It is almost the New Year and it is time to get 2015 off to the right start. While you will make resolutions of all types, when it comes to your professional life you want to make ones that you won’t only stick to, but that will help you grow. Here are three resolutions that are going to help you improve your professional life in the New Year.
Gain Some New Experiences
Volunteering can be a fantastic way to gain or reinforce skills during periods of unemployment. Sit down and think about what skills or experiences would help you achieve your career goals. Then, find a few charitable organizations with missions that you support and call them to see if they need help in the areas you are seeking to enhance. Charities often post their board member biographies on their web site so you could review them to see if you may run into anybody at a company you are targeting. If you are currently employed, volunteering for a new project can be a wonderful way to gain additional skills and make yourself more visible within your company. Other ways to gain skills include taking classes and gaining certifications.
Be Open to Change
Opportunities are all around us, but they are easy to miss if we’re exclusively focused on specific goals. Resolve to broaden the range of opportunities you are willing to consider. A lateral move or even a step down can be useful if it ultimately leads you to something better. If you are employed, resolve to see if the grass may be greener somewhere else. You could speak with your AppleOne representative about the next step somebody at your level is most likely to take or start looking at a few advertised job opportunities. You don’t have to take a new job, but it’s smart to be aware of what is possible.
Stay Connected
When you network, you want to find solid connections that can lead to the jobs you are looking for. In the New Year, reach out to friends, family members, old classmates, or former co-workers to see what they can do to help you find either a new or better job. In addition to thinking about who can help you, think about what you can do for your connections. If you find a job that would be great for someone that you know, tell them about it. Networking is a two-way street; you don’t just want to get help you want to give it. You never know when an opportunity that you find for a friend is going to turn into an opportunity for you.
Gaining new experience, being more open to change and staying connected are great resolutions for the New Year. They aren’t just easy to follow through on, but they are also beneficial for your professional and personal life.
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