Excerpts
from “Seven Smart New Year Career Resolutions”
By Martin Yate, CPC
“I will get back to
work”; “I will get a better job”; “I will get a promotion”: we all make New
Year’s career resolutions to do better professionally and then promptly forget
to harness these goals to activities that will get us there. Here are seven resolutions
that can change the rest of your life.
#1.
I will survive and prosper
Make a commitment to invest in learning the
job search and career management strategies that will give you greater control of your professional and financial destiny.
#2.
I will build on firm foundations
As a professional, you
are a bundle of skills and capabilities, and when you sell this bundle you are a selling a product or a commodity.
Commit to the creation of killer marketing materials.Your resume is the most
financially important document you will ever own: when your resume works, you
work; when it doesn’t, you don’t. It’s the primary marketing device that
introduces you to the professional world and your customer base.
#3.
I will develop the career management tools needed to succeed
In a typical fifty-year
work-life, where job changes occur about every four years, the most important
professional skills you can develop are:
- How to write a killer resume
- How to get job interviews
- How to turn job interviews into job offers
- How to secure your job and win promotions
- How to strategize career changes
#4.
I will connect to my profession
This job hunt is
probably not your first and almost certainly won’t be your last, so it would be
smart to commit time to learning a network-integrated approach to job
searching. Of course, this requires that you build and nurture a professional
network. Anyone anywhere can join LinkedIn and become actively involved with
the profession specific groups, increasing contacts, credibility and
visibility. If you live in a metropolitan area, involvement in the local
chapter of at least one professional association is the single best thing you
can do for your career.
#5.
I will be prepared for future job searches
Capture and save all
useful information about employers in your own job search database, so that when it comes time for job change
again, you won’t have to start from scratch: A company that hires accountants
this year will probably be hiring them every year.
#6.
I will protect my job and boost my employability
Changing technology
constantly alters the skills you need to compete,
and without current skills, you are being paid for abilities that will rapidly
become obsolete. You need an ongoing program of skill development to keep you
employable and desirable in the job market.
#7.
I will steal time to bring my plans to life
The average American
watches an astounding five hours of TV every night.
You can steal time to bring your plans to life by tuning out just one
thirty-minute sitcom each night. Use the time to understand and build the
skills for professional success that you will use again and again throughout
your professional career. Implement these simple, practical career resolutions
and you can change the trajectory of your professional life forever. The
alternative is to watch life whizz by on the boob tube, as you are encouraged
to live up to your income rather than your dreams.
