Career Planning:5 Quick Tips to Control Your Career and Your Future!
It’s unlikely that anyone today will stay with one employer their whole working life. As you make choices regarding your career your identity comes from these choices and not your employer.
Who is making a lifetime commitment to your career? It’s surely not your employer, no matter how benevolent they might be. The person controlling your life is you, so if you take responsibility for your life and your future you’ll be far ahead of most people. It’s counterproductive to blame circumstances you cannot control or to blame your employer, your supervisor or co-workers.
If you feel powerless because of where you work, or the career you are in, wake-up and get started on your future. Everyone, with a bit of planning has the ability to quit their jobs and start with another employer, another career or start working for themselves.
The job market is relatively soft right now, but the economy will change and if you plan for a job or career change you future success starts now.
Five Ways to Quickly Get Control of Your Career and Your Future.
1. Research job opportunities all the time.
This doesn’t mean you need to send out five resumes every day. What is does mean is you are constantly looking for opportunities. Some may be internal-with your current employer-some may be external.
Some opportunities may be additional education, self-study, networking with outside organizations, and becoming a player in a career related organization. All will provide you with a constant stream of valuable career information.
If you get stuck and don’t see a way out, work hard at getting help. Career coaches are everywhere, how about a mentor or someone from your network.
Build up your support team and soon you’ll have a group of people working on your behalf.
2. Don’t use money issues as the reasons holding you back.
If you use this as an excuse for making a career or job decision you are shortchanging yourself. If you think you need a certain income to live well, there are many families living better but earning 10%, 20% and even 50% less than you do. How do they do it? Do some research.
After your research then make your plans and you’ll soon find that financial issues will drop off your worry/excuse list.
3. Honestly assess where you happiness comes from.
If it were money, millionaires would be the happiest people on the planet. And earning 25% more may or may not increase you level of happiness. Probably not as there is always 25% more, and 25% after that.
After you’ve built your career plan and you take action this is the fasted path to fulfillment and happiness, not ruminating about what you cannot control.
4. Blaming others or taking a routine negative approach to a situation is a lose-lose proposition.
How you view situations matters. If a problem becomes framed as an opportunity you’ll be well on your way to controlling the situation. Search for the best in every situation, taking the optimistic approach will put you more in control of your career and your future.
5. Do the best presenting in your “brand.”
Looking your best starts with physical conditioning. What is your ideal weight? Do you regularly exercise? Do you go out of your way to build in some physical activity into your daily routine?
Working in a three story building-how often do you use the stairs? Going shopping? How about parking at the edge of the parking lot and getting in some extra walking. You get the idea.
What you wear can make a difference. Recently I meet with a manager who was dressed in what looked like Goodwill castoffs. He didn’t impress any member of my team and he had to work extra hard to get his points across. This is not to suggest that he had to wear a $2000 designer suit, but freshly pressed khakis, with a shirt without a frayed collar and shined shoes would have made at least a neutral impression.
Need assistance with the rest of your appearance? Get help, get a regular haircut, etc.
Also, as part of your career planning work hard to improve your ability to communicate, both in writing and in making an oral presentation. Improvement in this area will also improve your “brand” and will pay big dividends.
Controlling your life, career and future is no easy task. Once you make the decision to start, work through one thing at a time. Keep it up and before you know it you will put together a record of personal achievements and career advancement. The time to start is now.