The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect on what you want your life to look like going forward. While you can set goals anytime, and while you should definitely improve yourself as much as possible over time, the new year is a convenient time to really dig in to your situation, and create a good plan for the future.
One of the things to consider at the outset of a new year is your career. Do you feel stuck in a rut? Do you wish you had a different job? If you are looking for a career change in the coming year, here are a few tips that can help you create a career strategy for coming success:
1. Decide What You Want To Do
Too often all we have are vague ideas of what would be “nice.” Sit down and think about what you want your job to look like, and what you hope would happen with it. Before you can make a plan, you need a clear objective. Make it a point to develop one. Once you know what you want to accomplish, it is that much easier to work toward your career goals.
2. Learn What It Takes
Now that you know what you want to accomplish, you need to find out what it takes to be successful. You can’t just say you want a raise, or you want to work at a new company in such-and-such a position. Go out and discover what it takes to make it happen. Do you need a particular skill set? Is it common to start in a lower position on the totem pole? Learn about what experience, skills, and education are needed in order to reach your goal.
3. Make a Plan
Finally, it’s time to make a plan. Once you know what you need to do, you can make a plan. Sometimes it means going back to school for a certain degree. Other times, you might just need to take a certain course to gain the desired certification. Perhaps you need experience in a certain field, and you can do an internship or volunteer work for a local charity to get that experience.
You might also need to determine what other steps you need to take. Is there a way to contact someone at a company you want to work at? Can you follow him or her on social media? Will you need to update your resume? If you’re asking for a raise, you will need to research information about similar jobs and you will also need to prepare a presentation describing what you’ve accomplished for the company.
4. Break it Down and Execute
Depending on the preliminaries, you might need to break down your plan a little bit. You might need to save up money in order to pay for a course of study. Perhaps you can only take a class or two a semester. You might need to seek out a mentor. Break down your plan into small, manageable steps, and realize that it might take some time to reach your goals. But if you stick to it, you are more likely to succeed.
{ 0 comments… add one now }