Shine Bright Like a Diamond: How to Get Top Opps at Your Job

Diamonds singer Rihanna is known for breaking records, pushing boundaries and making news headlines. From Nov. 14 to Nov. 20, the megastar bounced to seven different countries in seven days, celebrating the premiere of her seventh studio album, Unapologetic. The most exciting part? RiRi and her team decided to invite roughly 150 journalists and bloggers to document each moment of the trip. As a writer myself, I thought, “How crazy would that be to tag along with one of the world’s biggest pop stars around the globe as a job assignment

Regardless of what industry you’re in, there are tons of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in your field. While those moments may not include following your favorite singer as she does a victory lap around the world, they can include landing a dope promotion, spearheading a huge project or globetrotting. Check out these three tips on how to nail career-changing opportunities.

Watch N’ Learn

Look for a power player in your company who is making the kind of moves that you want to make and who is willing to take you under his/her wing. This will give you the opportunity to see what’s in store and make sure that it’s what you truly want. It will also give you an inside source— one who may have some influence in deciding or knowing whether you get to make power plays yourself.

Talk That Talk

No one is going to know that you’re ready for the next step if you don’t verbalize it. Keep the lines of communication open with your boss and let it be known that you are prepared for the challenge. Prove that you are equipped for an upgrade by promoting your accomplishments in a fact-based, results-focused way.

Shine Bright like a Diamond

Make yourself shine in your current position. The best way to show that you deserve to make those major moves in your company is to simply hustle where you are now. Go above and beyond the call of duty. If you can knock your current job out of the park, especially in a low-maintenance way, people are going to wonder, “What else can he/she excel at?”

What are some of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities you would like to achieve—or have achieved—at your job? #SoundOff and follow me on Twitter @JayNHarrison.