Spring is almost over. Have you completed your career spring cleaning yet?
Just like a home needs to be cleared to free up space and energy, so, too, does every successful career need a good spring cleaning to make room for the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
So, if you want to make your career red-hot, these 10 approaches can clear the space and create the spark.
- Tough Self-Love: For genuine, lasting career advancement, look in the mirror and ask yourself:
•Overall, is work enjoyable and fulfilling?
•Does it provide enough money to enjoy life AND to save for the future?
•Am I on my boss’s and senior management’s radar AND do I stand out amongst my peers?
•How long have I been in my role? Is it time to make a change?
- Clean Sweep: A cluttered workspace is a creativity and productivity killer. Clear space equals clear thinking. It also saves time finding things and makes a good impression on clients, colleagues, and the boss.
- Get Smart: Staying relevant in today’s technology-fueled world requires people to evolve. Lack of knowledge or technical savvy can be a deal-breaker for some clients, customers and bosses. Approach technology as well as your professional development from a position of curiosity and personal development and make it more enjoyable and less like “work.”
- Don’t Pressure Yourself to Figure Out Your Life’s Purpose: And don’t let not knowing your life’s purpose prevent you from making smart career moves. This mindset does two things: removes pressure from decision-making and supports a flexible approach because you’re not constrained by a prearranged plan.
- Make the Most of Things: There’s a big difference between settling and making the most of a situation. Settling encourages stagnation, while accepting added responsibilities for future benefit, for example, is being strategic. This approach challenges the mind and allows for the mastery of new skills, which results in clarity and confidence when making career moves. Sometimes, that small project you were asked to work on, is an opening to a whole new career path or set of opportunities you didn’t see coming.
- Take a Vacation: Too much work focus can be counterproductive. Whether it’s a week in Mexico or a day away from home, a change of pace and scenery isn’t just fun, it allows the brain to problem solve subconsciously and effortlessly.
- Sell Yourself: When you’re updating your resume or your LinkedIn profile it’s best not to “leave things to the imagination.” Using numbers to document performance makes an impression. “Managed a team of 6 and increased sales by 20% year over year” is more impressive than “Managed a team of 6.”
- It Really Should Have Stayed in Vegas: It’s a world where anyone can get the lowdown on anyone. Why sabotage a current or future career? Potential clients and employers frequently use Google to help make hiring decisions. What will they find when they “google” you?
- Do Something Adventurous: Try public speaking at industry events and conferences, volunteer to lead a project team, or write a proposal to the boss for an idea you’ve been thinking about. Being courageous provides accelerated personal growth, which results in new and unexpected opportunities.
- Find a Mentor: Finding a respected mentor can supercharge a career. Be selective. Taking bad advice sinks a career just as fast as not taking any advice. Avoiding pitfalls, having a sounding board and learning from others’ mistakes are just a few benefits an experienced mentor provides.
When it comes to lighting a fire under your career it’s all about making a habit of daily, incremental steps over the long run that lead not merely to a recharged career, but to one that’s continually on fire.
Interested in other ways you can light a fire under your career? Call Linda at 416-617-0734 or email linda@lindacattelan.com.
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