Is your career in good health?

Is your career fighting-fit? Or just plain fighting to stay alive? Your career, like your body, needs to be looked after and given the right ‘nutrition’ and ‘supplements’ in order to stay healthy so that it is better equipped to cope with changing conditions, being resistant to the various ‘ill’s and chills’ that come about as the seasons change.

Without revision of your career progress and awareness of the skills and characteristics that you will need to meet the changing demands of organisations and employers, you may find yourself in need of some serious ‘career CPR’ (Career Progression Revival) due to an outdated ‘leave it to the company’ approach to career management.

To keep your career healthy the following ‘nutritional guidelines’ are recommended:

1. Engage in continuous learning –

We live in a “knowledge age”. To ensure that you are not ‘left behind’ in the knowledge movement, take the time to attend workshops and seminars, invest in further education, or find new ways of developing or utilising additional skills in your company.

2. Stay abreast of market trends –

By paying close attention to the directions of organisations and industries, you can keep informed about trends and changes in the business and labour markets, and identify skills that are likely to be valued in the future.

3. Develop self-awareness of your skills and values –

Awareness of your key strengths, weaknesses, and values can assist you in planning your career by identifying areas to be explored or developed further & in suggesting potential directions.

4. Take responsibility for your own career management –

You can no longer rely on ‘lifetime employment’ with one company or charted career paths. The responsibility for career management has been passed onto you – the employee.

5. Build your flexibility and adaptability –

The ability to be flexible and adapt to different tasks and situations is a key requirement sought from employees in today’s fast-paced world.

6. Be a ‘team player’ –

In contemporary organizations, tasks tend to be fragmented into component parts, therefore the ability to work well with others is an important prerequisite.

7. Have confidence in yourself –

If you don’t believe in yourself, why should employers believe in you?

8. Be willing to take risks –

Being willing to take risks and try new things is a necessity for career growth.

9. Commit yourself to personal excellence –

Knowing you seek excellence for yourself, employers will seek your excellence too!

10. Network, Network, Network –

Having a good range and number of contacts in fields related to yours can open up a world of opportunities.

11. Build a happy life outside work –

If you have a fulfilling life outside work, then you are likely to be better able to ‘bounce back’ from setbacks and unexpected changes.

Take your career in for a check-up at Career Analysts ‘Career Health Check’ FREE online at www.careeranalysts.co.nz/healthcheck.php. Or visit www.careeranalysts.co.nz for information on our range of services.