Whether you’ve taken a break from work, you feel like you’ve stalled, or your professional life just needs a jump start, there are lots of things you can do to help reinvigorate your career.
If you find yourself in a position where you’re looking to make a change, then these five tips can help.
Re-evaluate your goals
When you’ve got something you want to achieve, setting goals that can help you along the way is always a good place to start. You want your goals to gradually lead you to where you want to go, giving you the motivation you need to keep going.
Goals are most effective when they’re SMART goals, this means they should achieve a number of things:
- Specific – there’s a clear purpose to them
- Measurable – it should be clear when you have achieved them
- Achievable – it has to be something you can realistically attain
- Relevant – it should relate to your overall goal
- Time-bound – give yourself a time frame.
When you’ve got clear goals set out, it makes your journey seem that much more achievable.
Break the journey down
Your overall goal might be something that’s going to take some time to achieve, and there can be lots of steps along the way to achieving it. If that’s the case, then it can be a big help to break the journey down and really understand the different steps you’ve got to take.
For example, your ultimate goal might be to become CFO in your company, but if you’ve just joined in an entry-level position, this is going to take some time to achieve. However, there’s nothing stopping you from planning your route to the CFO position and actively taking steps to achieve your goals.
It’s also important to remember to enjoy the journey as well. You might want to end up as the CFO, but there’s still plenty to enjoy about the steps of getting to that position.
Further your education
No matter what stage you have reached in your career, you always have the opportunity to further your education. Life should be a journey of learning, and there are always courses you can take that can give you the boost you’re looking for in your career.
There’s a great selection of business degrees you can take online and with jobs in big data and AI being so in demand, it’s a great opportunity to refresh your skills with something like an analytics degree.
Business changes quickly, and the more skills you have, the more in-demand your services are going to be.
Do some networking
You often hear the saying, “it’s not what you know but who you know.” While it’s clearly important to be knowledgeable, it’s also a big help when you’ve got contacts in your industry.
Networking is a great way to build those contacts, and meeting new people is a nice way to build your career. You never quite know who you’re going to meet when you go to a networking event, and you certainly never know where those contacts can take you.
It might be a bit of a time commitment, but networking can be well worth the effort as you create contacts that can have a big impact on your career.
Volunteering is a great first step
It’s not always easy to take the next steps in your career. Businesses always want people with experience, but you can’t get that experience unless you’re given an opportunity. One of the ways you can overcome this hurdle is by volunteering.
Not only is this a brilliant way to give back to the community, but it also gives you vital experience and a chance to hone your skills. It’s another way of creating new contacts that can perhaps help you in your next career steps, and it’s just a good thing to do.
No matter what industry you’re in, or looking to get into, there are always volunteering opportunities that can help you along the way.
Sometimes you’ve got to take a risk
Occasionally you’ve just got to take a risk to get to where you want to go. The important thing is that you’re aware of the risks you’re taking and if you commit to something, then you’re committing fully.
If you don’t push yourself beyond your comfort zone, then you’ll never know what you can achieve, so don’t be afraid of taking a risk to get to where you want to go in your career.
