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RESOLUTIONS START-UP KIT
Looking back can help you go forward
As one of my New Year's resolutions (never mind which year), I've been sorting through columns and other articles I've written during the last decade. One goal is to learn from ideas that didn't stand the test of time; another goal is to find the gems that can be revised for a new use.
Job-seekers and career-changers can follow a similar process when they review their work lives, and the new year is a terrific time to do it. If you go over your storehouse of skills and knowledge, from both your work and personal lives, you will discover all kinds of things.
There will be abilities you used to have that aren't so sharp anymore, as well as recently acquired skills that you haven't yet tested. There will be areas of knowledge gained early on that you have been able to apply over and over in various circumstances, as well as certificates or degrees that seem to be doing little good in your current roles.
The purpose of this introspection isn't to grieve over decisions that didn't work out. We usually make the best decisions we can with the information we have, so there's no point in questioning past choices.
But we shouldn't ignore the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. In our careers, mistakes take two forms: wrong paths taken and opportunities missed. If we want to do better in either category (and who doesn't?), we need to learn from the past, even while forging ahead.
Which brings me back to foraging into my past columns. I've found plenty of mistakes, as you might imagine, but also enough gems to make the effort worthwhile. The following short exercise comes from a few years back, and I remember that several readers and clients told me the concept was useful as they started planning for a new year. It's a simple checkoff list of items related to career growth that can be converted into New Year's resolutions.
FINANCES -- I resolve to:
* Research salaries in my field and confirm (or ensure) that I receive a fair price for my work
* Save more of my income so I can afford to take a lesser-paying job if I want to
* Establish or continue to contribute to retirement savings
SCHEDULING -- I resolve to:
* Explore flexible scheduling options -- including part-time work, telecommuting and job-sharing -- if this will help balance my work and home lives
* Schedule time each week for personal and professional networking
* Include time in each day for exercise and quiet reflection
TRAINING -- I resolve to:
* Learn about other positions at my workplace and begin cross-training
* Take at least one job-related seminar or class outside of my workplace
* Take at least one seminar or class not related to my job
NETWORKING -- I resolve to:
* Meet friends from other departments or companies for lunch once a week
* Have lunch with new acquaintances in my field at least once a month
* Attend at least one professional meeting each month
VOLUNTEERING -- I resolve to:
* Volunteer at least once a month, to learn new skills and keep things in perspective
* Make an effort to meet new people as I volunteer and to learn about their lives
* Consider careers in the fields in which I volunteer
SKILLS -- I resolve to:
* Learn at least one new technology skill this year
* Sharpen my communication skills: writing, speaking and listening
* Learn one new skill outside of my current workload
If you found (or added) New Year's resolutions here, the next step is to put them on your calendar to be sure that they happen.
Whatever tools you use to organize your career plans, the main point is that you do take this essential step. It's much better to make plans and revise them than to step into the future with no vision at all.
- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.
