New Year, New Work Goals

Community Manager — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:08:00 GMT

January is almost over but 2011 is still in its infancy. With literally hundreds of work days between now and the 2012 ball's drop, you have plenty of opportunities to grow your career. Interested in being in a different place next January than you are today? Good, let's get started!

Begin by reviewing your career goals. Are you in search of a raise or promotion? Are you working towards adding a new skill set to your repertoire? Are you in a field that marries your interests and abilities? Did this past year move you any closer to your goals?

Next, review your past year. What concrete goals did you achieve that you can list on a resume? Were there opportunities that you seized? Missed? Can you chart growth from where you were last year?

Now you're ready to do some goal setting. We're talking big picture time. Ask yourself what do you want to be doing more (or less) of in your career. Set lofty goals. Envision your dream job. What trajectory do you want your career to take? How would you define success or achievement?

Then begin to drill into the details. How will you realize that dream job? What concrete step such as networking, job changing, additional education or training, do you need to undertake? Develop a concrete list of action items.

Finally, share your career path with others such as a trusted mentor or industry peer. Get feedback on your strategy. You may have overlooked something and an outside perspective never hurts.

Every Monday is a fresh start: make 2011 the year you focus on your career path.

Are you working towards any new work goals in the New Year? How important is goal-setting to achieving career advancement? Share your thoughts here by posting a comment.

by Carly Fadako

Beyond Folders : job search, goals

New Year, New Work Goals