Most of us schedule an annual physical with our doctors and we get our teeth cleaned every six months. We even change the oil in our cars about every three thousand miles. But, when it comes our careers, we expect things to keep humming along without much care.
Our careers require regular maintenance too! Without proper attention, even the most successful careers will begin to sputter and eventually breakdown. A few warning signs that you are past due for a professional tune up include having a dated skill set, a complacent attitude at work, or a dwindling network.
The following career maintenance activities will help ensure you find success in 2016 and beyond:
Scan the Horizon
People who thrive in their careers are not just heads down at work. Every so often they look up to assess what is on the horizon in their industries. They stay abreast of any new technologies, certifications and specializations that will be needed in order to remain competitive.
I often suggest clients look at a few postings for the kind of work they are doing now. Many are surprised to find that they barely qualify for their own jobs! Attending industry specific conferences and being active in professional organizations are two ways to ensure you remain up to speed on what’s new and next in your field.
Deepen Connections
Having a strong personal and professional network is key to our career health as well as our overall wellbeing. Networking need not be an awkward job search ploy. No one wants to be contacted by a long lost colleague only when they need help finding a job. Don’t be that person!
A key part of a career tune-up includes nurturing relationships inside your company, within your industry, as well as across the community. Join a relevant Meet Up or become part of a lively networking group. Volunteer. Take up a hobby. Schedule regular lunch dates with coworkers, colleagues, and friends.
Be helpful to others and give of your time and talents. When you do this authentically, it will be much easier to ask for help without feeling uncomfortable. Always assess the quality of a professional relationship before asking for assistance. In other words, don’t expect more from someone than the relationship warrants.
Create a Master Résumé
Many clients come to me with résumés that are ten or twenty years old. It then takes considerable time and effort to update and target the document. You may be unable to meet an application deadline or you may lose a contract opportunity because you could not apply in a timely manner.
Creating a master résumé that outlines your professional history can keep you nimble in today’s job market. A master résumé should include career highlights from positions held in the past 10 to 15 years as well as key accomplishments from your current position.
Having a continually updated résumé makes it easier to quickly target an application packet for specific positions. Being able to quickly articulate the value you provide can also help you justify a raise or negotiate a better job offer. A master résumé can also be used as the foundation for updating your online profile.
Career planning and management can be complex. We have many more jobs over our lifespans and each career decision we make shapes and impacts future opportunities. Seeking out career counseling to set yearly goals and create an action plan can be just as important to our wellbeing as scheduling an annual physical.
If you have been coasting along without much thought to what is next in your career, now is the time to take proactive steps to ensure you are ready for your next professional venture. Here is to your success in 2016 and beyond!
Here is what clients are saying…
“I enjoyed working with Carrie. I felt comfortable with her from the very beginning; she’s very warm, supportive, and easy to talk to. She helped me retool my resume and linkedin profile after taking care to learn about my experience, skills and desires. I highly recommend working with her if you have the chance.”
Going in for meetings with Carrie was the best thing I could have possibly done for my education and career. With her tremendous help I was able to figure out what I wanted to do and how I needed to go about my career. I can’t possibly thank her enough for her crucial role in jumpstarting my career and getting me headed in the right direction.
Carrie was an informative, supportive and thoughtful guide during a time of career refinement. She served as a sounding board in assessing benefits and challenges of positions, reviewed application materials, prepared me for interviews and debriefed and supported decision-making. The mock interview coaching sessions were incredibly valuable to me.
As a recent graduate with my master's degree in biomedical sciences, Carrie and Pink Sky Career Counseling were immensely helpful in the process of landing my first "real" job. I was at a loss for how to apply for a position to start my career in such a specialized field. With little to no work experience, Carrie was able to help formulate my resume, cover letter and references, and manage my LinkedIn page as well as provide general career counseling. Thanks to Carrie's help and guidance I recently accepted an intraoperative neurophysiologist position for NuVasive in Minneapolis, MN. I could not have done it without Carrie's help. Long story short - I highly recommend Pink Sky Career Counseling for any career counseling you may need.
Not a day goes by that I don't thank Carrie in my mind on the way to my new job. Calling her was one of the best things I ever did for myself. Carrie is very intuitive, connected in the community, genuinely caring, and a master of her craft. Of course if you sign on for this, you have to dig deep and do things that are outside your comfort zone to get to where you want to be in life. But she held my hand all the way till the end and beyond. I cannot thank or recommend her enough.
I highly recommend Carrie. She did an amazing job helping me with my resume and providing valuable guidance in my job search process. I ended up being offered a great new job and wouldn't have gotten there without Carrie's assistance and support.
Carrie is amazing, I had a position open that I didn't know about until 4 days before it closed, just before the weekend. She went above and beyond to get it accomplished for me. I highly recommend working with her.
Carrie was fantastic to work with. She listened to what I was wanting and she produced a excellent product, responses to my resume increased and just recently landed a great job!