Each New Year I try to make some resolutions. January is a natural time for everyone to reflect on the previous year and a good time to take stock. From experience, the resolutions which work best are the ones which are specific and measurable. General or vague goals with no thought or planning as to how you will achieve them can lead to unfulfilled goals and prevent you from achieving your long term career objectives.

1. Are you satisfied with the work you do? If you answer, yes then congratulations! If the answer is no, then perhaps you need to ask yourself what exactly are you unhappy with specifically. Is it the industry? Could you be in need of a complete change of career? It may not be that drastic, it could be that your work is not varied enough and has become mundane as a result. This can be solved quite easily by expressing this to management. Together you can brain storm, how you can expand your role within the organisation.

2. Keep your finger on the pulse of the jobs market. You do not necessarily want to move or change job but there is no harm in doing some research into what organisations are hiring and which positions are in high demand. It is helpful to have an up to date and accurate figure of what professionals in your industry are earning. You may also find that there is a new skill or qualification that is becoming more of a requirement and decide to up skill.

3. Keep your CV updated regularly. This is a good time to update your CV to include your achievements from the previous year. If you deal with an agency or a recruitment consultant, this is a good month to send them a copy of your updated CV for their files.

4. Break down your career plan. Knowing where you want to be in 5 years is great but you have to know how you are going to get there. As mentioned above, specific and measurable goals are paramount. You need to break your plan down so you have more of a chance of achieving your long term career goals.

5. If circumstances change then so should your plan. Your goal doesn’t need to change but how you are going to go about getting it, should. Sometimes situations beyond your control take hold and it is important to alter your plan to factor in these changes.

If you are considering a career change or you would like to know more about jobs relevant to you, visit our website to speak to one of our consultants. We are releasing our 2011 Salary Survey in the coming weeks and I will post a blog with a link to it once it is live.

Everyone starts January with good intentions but how you go about keeping them and achieving your goals is a different task entirely! Here are some of my tips for tracking your career resolutions:

1. Are you satisfied with the work you do? If your answer is yes, then congratulations! If your answer is no, then perhaps you need to ask yourself what specifically you are unhappy with. Is it the industry? Could you be in need of a complete change of career? It may not be that drastic, it could be that your work is not varied enough and has become mundane as a result. If this is the case, your situation might be improved by scheduling a meeting with management to discuss your career development. Together you should be able to brainstorm ways to expand your role within the organisation.

2. Keep your finger on the pulse of the jobs market. Even if you do not necessarily want to change jobs there is no harm in doing some research into which organisations are hiring and which positions are in high demand. It is helpful to have an up to date and accurate figure of what professionals in your industry are earning. You may also find that there is a new skill or qualification that is becoming more of a requirement and decide to upskill.

3. Keep your CV up to date. Now is a good time to update your CV to include your achievements from last year. If you deal with an agency or a recruitment consultant, it is also a good month to send them a copy of your updated CV for their files.

4. Break down your career plan. Knowing where you want to be in five years is great but you have to know how you are going to get there. Specific and measurable goals are paramount. Take some time to break your plan down so you have a greater chance of achieving your long term career goals.

5. If circumstances change then so should your plan. Your goal doesn’t need to change but how you are going to go about getting it, should. Sometimes situations beyond your control take hold and it is important to alter your plan to factor in these changes.

If you are considering a career change or you would like to know more about jobs relevant to you, visit our website to speak to one of our consultants. Please feel free to comment or ask questions.