People make resolutions about the things they want to change in the new year. What do you want to change in your job? If you are currently in between jobs or looking for a new career, you may want to reinvent your professional self. Here are some tips in figuring out how to become a new you in 2016.
What Were Your Professional Highlights?
Everyone’s career is filled with highs and lows. Do you know what made your career highs so wonderful? Think back and examine all the details of the times in your life you enjoyed going to work. Consider all the aspects, such as:
- Was it a specific project you were working on?
- Was it certain duties you performed?
- Was it the industry?
- Was it the people you were working with?
Sometimes in order to figure out where you want to go you, need to revisit where you have been. The happiest times in your career may help you determine the job you want to find in 2016.
Get Lost in Your Daydreams
We have all played this game before. You are stuck in a job where you are unhappy and you dream about landing the perfect job. What is that job like? For example:
- Do you work in an office, at home, or a little bit of both?
- What do you do every day?
- What kind of people do you see every day?
- Do you see co-workers or clients all the time or do you sit in a cyber café and peck at your tablet?
- What type of hours do you work?
The more details you can conjure for your dream job, the easier it will be to make that dream a reality.
Get the Inside Scoop
Some jobs sound great on the surface, but once you dig deeper, you may find that the career path you are considering isn’t what you really want. As the ideal job takes shape, you may want to talk to people who are already in the field to see if you have the skills and temperament for the position you are considering.
Some ways you can find insiders include:
- Talk to your friends and family to see if they know anyone.
- Connect on social media.
- Research the field online to see if there are people in this career who have been interviewed.
- Is there someone in the company where you work who is in this career?
You don’t need to interview these people or grill them for details. Keep the conversations casual and get them to talk about their day. You will get a more realistic point of view about the job in a spontaneous conversation.
Find Low-Cost Ways to Gain Skills
Once you are sure about your new career, determine if you need to learn specific skills to succeed. Search for low-cost or free ways to gain these skills if possible. Once you have your foot in the door, you can always examine going back to college or earning a degree later. Some great ways to learn new skills include:
- Volunteer opportunities
- Free online webinars and courses
- Searching for a mentoring program
- Doing research online and reading everything you can find
Start with the most important skills you need to learn in order to find a job in this field. Then you can progress to other skills as you adjust to your new career path.
Reinventing yourself won’t happen overnight. It will take time and effort on your part, but if you are serious about a change, you need to work from the inside out. Start by figuring out what you want to do, then create a realistic plan to get there, starting in 2016.
And of course, you can’t make these changes on your own. Our experienced staff can help you take inventory of where you are and where you want to be in the new year and beyond. Contact Job Store today to get started.