It may only be the middle of January but how many of you have already broken your New Year’s resolutions? If so, you shouldn’t feel too bad about it because studies which show that 20% of resolutions are broken before the end of the first week in January and at least 80% are broken before the end of the year!
The following steps are designed to help you achieve your career goals in 2016.
- Begin by reviewing 2015 and make a note of all your achievements over the year including the projects you learnt the most from and the key points from your annual work appraisal. Take time to consider some of the things that didn’t go so well at work last year – if you were to be faced with the same situation again, how could you handle it better?
- List any courses you attended and the key points you learnt from them.
- Decide on your career goal for 2016. Even if you are happy in your current job and have no plans to change, it is still a good idea to think about what you hope to achieve professionally this year and develop an action plan. Think about what you want to learn; are there any courses that would help you to do even better in your current role? Are you hoping for a promotion this year or are you considering a career move?
It is worth noting that people who actually manage to achieve their goals are those that follow proven principles of goal setting. They know ‘why’ they want to achieve their goals (and if you have a big enough why, you can always work out how!); they plan achievable actions steps along with rewards for reaching these action steps which keep them inspired, motivated and confident so they continue working toward their goal – wouldn’t you be more inclined to do something if there was a reward at the end of it? And most importantly, if they do come up against a setback they see it as just that – a temporary setback which so long as they pick themselves up and start taking action again will not deter them from achieving their goal.
Whether you are looking to stay in your current job, get a promotion or make a complete career change, there are three other steps to take:
- Revisit (or create) your personal brand to make sure that it is up-to-date and consistent across all your marketing material – CV, personal statement, social media profiles, etc.
- Expand your network both on and off-line.
- Start taking action for as Picasso once said, “Action is the fundamental key to all success.”
For more advice and tips on how to achieve your goals, download Your Future: from dream to reality – e-book
© Anne Galloway
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Anne Galloway is the Careers Consultant for those who want to put the fun and passion back into their working week. Find out how Anne can help you along your path to career success at www.power-to-change.eu
