Need a Career Makeover? 3 Things You Need to Do plus 1 more | Career Rocketeer
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Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:30 AM PDT
  At one point or another, some of us feel like we've learned all we can from our current position. Sometimes, it's just time to move on. If you're like the 84% of Americans ready to shift careers this year, you're not alone and it's nothing to be ashamed of.Although it's a risky time to change career paths or makeover your professional lifestyle, there's no use staying at a job if you are unhappy or not challenged. However, before you change everything you're used to, you need to have a solid plan. So, if you're looking for a career makeover, here are three things you need to do. Figure out your game plan before you quit. Do you want to stay in the same industry, shift your focus slightly, or do a complete 180-degree? The answers to these questions are important because they will determine which path you will take. More importantly, you need to have some sort of direction before you quit your current job, especially if you want to change industries. For example, if you are currently in finance but want to get into event planning, the way people work is completely different and you need to be aware of every subtle difference. Note that staying in the same industry will probably be easier since you most likely know the ins and outs. However, if you are up for a challenge and ready to absorb new industry knowledge, switching fields may be the right path for you. Rebrand yourself. Personal branding is an important part of job searching, no matter how experienced you are. If your career makeover involves even a little change, you need to rebrand yourself so your audience knows what you're good at. For example, the financier who quit their job to be an event planner could start a blog about international wedding settings. By putting content out there and actually giving people a reason to learn more about you, you reinforce not only your personal brand, but create a new one. Further, if your current social networking platforms reflect your position or industry at present, it's time to change things up. Join relevant groups on LinkedIn and edit your profile, promote your blog posts and those of others on Twitter, and change your information on Facebook. The point here is to change your brand to reflect your career makeover. Remember, if you are serious about a career change, your online content needs to reflect it because employers will be searching for you. Connect with like-minded individuals. Sometimes, it's all about who you know. Though this shouldn't be your sole drive to network, knowing the right individuals will help you learn more about an industry (this is particularly important if it's foreign to you). Modern technology has allowed us to be able to connect with people all over the world, which should be of great interest to you if you want to relocate. The best example of this is Twitter. Though it just turned five years old, Twitter is one of the most popular social networking tools on the Web, allowing you to network with anyone from musicians to CEO's. Use this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. Tweet their articles, comment on their latest posts, or even suggest ideas to them. Either way, give them a reason to contact you. You'll hopefully end up learning a lot about your new career, giving you confidence to tackle any challenges that come your way. What are some other tips for a career makeover? Guest Expert: James Alexander is Vizibility's founder and CEO. He's the guy with two first names. If you 'Googled' his name in 2009, you would never have found him. Now, he ranks within the first few results of a Google search. Find James in Google at vizibility.com/james.   Launchpad is YOUR ultimate career search strategy guide, a career book series with exclusive articles by the top career experts in the industry. Learn more about the Launchpad series and download all 4 books for only $9.99 today! |
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Posted: 21 Apr 2011 03:30 AM PDT
  Ranstad recently completed a nation-wide survey of employees measuring a number of aspects having to do with salary, benefit, work conditions and expectations they have for this coming year. Ranstad is the second leading global HR and Staffing firm. One outstanding figure was 43% of the people responding indicated they were looking for a promotion this year. That's going to be a lot of people taking their spouse out to celebrate.A promotion doesn't just magically happen because you want it to or by spending enough time in your current position. Promotions take place because of demonstrated ability to perform at the next level. Here at 8 steps to power your way to that promotion: 1. Know where you're going. It's not enough to simply want to be promoted; you have to be clear about what you want to be promoted TO. Granted, for some companies you can be doing virtually the same work and get promoted, which is primarily a pay increase. In this definition, we're talking about a promotion to a higher rank or position. With that higher rank or position, comes a new set of responsibilities. You must be clear about what the work is you are targeting before you can create any plan to get there. 2. Study the new position. Once you have identified the position you want to be promoted to, you need to understand what the job involves. Most likely there will be some additional tasks for which you may not have the experience or the skills to perform. In order for you to identify what development is needed, it's extremely important for you to analyze the difference between where you are right now and what will be demanded of you in the other position. 3. Create a development plan. The best way to a promotion is by obtaining agreement and support from your immediate manager for what development you need to do. Create a development plan that you can review with them based on your assessment done on step 2. You will want to know their perspective of the demands of the job and where they see you need to develop. Once you are in agreement on the various development items, you need to work out the details for when and how each element will be carried out. Notice I didn't say go to the boss and ask to be promoted with nothing in your hand. The act of taking responsibility for your direction, giving thought to what you must do to get there, and working with them show's tremendous professionalism. 4. Look for opportunities. When you are looking to grow, you must look for opportunities to demonstrate you can take on bigger responsibilities. These might not be on your plan, but are still great things to gain skill and experience. Volunteer to fill in when someone in your target position is out of the office, or to pick up a project from them when they need to offload a heavy work load. If those situations aren't available, look toward the work your boss does for the same chance to excel. 5. Make sure you're doing your job well. Sometimes when people get so excited about getting promoted and taking on new duties, they forget they still have a job to perform. This is not the time to drop a ball. Make sure you are executing superbly WHILE taking on new tasks. This might mean you have to put in additional hours for a while, but you should consider it an investment in your future. 6. Measure and get feedback. Be accountable to your plan. Each time you achieve a development milestone, it's a good time to sit back down with the boss and calibrate your plan. You need to ask for feedback on both the items you delivered as well as over all progress. You need to know if what you are doing is truly moving you forward toward that promotion; and the only way to know is to ask. 7. Understand the path isn't straight. As with everything, things change. The boss leaves, the company reorganizes or you get moved. You should expect that your path to promotion will be a curving and sometimes rough road. If you know that as you start, then know you will occasionally need to make adjustments to your plan. Keep your eye on the goal and when the business changes, look at that event as an opportunity. Every change gives you a chance to solve problems and let management know just how indispensible you are. If there is one message I would want to leave you with it's this: You are responsible for your success, however you define it. If a promotion is your next career goal, you must be responsible for making it happen. And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to the Career Makeover Newsletter AND eWorkbook "Should I Stay or Should I Go" – both dedicated to Your career success, when you visit http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/ From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – Your Career Change Agent from www.nextchapternewlife.com Author: Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients achieve their goals. Her programs cover: Career growth and enhancement, Career Change, Retirement Alternatives and Job Search Strategy. Want to discover specific career change strategies that get results? Discover how by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com |
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