Career Management Tips to help you excel
Are you in charge of your career? I suspect not, and you know what? You’re not alone. Here are five thought-provoking career management tips that will help you define your career goals, advance your career, and make you an employable and enticing candidate.
The most important tip, number one, keep your resume up to date. You can’t predict if or when an executive recruiter, or other career influencer, will contact you. Just like my days as a Boy Scout, you should always be prepared. You do not want to miss out on an opportunity
Which leads us into number two, are you on LinkedIn? If not, why not? If you are on LinkedIn, is your profile up to date, and does it tell a true and compelling story about who you are and what you can bring an employer? LinkedIn is a very easy tool to use, with multiple options to broadcast yourself as an expert, to a defined or wider audience. Use it often, use it professionally, and use it prudently.
My third tip involves something that is uncomfortable for many, and that is networking. Networking can be onerous, but the return on investment can be massive. There are networking events galore, so I suggest you get out of your comfort zone and meet people, shake hands, and generate leads for your next opportunity.
Tip number four, do you have a brag book? What is a brag book? It’s where you document your successes as you advance your career. A brag book doesn’t have to be a physical book. It can also be on the cloud. It provides you an opportunity for you to toot your own horn and brag, which often is uncomfortable for many, but reality is, we live in a performance-driven world, where you are measured on how you succeed, how you save money, how you generate revenue, and how you increase productivity.
You get the message. Keep this book at home, in a safe place, and be sure to review and refresh the content often. Then, everything you need for your next resume will be there when you need it.
Finally, and I know I am biased, but my fifth tip is hire a career coach. Athletes hire coaches, many business people hire executive coaches. Why not hire a career coach, to help you manage your career? They are experts in providing guidance, support, and generating ideas to help you stand out from the competition.
