Creating a Successful Career
3 Reasons to Set Career Goals This Year
Goals give you something to aim for and push you to better yourself every day. They give you the opportunity to try something new, expand your experiences, and increase your knowledge, all of which are valuable job traits. If you’re concerned about job security in this economy, focus on developing your career instead of wasting your time worrying. Here are three reasons to set career goals this year.
Goals Help You Focus. Successful people set goals for themselves, and write them down. Take the first step to bettering your career, and write down your short-term and long-term goals. Then, post them in your workspace so you can see them on a daily basis. Having a visual of your goals will help you focus each day on your assignments and help you remember that every small task you complete contributes to your success. Being able to see your goals can also give you the extra motivation you need to get the job done and help you concentrate on what new obstacles need to be tackled to reach your goals. You can also ask a co-worker or supervisor to check your progress from time to time to hold you accountable.
Goals Help You Grow. When you’re working to accomplish goals, strive for something more than you already have, which will contribute to your growth. Sometimes, it’s easy to overlook your progress over time. Goals help you realize that you’ve increased your knowledge and bettered your skills. With a stronger skill set, you can contribute more to your team and your company. Ask your supervisor if you can take on new projects that give you an opportunity to increase your skills while you’re working toward your goal. Or, take your current projects to a new level by getting creative and improving them. In the unfortunate case of a job loss, you’ll be more marketable to potential employers with all the new transferable skills and knowledge you obtained while working toward your goals.
Goals Increase Your Value. When you work toward your goals and grow professionally, you demonstrate increasing value to your employer. So, make yourself a bigger asset to the company as you reach for your goals by learning and doing as much as possible. You never know when you’ll be next in line for a promotion or competing for an open position. You’ll be a step ahead of your competition by demonstrating your value to the company.
Setting career goals may be the last thing on your mind if you’re just trying to keep the job you have. But, instead of spending time worrying about your job, do something about it. Creating goals and following through can help you focus, grow professionally, add value to your team, and be successful. So, sit down and write out your goals for the year. You just might find a new motivation for working harder this year.
Writing a Stand-Out Résumé
5 Ways to Get Ahead of the Competition
Writing your résumé for the first time – or for the first time in a long time – can be a daunting task for anyone. How you write up your credentials can make or break your chance to get your foot in the door for an interview, so it’s important to have your résumé nearly perfect every time you apply for a job. Here are five big things to do every time you sit down to update your résumé.
Tailor it. The best way to write a perfect résumé is tailoring it to a specific job description. Clearly list each skill you possess that the position requires. If you’re a perfect match for the job, a tailored résumé will help potential employers see at a glance how your skills and talents match the position perfectly.
List unique skills. After you review a job description, you may notice that a skill you possess wasn’t included in the posting. If that skill relates to the job and would benefit your employer, include this skill on your résumé. Employers will take notice when you list unique skills, which can put you ahead of your competition, especially if no one else possesses those skills. If you have a skill that doesn’t relate to the job, don’t include it on your résumé. For example, if you’re applying for a data processing job, don’t list your cooking skills.
Practice. Writing a perfect résumé doesn’t happen in an instance, and if you’re learning new skills and gaining new experiences, what you can put on your résumé will constantly grow. The more practice you have writing your résumé, the better you’ll be at tailoring it to each job description and including just what employers are looking for. Try drafting your résumé in different formats, such as chronological and functional formats. This will help you figure out which style works best for each of the positions you’re applying for.
Proofread. When you make careless mistakes and they end up in a potential employer’s hands, your chances of landing an interview may disappear. So, carefully read and reread your résumé, checking for misspelled words, incorrect grammar, and misuse of similar sounding words that have a different meaning. Ask a friend or family member to proofread your résumé, too. They’re more likely to catch a mistake that you’ve overlooked. Taking the time to make sure your résumé is error-free keeps you from missing out on an opportunity because of an easily avoidable mistake.
Keep it short. Most hiring managers receive many résumés and cover letters for every job opening they post and don’t have time to read every résumé word for word. So, limit your résumé to two pages or less. This provides enough space to detail your education, skills, and talents to employers without overwhelming them with too much information. And because they’re often in a hurry when looking through a stack of résumés, use bulleted lists to facilitate quick and easy reading instead of writing in long paragraphs. It’s great to highlight your achievements and include your work history, but only describe your more current employment.
Résumés play a big role in whether or not you’ll land an interview, so take your time putting yours together before you apply for each job. You can write a stand-out résumé by practicing, proofreading, and tailoring it to each position. A near-perfect résumé will help your accomplishments stand out and sell you as a great candidate for the job.
Job Genius is a publication of Express Services, Inc. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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