By Vicky Oliver, Business2Community.com
Special to Online Career Tips
The new year marks a moment when many of us sense opportunity, hope, and change on the horizon. There’s a reason why so many businesses do end-of-year performance appraisals. Besides the fact that it provides a basis for the annual bonus if your company offers them, it also gives you a chance to reflect on your career progress and find the incentive to do better.
The start of 2014 is a perfect time to try these six strategies that will help you grow, develop, and advance your career.
1. Boost Your Knowledge And Skills In One Area
Complete this sentence. “If I knew how to ______ it would make me a more valuable employee.” Perhaps your writing, your computer-graphics skills, or your presentation style needs to get to the next level. Think about your weakest attribute, and then find a local course, webinar, DVD, book, or professional conference that can help you learn and improve. Be sure to tell your manager about it after you’ve completed the process. Your willingness to pursue self-development will make a positive impression.
2. Do A Soup-To-Nuts Personal Brand Makeover
When was the last time you considered your professional image? Often, we think of this only when we’re applying to jobs. Here’s a mini checklist of brand elements that might need a smart, stylish update: business card and resume; social media sites; hair; eyewear; clothing, shoes, and accessories; and office/cubicle accoutrements. Think of the image you’d like to portray, and create an overall package that expresses your style and individuality. If you need improvement in a few of these areas, pick one to tackle each month. By autumn, you’ll dazzle everyone.
3. Do A Networking Push
You may be doing a great job at your desk, on your own, day after day, but when you engage in active networking, it’s like fertilizing a plant. You’ll grow and energize your career by making new professional connections, learning about new trends in your industry, and getting exposed to new business ideas. Do a little networking every week. Share an interesting article with social media contacts. Comment on someone’s business blog. Invite a colleague to lunch. Attend an alumni mixer or an industry panel discussion. Work through your stack of business cards and commit to calling or emailing a new business acquaintance weekly.
4. Clean Up Your Work Space
Did you ever see someone’s office that was super organized, with a place for everything and everything put away–great lighting, nice furniture, lots of space and functionality? Having an uncluttered, well-planned work space will energize you on the job. You can buy inexpensive organizers to help with items that litter your desk–such as pens, Post-its, and office supplies. Buy a file cabinet and organize papers into folders. Bind up your cables and wires under your desk and label them.
5. Create Challenges For Yourself
When we’re presented with a challenge, we often rise to the occasion and accomplish things we never thought possible. The same is true with our everyday work. The harder you push yourself, the more you’ll learn and improve. Try tackling a problem you and your coworkers have been complaining about, such as disorganized customer files. Poll your peers on inefficiencies and then present them to a manager, with specific solutions you’d like to try. Taking on a new task like this looks good to higher ups, will improve your job skills, and provide a sense of fulfillment.
6. Go On An Office Diet
An office diet is a way of getting rid of unproductive activities that bloat your daily schedule and eat up your time. Keep a log for one week in which you track how much time you spend doing things that don’t actually help you in your job. Examples would be web-surfing, chatting with coworkers, or texting friends. Also write down activities that are time wasters, such as trying to locate files or emails because your filing system is disorganized, or doing a task that’s very similar to one a coworker is already doing. If you can figure out ways to use your time efficiently, it will give you more time for healthy activities, such as resting your brain for 15 minutes, or taking a power walk.
For more career-boosting tips, visit www.vickyoliver.com and vickyoliverblog.com.
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