Summer is the perfect time to sit down and take inventory of your career. There are going to be times that are extra slow as managers and co-workers will be absent from work attending family reunions and going on beach vacations. You are the only one responsible for your career and where it is going, so don’t wait until it is too late to take charge. There are ten things you can do now to make sure your career is on the right path in 2016.
- Start with small goals: You set yearly goals during your annual review, but setting smaller goals is just as important. Set goals with deadlines to improve your day-to-day work.
- Stretch yourself: Get outside your comfort zone and expand your abilities. Volunteer for a project that challenges you such as with public speaking.
- Get feedback: You can assess yourself, but getting feedback from others will truly help you understand where you stand. Ask questions at the end of meetings to know how things went and what worked well for the team.
- Curate your work: Curating your work helps you see all the amazing things you accomplish throughout the year. Collecting your work in a portfolio or other place also helps come review time to show your boss what you have done and why you deserve a raise.
- Learn about your industry: Spend time being a student of your industry to learn about new advancements. Ask others about how they feel about the industry to help develop thoughtful insights.
- Read: Take time to read blogs and books of all levels of your profession. Reading new material with original ideas and thoughts will start conversations and further learning.
- Network: Always send a personalized LinkedIn invite. Explain in your custom invite what you need from them and how you can help them in return. If there is someone you want to be introduced to but don’t know them, ask someone in your network that does know them for an introduction. Attend industry events, local events, and other events so that you can meet as many people as possible.
- Get a mentor: Mentors can help you navigate the industry easier than trying to figure it out on your own. They are great ways to get direct feedback and to learn about the industry. Once you get a hold of things, become a mentor yourself.
- Have a protégé: Protégés are a great resource to learn from. They can introduce you to new ways of thinking and ways of solving problems.
- Listen always: You may be content in your current job, but it never hurts to listen and be open to other opportunities. Listening will create stronger relationships with your network. You never know when those relationships may come in handy.
See the following articles for information on making a career move and building your career:
Photo: careerrealism.com
