The Power of Career Leverage – Why it’s a Necessity and How to Gain it

In a recent conversation with a friend, the concept of “career leverage” was brought up. Career leverage is essentially the formula for anyone wanting to take their career to the next level.

But what exactly does career leverage mean? How can you obtain leverage in your career?

This article will not only get you thinking about the importance of career leverage but also provide advice on how you can achieve this.

What is Career Leverage?

Let’s put it this way – If you lost your job tomorrow, would you have issues immediately finding a new job that’s similar? That’s the question to consistently ask yourself.

Because understand that no job or company will last forever. In fact, BBC News points out that “the average lifespan of a company listed in the S&P 500 index is just 15 years today.”

Think about that.  Some of the biggest and most successful companies that we know of today are statistically unlikely to be around before I’m 40 years old.

But all along haven’t we been taught the opposite? That we’re supposed to have a “long-tenured career at one or two companies, work hard, and we’ll eventually advance.”

While that logic may have been relevant a decade ago, the transformation of the job market has made it much easier for individuals to “job hop” using the power of leverage.

How to Gain Career Leverage

Gaining leverage is by far one of the most important areas in order to accelerate your career. So how exactly do you gain leverage?

Listed below are some simple, yet actionable steps for anyone wondering how to gain leverage in their career.

1. Develop and Master In-Demand Skills

Having a marketable skillset is one of the first steps to ever obtaining leverage.

IT, finance, accounting, digital marketing, engineering, medical, sales, and trade skills are all examples of in-demand careers as of this writing.

Not only do these professions earn more, but the availability of open positions in these fields is frequent.

“But I don’t like that stuff. I’m not good with computers. I’m bad at math. I’m not going to pay thousands of dollars to study that in college.”

Well lucky for us, the evolution of the Internet has made learning valuable skills very accessible with low-cost investments. It simply takes time and work.

I touched on this a bit in a previous article that was widely viewed. Check out the link below for more information.

Is Going to College Worth it?

2. Networking

The importance of networking is a reoccurring theme on the Beers to Careers site, and there’s a good reason for that. Especially when it pertains to career leverage.

Having quality connections in your “back pocket” is extremely powerful. All it takes is one recommendation/referral to land that next big job.

In my case – my current boss offered me this job solely for the fact that I previously worked under him in a different organization at the time. He then went on to start his own business and hired me with the goal of scaling his new company.

NEVER underestimate the power of networking. The more quality people you know, the easier it is to obtain leverage.

3. Reading

Staying up to date on industry trends is huge. Being a digital marketer myself I am fully aware of how important it is to stay updated with the latest news, platforms, algorithm updates, etc.

Outside of industry-related content, I believe it’s also important to read books that can shift your mindset and fuel personal growth.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk are two books I’ve read that have had the most impact on my personal growth, which results in leverage.

4. Building Your Personal Brand

“Developing your personal brand is the same thing as living and breathing your résumé.” Gary Vaynerchuk said it best in his book Crush It!

I’ve discussed personal branding often throughout this site, while also speaking on the topic to college students.

Think of personal branding as the way others perceive you, and how you market yourself.

Names like Gary Vee, Grant Cardone, Russell Brunson, Mark Cuban, Dave Ramsey, and Michael Jordan all carry powerful personal brands.

Strong personal brands equate to a TON of leverage.

For further advice on personal/professional branding, view my popular LinkedIn Guide below.

How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out in 2020

5. Side Hustling

Start a podcast, build websites, flip items on eBay, freelance your skills (if legally allowed). The opportunities for side hustling in 2020 are about endless.

Creating multiple revenue streams is obviously healthy for your financial situation. But what you learn from side hustles is just as important.

I’m certain most of my WordPress development knowledge came from a side hustle where I build websites for local businesses.

If you’re currently working a 9-5 job, start side hustling during your free time!

Final Take

I’m fully aware there are many other ways to gain leverage in your career, but hopefully this guide helps you better understand the power of career leverage.

Don’t sit around and hope for something to fall in your lap. If you’re serious about growing your career then you must take action to gain leverage.

As always please reach out to me if you have any questions/comments. Let’s get after it!

“Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped.” – Eric Thomas