It’s not too late to set your mid-year resolution
There is never a bad time to move your career in the right direction. If you have made resolutions back in January that you’ve never worked towards, now is the time to set yourself some mid-year goals so you can take a step to achieving what want from your career.
Midyear Resolution #1: Make a plan
It’s good to be flexible and pursue opportunities as and when they arise. However, if you want to achieve your full potential it’s also a good idea to have a long-term career plan in place.
If you haven’t got one already, then now is the best time to get your long terms goals (and how you plan on getting there) down on paper.
Things to think about:
- Clarify your career objectives (what are you good at and what do you enjoy?)
- Do you need to gain any additional training or qualifications to help move your career in the right direction?
- What are the potential barriers that will stop you from achieving your goals?
Making long term plans can be daunting, but not having a plan at all can mean you get left behind, lost and without a sense of career direction.
Midyear Resolution #2: Get networking
As they say, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”.
The more people who know and like you at work, the better. People buy, hire and want to work with people they like, know and trust. Networking is also a great way to expand your knowledge and learn from others in your industry.
Although it may seem like a chore, try to attend at least one networking event each month. Making this a regular activity in your monthly schedule will help to raise your profile and build your confidence. Building your networking activity on LinkedIn will also help.
Sit down at the start of the year to investigate networking groups that are suitable for you and your long-term goals.
Midyear Resolution #3: Get noticed at work
While it’s all to easy to keep your head down and get on with your job – it’s never too late to show off a little and get noticed for all your hard work.
You might be the hardest working person on the team, but if you aren’t at the front of people’s minds then it’s likely you may get passed up for additional responsibilities, new projects and it may prevent a promotion.
Here are some tips on how to stand out at work:
- Aim to be efficient in the tasks and jobs that will help your manager the most.
- Develop and expand on your specialist skills. Is there any additional training or qualifications that you could put yourself forward for?
- Flexibility – be the person that says ‘yes’ – not ‘no’.
Midyear Resolution #4: Keep a record of your accomplishments
While you might be fantastic at your job – we often forget to keep track of all the things that we have achieved overtime.
Keeping a record of your accomplishments is key for future performance reviews, job interviews and Recognition of Prior Learning assessments.
Document all of your achievements and keep them in a file. If you are stuck for things to include, then ask yourself these questions:
- What challenges have you personally helped to resolve?
- What things did you have to overcome to resolve it?
- What were the results you helped to achieve?
If you would like to gain new skills and qualifications, then speak to the team at Capital Training Institute. They offer Australian training and qualifications in:
For more information on how can you can fast track your career, visit the Capital Training Institute website today!
Karen Adamedes is an experienced executive, author and career-tipster. In her most recent book ‘Professional in Pajamas: 101 Tips for Working from Home’ Karen shares many of the insights she has gained during a decade of working from home, where she has negotiated multi-million dollar deals, led national teams and delivered major projects. She does admit to sometimes working in her pajamas.
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