Resolutions, they come and go. Will I do any of these things? The answer is probably no.
Making New Year’s resolutions is often easier than following through on them. Year in and year out, a common resolution is some variation of growing your career or making yourself more marketable for a position in your desired field. Regardless of your career planning stage, here are five basic but practical resolutions for 2018 that can help you achieve your goals: Keep Up With Industry News It’s easier than ever to stay informed on the latest influencers, practices, restructuring, conflicts and other happenings in your field. When consuming news take your pick between push notifications, podcasts, email newsletters and daily digests, or more traditional media such as television and radio. These are just a few of the options that you can use to stay in the loop. Following industry related news will give you the confidence to strike up a conversation with a stranger while networking and sound intelligent in front of your friends, or more importantly, in a job interview. Stay Up To Date On Social Media Trends Social media has and will continue to revamp all forms of communication in 2018, not strictly interpersonal communication. Just like keeping up with the news, it is imperative to track how thought and industry leaders are reaching their target audiences and shaping public opinion through social media. Ask yourself what platforms are most effective or seem to last in the ever-changing media landscape? What aspects of these new forms of communication can be improved? What is the difference between a hashtag or platform that catches on versus one that doesn’t resonate? It’s no secret that employers sift through social media profiles of job candidates but also consider how, as a job seeker, following social media accounts can play a significant role in your own background research of companies or organizations you may want to work for down the line. Consider Your Ideal Lifestyle Take some time to reflect on likes and dislikes of previous work experiences or academic courses. Then think about how your current or previous positions have influenced your day to day personal life. Finally, decide what, if anything, you would like to change. Do you want to live in the suburbs or are you more of a city dweller? Do you want more free time on nights and weekends in exchange for making a bit less money? Is your long commute taking its toll on you? Would you rather have the freedom to work from home, or do you prefer to work alongside others in a more structured setting? External job factors such as location, hours, and workplace interactions have a dramatic effect on your overall well-being. So make sure you know how a job’s requirements will impact your daily routine. Get Organized For the last decade, information overload has resulted from the availability of media platforms for creation and consumption. Part of getting your ducks in a row could be reevaluating your subscriptions and ending the ones that are no longer relevant to the type of career you want to pursue. Or a step in the right direction could be developing a filing system for your email inbox that makes it easier to prioritize the many tasks associated with making your next career move. After all, that 15 gigabytes of free Google storage won’t be free forever. Whether you’re a twenty something seeking a promotion, a recent graduate, or trying to decide the next steps to take in your job or internship search during your Winter Break, stay on track by making and following these four resolutions and you will see progress in 2018.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorInformation on the latest professional development trends and advice, plugs for Marist College Center for Career Services events and initiatives, and stories from your Marist peers. Content is produced by Marist students for Marist students. Categories |