you know who you'd want to work for, and think about how they would help you get that job. If there's someone who's a seasoned expert in your field of work and has plenty of connections, this could be a great way to get ahead in your career.

You could use these connections and spend some time getting familiar with your boss so that you can come across as knowledgeable, which isn't very easy to do over the phone.

Networking within the industry and also finding people outside of it is also going to be beneficial because it will expose you to new job opportunities.

9. Get to know what the company sells, and try to learn more about it.

Deciding on where you want to work is an important step because you need a job that's aligned with your skill-set and that you enjoy doing. If the company sells something that you're interested in, this will make it easier for you to talk about what they do and get more opportunities down the road.

You don't want to be under-qualified or under-experienced just because they're not a good fit for your skill-set and experience level, which is why it's important to get familiar with their products before showing up for an interview. If they're not a good fit, it's better to know now than try to fix the problem and cause more trouble than necessary.

10. Be outgoing and ask questions on a limited basis.

Keeping your opinions and ideas about what you want to do on hold is important if you're trying to get a new job at the moment, but it's also okay to give yourself an interview from time-to-time because this can help you find out more information about an opportunity.

This can also help with your reputation for being helpful, which is something that will help you in the long run because people remember the person who helped them out when they needed it most. It can also lead to others helping you get job opportunities in the future, since they know you'll be there for them when the time comes.

11. Don't take a job just for money.

You should be able to enjoy the job that you have, even if it's not as lucrative as it could be. If you're going through a lot of stress, or just don't enjoy your work, it will show in your work and clients can sense that immediately. You need to make sure that you are doing something that takes advantage of your skillset and interests while still allowing you to make ends meet financially because of those desires and needs.

12. Create an account on job search websites, and apply for jobs that you're qualified for.

If you're looking to get serious about finding a new position, try to create an account on job search websites like Monster and Workopolis in order to find out what's available locally and around the area. You can also consider posting your resume online and letting people who are hiring know that there's someone with experience in the field looking to work at their organization.

Make sure that you can back up everything that you say in your resume by submitting samples of your work when possible so that potential employers know that this isn't just a pipe dream of getting a pay cheque because they have been craving working in this field.

13. Follow up on every lead that you get to see where it goes.

You may not be able to follow up with every lead that you get, but you should at least make it a point to do this because doing so will help you keep track of the opportunities that are coming in and how they are progressing.

You can also consider using some of your sent time effectively by marking each one as unread, sending an email to every contact, and then checking back later on to see what comes of it until they tell you that they have either been passed or rejected. If you're proactive about searching for in-house opportunities, the chances of getting one will be much higher.

14. Do a great job!

Keep your work up to par and make sure that you do everything that you promised to do so that your boss isn't disappointed when they look at your work. If something really needs to get done, ask your boss if they have any suggestions on what you can do differently or better so that they know that you're putting in effort even if it's not always showing on the surface with your results. Once you've proven yourself to your boss and made yourself indispensable, you will find out whether or not it's a good fit for both of you.

15. Ask for help when it's needed.

Working on your own is great, but sometimes you need outside assistance in order to get the job done. It can be hard to ask for help, but it's worth the effort once you have the chance to use that knowledge elsewhere in your career.

Sometimes you need to be a bit more assertive in order to get what you want, but if you try to ask for advice instead of help and it just isn't working out, try something new the next time that you're having the same problem.

Also remember that it's okay to ask for help from someone who knows what they're doing even if they don't have the same experience as you because this can be an excellent way to learn how things are done in certain industries.

Finally

The job hunt can be fun and exciting, but it can also be frustrating because most jobs that you see just aren't a good fit for you. If you try to get the interview, even if they don't have a position available because they are going to be hiring soon most of the time that's all it takes to get their attention so that they know you're interested and willing to learn.

If you get in touch with the hiring manager of a company that you want to work for and let them know what your experience is worth and try to go over some work history, they may not have a position available at the moment, but they will make note of your experience level in case someone else leaves their organization.