It’s a new year which means that we all get a fresh start, even in our careers. A few days ago I talked about setting goals for the new year and as some of you may know from reading my blog, I love the topic of careers. The new year can bring many changes in your professional life and just like you would set goals for the other parts of your life (for example, personal and financial) being prepared career-wise is always a good idea.
Today I want to talk about some of the things I feel you can do to prepare career-wise right now that we just started the new year. Let’s make 2021 a great year for our careers!
Revamp your materials i.e. resume, cover letter, digital portfolios etc. Right now is the perfect time to take a look at your resume and update it with the most up-to-date experience so that it is ready to share in case you need to. I would advise the same for your cover letter (the generic one to use as a template- remember to ALWAYS customize depending on who you’re going to send it to) as well as your online portfolio, if you have one. There’s nothing better than having materials that are up-to-date and ready to go in case something pops up and you need them.
Set goals: Just like I talked about in my last blog goal setting is so important because “if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”. I would sit down with a notebook or a blank doc (hi google docs ? I love you!) and start writing what it is you want in your life career wise. Ask yourself questions like, “Do I want a new job?”, “Do I need to find a job?”, “Do I want an increase in salary?”, “Do I have a dream career that I want to chase and make a reality?”. It’s these questions that can really get you thinking about your future and taking the steps to actually making your dreams a reality.
Learn something new: This one is a big one! I feel that one of the good things about the internet is that there is so much information available for consumption. What is something that has always interested you that you’d want to learn about? Think about it, and take those steps towards learning that one thing. Examples of this can be, learning to play an instrument, learning to draw, learning to take pictures, or learning about taxes. Whatever it is, learning is always a good thing and will never hurt you.
Update your social media profiles/social media cleanse: last but not least let’s talk about social media, especially LinkedIN. I feel that nothing is more discouraging career-wise than going to a person’s Linkedin and knowing that it is not updated. In relation to social media, it’s time to double check it to ensure it is professional. This is a perfect time to delete things that may come across as inappropriate.
Let’s use the positive energy of the start of a new year to plan and implement. I feel that for me, sometimes I plan things out and don’t really make them happen because I fail to implement actual steps towards making them a reality. I’m a firm believer that if you really try hard, you’re bound to accomplish what you want or at least get super close to it. This year one thing that I’m implementing in order to reach my goals is a monthly check-in. I’ve created a sheet which I’m sharing with you below, that I’ll be filling out at the end of each month to constantly remind myself of my goals. To ensure I do this, I’ve created an event on my calendar (both paper and electronic) to remind me to sit down and fill this out.
Grab your free check-in sheet HERE.
I’m excited to do this, this year and I’m wishing you all a happy and productive 2021!
XOXO,
Marisol
