 New Year, New Job. Time for a Career Change? | Looking to Progress your Career? The Christmas and Summer holidays are usually the time when people, having taken time out, realise that they don't enjoy their work and they're not looking forward to going back after the break. So there's no better time than the Christmas break for evaluating where you are now and where you want to be next year. If you're in a job that you're not enjoying, you feel undervalued or you're simply not using your skills and progressing, then it might be time to rev up your career plan. |
This means you need to take stock of your current position, decide where you want to be, then create some goals and milestones to help you achieve your aim.
Don't merely update your old CV... Rewriting your CV usually gets better results
Carrying forward old and irrelevant job history usually won't bring success. Instead, take a blank sheet of paper and start brainstorming about where you are today in terms of knowledge and skills, and where you where to be.
Working from scratch, list all your hard and soft skills. Then list your achievements and the value you have delivered in previous roles. This could include increased efficiencies, profits, sales, brand awareness, functionality, etc. If you're short on ideas, browse LinkedIn for job vacancies and member profiles, which will help give you some inspiration about skills, terminology and how to present your achievements. You're not just trying to create a list of duties; you want to create a list of value-added achievements. Employers need to know what makes you better than the other candidates; why they should employ you.
Be honest with yourself. It's no good saying you've got excellent interpersonal skills if no-one in your office enjoys working with you or if you don't enjoy working as part of a team. If you're a square peg, you'll never fit into a round hole, however much you kid yourself.
This process will almost always identify skills gaps. These could be technical or perhaps lack of knowledge about team leadership or business methods. Whatever gaps you identify, try to plug them. Research the internet for training courses - many of which are free or very cheap - then sign up. Don't overdo it and take too much on at once. Bite-sized training over a period of time will deliver better results.
A word of warning...
Don't quit until you've got all your ducks in a row. You're always more employable when you're in work. So stay focussed on your existing job while you get your career move in place, and make sure you leave on good terms and with a glowing references and testimonials.
Working from scratch, list all your hard and soft skills. Then list your achievements and the value you have delivered in previous roles. This could include increased efficiencies, profits, sales, brand awareness, functionality, etc. If you're short on ideas, browse LinkedIn for job vacancies and member profiles, which will help give you some inspiration about skills, terminology and how to present your achievements. You're not just trying to create a list of duties; you want to create a list of value-added achievements. Employers need to know what makes you better than the other candidates; why they should employ you.
Be honest with yourself. It's no good saying you've got excellent interpersonal skills if no-one in your office enjoys working with you or if you don't enjoy working as part of a team. If you're a square peg, you'll never fit into a round hole, however much you kid yourself.
This process will almost always identify skills gaps. These could be technical or perhaps lack of knowledge about team leadership or business methods. Whatever gaps you identify, try to plug them. Research the internet for training courses - many of which are free or very cheap - then sign up. Don't overdo it and take too much on at once. Bite-sized training over a period of time will deliver better results.
A word of warning...
Don't quit until you've got all your ducks in a row. You're always more employable when you're in work. So stay focussed on your existing job while you get your career move in place, and make sure you leave on good terms and with a glowing references and testimonials.
Will next year be the year in which your career soars?
We're always happy to chat and we're around over much of the Christmas break, so give us a call if you need help.
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