Manage Your Career. Six Steps To Follow
 By Rick Dacri, Dacri & Associates
Manage Your Career. That's the advice I received early in my
professional career. Manager your career or someone may manage
it for you--and you might not like what they have planned.
Today, as I coach executives, managers and those who find their
careers in transition, I always pass that advice on. Manage your
career.
So how do you best manage your career? There are six basic steps
to follow:
| 1. |
Inventory your career – regularly take stock and write down
your significant accomplishments, training programs completed, jobs,
education, and achievements. Focus on your contribution and value that
you bring to your organization rather than the tasks you perform. |
| 2. |
Have an updated resume – resumes are a must when looking for
a new job, but they are a great tool to share with your boss during
performance appraisal time, when going for a promotion or pay raise, or
when applying for a position within your company. View the resume as
your personal marketing piece—and once again, focus on accomplishments
rather than tasks performed. |
| 3. |
Know what makes you happy – jobs and career are a big part of
your life so you might as well be happy doing it. And remember, job and
career are two different things. A job is what we do to make money. A
career is a passion, a professional focus. It’s what excites you,
challenges you, drives you. You know you’ve arrived when you get paid to
work in your career field in a company that appreciates your unique
contribution. |
| 4. |
Network, network, network – successful people are good
networkers and they do it often. Get out of the office and meet with
different people. Join professional associations and take an active
role. Build your Rolodex. |
| 5. |
Stay current – no matter what your education or training, in
a short period of time you’ll find yourself falling behind if you’re not
regularly taking courses, attending trainings, and reading professional
journals. |
| 6. |
Get a professional coach or mentor – coaches can provide you
needed advice and counsel in a safe environment. They are a sounding
board for your ideas, an unbiased critic, the one who can give you a
push when you’re stuck. They assist with business issues or style issues
and they’ll help to enhance your knowledge, performance, and image. |
Imagine what it would be like to find yourself enjoying a
successful career—doing what you want to do, where you want to
do it, and getting paid well for doing it. Follow these six
steps and your career will take off. Remember, only you can
manage your career.
Rick Dacri is an organizational development
consultant, coach and featured speaker at regional and national conferences.
Since 1995 his firm, Dacri & Associates has focused on improving the performance
of individuals and organizations. Rick can be reached at 1-800-892-9828,
or
rick@dacri.com |
