At this time of the year, many people have decided that this year they want a new job. They have a clear goal of finding a new employer or job and moving away from their current environment.
This article is not for those people. It is for those of you who have decided to stay in your current role for a bit longer and have returned to work after a holiday. It is easy to get back into the standard routine of things, but if you really want to maximise your career success, you need to be thinking smarter than that.
Like your physical health, fitness or relationships, you need to continue to invest time and energy to maintain or exceed your current level of satisfaction.
Ask yourself these questions. At the end of this year:
- What do you want to have achieved at work?
- What skills will you have developed?
- What 'wins' do you want to add to your CV?
- Who will notice your work this year?
- What relationships will you have built or improved?
- How will you be better positioned for a promotion?
- What will you do better?
- What kind of reference would you receive if you needed one?
I encourage people to set an imaginary exit date from their current job. It might be 12 months, 2 years or 5 years for example. With that exit date in mind, what should they be doing right now to achieve what they need to in their role? Although the exit date is imaginary, it puts a time constraint around their achievement in that role. This helps to take action to make most of this time.
Set yourself some career objectives today for this year based on your answers to the above questions. Think about 12 months from now and what will be different. Create a plan on how you will achieve your goals, and take one step towards them today.
Be proactive, planned and energetic and achieve your career goals for 2008 and watch your success soar.
If you want help with creating a Career Strategy or maximising your current success, visit our website at www.careeranalysts.co.nz or call Jo Mills on 09 353 0957 at Career Analysts for a confidential chat.