Year after year, New Year’s Eve is the moment of the Good Resolutions, in which we think of everything that lies ahead of us and we try to keep worries at bay by setting goals and trying to plan, as much as possible.
New Year’s Eve becomes the gate between the “old life” and our “new, better self”, the time of new beginnings, of change, sometimes big ones as changing career, realising that we just can’t face the idea of staying in a job we don’t really like for one more, entire year.
On average, most people change jobs 10 — 15 times during their working life, and every recruiter knows they can expect to be flooded with applications and job opportunities in January – the same as it happens after the summer holidays, year after year.
So, for those who are contemplating a job or career change, you are not alone.
Identifying what career path you would like to be on can provide you with the clarity of vision that you need to actually see your path, and have the impetus and momentum you need to follow that road to your “new, better self” and to a more rewarding career.
Here are some tips how to set your career goals:
It is much easier to define a goal than it is to achieve it, but to clarify your vision, start thinking about the specific questions mention below:
- What is your dream job?
- What do you need to do to achieve this?
- What timeframe?
- Is your goal reachable within the time frame?
- What is the outcome of your goals?
Once you have your long-term goal ready, then break it down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit to reach your life goals. Finally, start working on your plan to achieve these goals.
Also career-wise, listing out elements is always a great visualization support. So, start inventorying your skills. Review your work, volunteer, extracurricular, and academic history to identify activities or elements of your past roles that you found energizing or enjoyable. Also, inventory and rate the skills you enjoyed using. Develop a preferred skills list of six to nine skills or activities that you would like to utilize in a new career.
After you clarify your opportunities and skill set, it’s time to get practical. Start reading about careers of interest by browsing websites or publications at your local bookstore or library. Identify a couple of new careers to research each week, and keep a diary of your interest in each. Measure the careers against your preferred skills list. For those fields with the genuine appeal, compile a list of questions to research so that you can fully appraise the suitability of that career for you.
You can try shadow-working a couple of possible appealing career opportunities, setting up contacts in fields of interest, to gain more concrete exposure to the field. Volunteering positions within your chosen field can grow your experience. If you are in school, unemployed, or working at home, consider a part-time internship in your target field.
If interesting options require further education, there’s a plenty of financial training opportunities from remote and online classes to classroom, individual or group lessons to boost your career skills, review the offerings of local colleges, to get a feel for your field of interest. Schedule meetings with faculty chairs from relevant departments to learn more about how the program might work for you. Completing a degree mid-career may seem daunting, but with the right support from family and friend, it can be feasible.
New Year is a new uncharted territory. Start discovering it actively by tracking your dream route now! and check new financial positions here, before all other jobseekers!
