Growing in one’s career can seem like an unlikely dream, or one that takes a lifetime to achieve. Of course, it does take time to progress to your ideal goal of leadership and management (if that is your desire), but below are three tools and resources that can help put working professionals on the path to growth in your career.

1️⃣ Mentor

Having a career mentor is a powerful growth tool. Find someone in the organization (or outside) who is doing what you would like to do, making a difference in ways you find inspirational or has skills that you would like to develop. Usually, from my experience, people like this are happy to mentor others. They are fruitful and want to help others be successful. When you find this person, reach out and be honest about your intentions: that you would like to learn from this person and understand how he or she has come to develop such skills, experience or achievements within their field. One can have different mentors for different purposes. Oh, and by the way, you do not have to call them mentors. An informal mentor relationship can be formed from the regular lunch or one-on-one session between you and the leader from whom you seek to learn.

2️⃣ Resume

This may sound old-school and cliche, but a well-prepared, well-written resume on hand can make a difference when that opportunity presents itself. The last thing you want to do is have to refresh your resume when you learn of a role or opportunity that you find interesting. Keep your resume refreshed and with periodic updates, highlighting next experiences, skills and achievements.

3️⃣ Employee Experience Databases

Many organizations have an internal database that allows employees to update their experience, certifications and career goals to the system, enabling leaders looking for talent to search and find those skillsets. High-performers in the organization often do not have to look for their next job; based on the impact they are currently making and the information within the database, a hiring manager can hear about this internal talent resource and invite this person to apply to the next opportunity. So find out of your organization has such a database and keep your information updated and refreshed with your quality experience and skills!

Career growth takes time. The above tools can help communicate your desires and skills for those opportunities that you would not want to miss! Remember, “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”