New Year, New You? 5 resources to help you achieve your goal.

January. A time for making resolutions, many of which will be broken by the end of the month. If you belong to a gym, you’ll know what I mean. Lots of eager new members keen to reshape their bodies ready for the beach in the summer. I personally look forward to February when the pace returns to normal and once again you can book onto classes with ease.

And what of your career plans for this year- is work something you’ve been reflecting on over Christmas and New Year? Are you looking to change your job during the coming months? Many of you will have been reflecting on this during the festive season. If you’re planning on making a change, are you confident you’ll see it through? Or will you too have drifted off course once you start back after the New Year, derailed by the general busyness of your current role?

Here are five resources that can help you keep focused on your end goal of making a career change during the next 12 months.

1. Major career change and working on yourself

If you’re looking to make a significant career change, it will take time and effort. If you’re willing to make the personal investment in yourself, and undertake the necessary research and reflection, one of my favourite career books of all time has to be  ‘What Color is your Parachute? Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success.’ By working through the different exercises in the book, you will emerge with increased self-awareness, more confidence, greater clarity on what you want and a clear plan of action. 

2. Practical ‘how to’ advice

Another great read and a perennial favourite is ‘How to Get A Job You Love: Find a job worth getting up for in the morning‘ by John Lees. His approach is practical, down to earth and enables you to see how you can achieve your goal. I usually have two copies as it’s the one book that friends and coaching clients always want to borrow.

3. A careers podcast

If you prefer podcasts to reading, then ‘Amazing If‘, the Squiggly Careers podcast provides more than 300 searchable episodes on each different aspect of career planning. There are also a number of free downloadable careers worksheets and templates, so you can focus on the most relevant topics to suit you. You can subscribe to receive bite sized useful tips and motivation which help keep you focused and on track.

4. My blog www.thecareercatalyst.co.uk

And of course there are many topics on my blog which focus on:

• What do you want from a career? Exploring what you want, and what you have to offer.
• Career confidence  How to overcome impostor phenomenon and improve your skills.
• Career Development  How to progress successfully in your career.
• Gender Equality  How to deal with workplace inequality.
• Careers Resources  Access to free online careers resources, careers advice and ‘how to’ tips.

5. Hire a career coach.

In the same way you might contemplate hiring a Personal Trainer, the investment you’ll experience in hiring a career coach will make it more likely that you’ll see results faster than you would alone. Having someone who encourages you but who also stretches and holds you to account makes this an option well worth considering.  Ask those you know for their personal recommendations.

Self-employment

For those of you contemplating whether to make the leap from employment to freelancing, next week’s blog will focus specifically on what you’ll need to consider. My guest Blogger Lisa Slater, an experienced freelancer and copywriter will share her valuable advice on what you need to bear in mind.