Your Career Action Plan for the New Year
People make
New Year’s resolutions with the best intentions, but they often fail for lack
of a solid action plan. If you’ve
resolved for 2006 to move your career forward into a new industry, occupation
or level of responsibility, increase your chances of success with this
three-part action plan focused on results.
1. Know your career
objective
2. Update your resume and
cover letters
3. Update your network and
networking skills
Knowing
your career objective may sound obvious and easy. If, however, you are dissatisfied with your
current position, it can be difficult to sort out the good from the bad. You may not fully understand the target of
your dissatisfaction: Is it your job or
your employer; your company’s culture or your supervisor? Analyzing what you
want in a job is a good start in determining the best new job for you.
If you are
uncertain what type of position to focus on, start by identifying the
transferable skills you enjoy(ed)
using in your current or past positions.
A professional career coach can be helpful in sorting out what you want
to keep and, more importantly, what you want to avoid in your next position.
If it has
been a while since your last job search, your resume may no longer reflect your
current career direction. Don’t forget
the most important elements of a strong resume:
solid achievements that illustrate your transferable skills, and key
words and phrases to capture employers’ attention and interest.
Cover
letters can make the difference between a warm reception or
a cold shoulder. While it’s true that
not all resume screeners read cover letters, those who do are never
impressed—and are often put off by cover letters that sound phony or
mass-produced. If you are uncertain of
your resume writing skills, a professional resume writer can transform your
so-so resume & cover letters into true selling tools.
3. Update your network and
networking skills
A good
job-search network consists of all those persons who can provide information
about future or current career opportunities.
You say you don’t have a network?
You probably do, but you just haven’t thought about people who could fit
this category. Start by identifying
groups of people that you are in contact with on a regular basis, such as
professional associations, church, college alumni groups, and neighborhood
associations. Then identify the
individuals within those groups with whom you feel comfortable and who could
help you learn of job leads.
Many of my
resume and coaching clients lament their poor networking skills. I always tell them not to worry; they are in good
company because most people feel inadequate when it comes to networking. Before you dismiss the value of a strong
network, remember: In securing
all-important job interviews, it’s very often not what you know but who you
know. There are many resources available
for learning how to build and utilize a network to your job-search
advantage: books, online articles,
workshops, and career coaches trained in the most effective networking
techniques.
Once you’ve
put your job-search action plan into practice, you’ll be on your way to a
better job and a better life.
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Deborah Walker,
CCMC
Resume Writer
~ Career Coach
To see resume
samples and read more job-search tips visit www.AlphaAdvantage.com
Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com
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