Spring Forward in Your Career

Winter is ending. I can honestly say I am happy to see spring coming. Many people get the urge at this time of year to do spring cleaning and clear out the old clutter. Now might be a good time to do some professional spring cleaning, too, and get your career in shape for spring. It seems a good time to reflect on ways we can grow and spring forward in the workplace.

Consider the following tips:

• Sit down with your supervisor and discuss ways you can become more of an asset to your company.
• Ask for feedback on your performance; do not take criticism personally, but rather use it to grow professionally.
• Think about ways you can positively set yourself apart from coworkers by performing your tasks more efficiently and offering positive solutions to problems.
• Be professional at all times.
• Update your skills; develop a professional development plan.
• Look for ways you can add value to your company by saving money or time or by increasing profits or productivity.
• Keep up with industry news and developments in your field.
• Take a class or attend a seminar.
• Find ways to get along with everyone in the office, including those hard-to-deal-with coworkers.
• Strive for perfect attendance and punctuality.
• Display a positive attitude.

Spring is a great time to refresh your career.

It's Goal Setting Time Again

Yesterday started a new year, which means many people will be looking to make a fresh start. If you plan to set 2016 goals for yourself, there are a few steps you can take to ensure success. Start by making sure your goals are attainable, measurable, and specific to you. 

·         Create your goals. What are your hopes and dreams for the new year? Goals must be something you really want and are able to attain or you are setting yourself up for defeat. State the goals in specific terms. Write down the goals. People who write goals are more likely to achieve them.

·         Break the goals down into specific steps. Large, time-consuming tasks are daunting. It’s easier to work on goals when you can take them a step at a time.

·         Create an action plan so you know where you must focus your energy to attain the goals. Take the steps you’ve listed for attaining your goals and develop an action plan for completing each of them. What is the first thing you will do? What comes next? Take your personal strengths and preferences into consideration.

·         Create a timetable for reaching the goals. By creating a timeline and setting a deadline, you will be able to determine if you are on target to reach the goals.

·         Create a daily to-do-list and copy the steps from your action plan onto it. Prioritize and work your way through the list.

·         Determine how you will hold yourself accountable for reaching the goals. Who will you tell about the goals? How will you motivate yourself? What will you do if you fall short? Don’t let setbacks keep you from achieving your goals.

·         Be positive and flexible.

·         Assess how you are doing periodically regarding the achievement of the goals.

·         Change what is not working. 

It’s a fact that people who set goals achieve more. Why not give yourself all the breaks you can get in 2016? With set goals and enough of the right action, you can achieve your dreams.

Summertime is Fun Time!

Summer provides an opportunity for fun and relaxation. Take some time to enjoy the season with family and friends. We want to have successful careers, but we should remember to cultivate relationships along the way.

Here some tips to keep your summer enjoyable: 

• Live in the moment; don’t think about everything else you have to do but rather enjoy what you are doing right now.
•  Adopt healthy habits.
•  Spend some time in the outdoors; nature has a lot to offer during this time of year.
• Leave work at work.
• Schedule some fun activities with family and friends.
• Re-evaluate where you are in life and where you want to go from here.
• Forget about things you cannot change.
•  Find solutions to problems rather than dwell on them.

Enjoy the summer!

Spring Cleaning for Career Success

Spring is the ideal time to clear out the old and give everything a good cleaning. Take the time to unclutter your office and your desk. We all work better in a pleasant environment.

·         Purge old hard copy files

·         Throw away outdated notes and useless materials

·         Take everything out of desk drawers and wipe them out

·         Organize desk drawers

·         Discard old pens, markers, rubber bands, and other worn out supplies

·         Clear your calendar

·         Delete old, worthless emails

·         Throw out old business cards and magazines

·         Clean up old files on your computer

·         Clear everything from your desk that you don’t need that hinders your work habits

·         Rearrange your work area in the best way for you to complete your tasks

·         Give the surface of your desk a good cleaning; wipe down the phone, computer, lamp, and desk accessories.

In addition to clearing clutter from your desk, clear the clutter from your mind by using a to-do list, a tickler file (for dated material), a pending file, a calendar, and an easy method for you to remember all the hundreds of things you need to do.

Spring Has Sprung--Spruce Up Your Career

Winter is ending. I can honestly say I am happy to see spring coming. Many people get the urge at this time of year to do spring cleaning and clear out the old clutter. Now might be a good time to do some professional spring cleaning, too, and get your career in shape for spring.

Consider the following tips to spruce up your career:

• Sit down with your supervisor and discuss ways you can become more of an asset to your company.
• Ask for feedback on your performance; do not take criticism personally, but rather use it to grow professionally.
• Think about ways you can positively set yourself apart from coworkers by performing your tasks more efficiently and offering positive solutions to problems.
• Update your skills.
• Look for ways you can add value to your company by saving money or time or by increasing profits or productivity.
• Keep up with industry news and developments in your field.
• Take a class or attend a seminar.
• Find ways to get along with everyone in the office, including those hard-to-deal-with coworkers.

A little spring cleaning can go a long way to improving your career.

Resume Tips

The job market is improving, and many people will be looking for a job or hoping to change careers. In addition, by keeping your resume updated even when you do not plan to search for a job, you will be prepared if a better opportunity arises.

The following tips will help you put together a winning resume.

1. Limit the resume to one or two pages; employers are time strapped.
2. Instead of a job objective, briefly profile your achievements under the heading accomplishments.
3. Use the keywords from the job description or from your particular industry.
4. Locate important information in a prominent place where employers will see it during a 30-second scan of the resume.
5. Quantify whenever possible--use numbers, dollar amounts, and percentages.
6. Do not overuse fancy fonts, underlines, bullets, bold, boxes, tabs, etc.
7. List a professional email address.
8. Never lie or exaggerate your experience, skills, achievements, or education.
9. Do not list references on the resume; prepare a separate reference page.
10. Customize the resume to fit the job description.
11. Always send a customized cover letter with the resume showing how your qualifications meet the employer's needs.
12. Proofread carefully checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
13. If mailing a resume, print it on quality paper.

A well-prepared resume just may get you that job interview.