CAREER TALK
Time for a Career MOT
D
espite hating the cold weather and the long dark evenings, there is something that I love about the New Year. I love it because I see it as a new beginning. It is a chance to reflect on the previous year and what I have achieved, what I could have done differently and what lessons I have learned. I see it as an opportunity to carve out my goals and plans for a brand New Year.
the ways that you can do this is to continuously work on your self development by keeping your skills up to date. In a recent survey I conducted of 133 women aged 40-60, only 12% said that they continuously update their skills. Considering that fear and a lack of confidence is a major contributor to women not pursuing their career ambitions, outdated skills only serves to feed into these fears.
career MOT will allow you to take action before you become stuck in a rut or too unhappy Step out of your comfort zone I always advocate doing a and feel like you do not have the career MOT a couple of times a energy or confidence to make a If you are stuck in a comfort year and January is a good time change. zone and no longer find that to do this. It enables you to take your work is challenging, stock of your career and review So go on, check whether your staying where you are can have how things are going so that you spark plugs are in order or long term implications. It can do not end up stuck in a rut and whether you need a complete impact on your motivation, your unhappy at work. performance, your happiness, overhaul. relationships and even your Carrying out your career MOT Planning for the year ahead health. To carry out your career MOT, take an hour or so out of your busy schedule, get yourself a pen and notepad and reflect on the following questions:
Once you have done your career MOT, you can then plan what you want to achieve in the year ahead. Change is a constant and it is important that you keep yourself marketable should you • What is working well? need to make a career move or • What have you enjoyed be forced in to making a career doing? move through no choice of your • What scope is there for own. It is easy to get complacent development? at work and get into a comfort • What is not working? zone and before you know it, • How much do you look you are stuck in a rut. forward to going to work in the mornings? Business owners are constantly looking at their brand and how These are just a few examples they market their business. This of questions that you can ask should be the same with you yourself. Carrying out a regular regarding your career. One of
If you are not in a position to go for another job at the moment, look at what you can do to make what you do more enjoyable, more satisfying and more challenging. This could be taking on extra responsibilities; setting yourself personal, stretching, targets; doing more of the aspects of your role that you love; becoming the champion for a particular cause that you are passionate about within your. Moving on If you recognise that it is time for you to move on, create a plan for how you will achieve this.