Whether it is your first career plan that has brought you to where you are now or an education plan you put in place to prepare you for a career change, you are closer this year to your new career than you were last year! So anticipating your success let me be the first person to wish you a Happy New Career!Forbes magazine states that only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions. This is a staggering number reflecting a lack human capacity to follow through on things they believe to be important and even life changing. Okay, so before you “throw in the towel”, let’s have a look at how we can become part of the successful 8% or even help bring up the numbers of the population a bit.

For anyone to achieve their New Year’s career goals they have to put in place a few things to ensure they will actually achieve them.

1. Create a Specific Goal – Being focused and clear if important when defining your career goal. Moving forward is almost impossible if you do not know what it is you are attempting to achieve. Your next career move should be refined until you have a Plan A that includes a position title, an industry and the type of company you want to land in. Without this you may end up with something you don’t want or does not support your long term career goal. As a result you will have to embark on another career pursuit which will likely produce a lesser result than you desire. This is often the reason why people settle for less in their careers and do not pursue their real ambitions. Choose to be different!
2. Track Your Progress – Creating a database (Progress Chart) to track what you do, who you talk to, when to take action and what to do next will really help you keep momentum going. One quick review of your database will give you another set of action items to put into play to help you achieve the bigger goal. The effort of keeping a record takes time but there is no time lost. The productivity that is gained and the success that is achieved far outweighs the time it takes to stay on top of your Progress Chart. It is also a form of self motivation when you see pending actions as well as a history of activity and the things these actions have generated.
3. Remember to be Patient – Rome was not built in a day…and your career will likely take some time to build as well. Be patient with the process and realize career change takes time. We all wish that employers were knocking down the door and fighting over us and we could just simply pick where we would best like to work. That has not been happening lately. Until it happens we need to realize research, networking, applications and follow up all take time.
4. Tell People What You Are Doing – This will make you accountable to your friends and family but will also get the word out. In conversations with people, be sure to bring up your career goals and what you are hoping to achieve this year. Tell them the names of the companies you are targeting and ask them if they know someone there you could connect with. Also, ask people if they have any ideas about places you could look to make connections or to consider as potential career companies. Every person has a network and it is amazing how many people know someone you never thought they knew. This becomes quite interesting when family members are asked about potential contacts as opposed to places that are hiring. They often come up with meaningful contacts even though they already knew about job search efforts. Note to self – don’t blame them, you just were not asking the right questions!
5. Make the time! – If you try to find the time you will still be looking for it in 2017! Set time aside in your schedule now. Make appointments with your career future where you set time aside to do career research, review your goals, take next steps and set in motion your action items. Yes, I know you are busy. But if you wait until you are not busy with school then you will be unemployed much longer and without added support. I mean be so determined about your career that when someone asks you to go someone or work an extra shift you just simply reply, “I am sorry that is not possible, I have a previous commitment!”
6. Manage Your Expectations – This is not an ‘all or nothing’ endeavour. Often we will create unrealistic expectations for ourselves and then feel like we have fallen short of our goals when we do not reach them in short order. You do not have to do everything at once or achieve everything at once. Adjust as needed. Redefine. Clarify. Breathe! The underlying theme must always be…just keep moving!
7. Setbacks Are to be Expected – Revaluating your plan, feeling like you are taking three steps forward and two back and running into to obstacles to your career goals are part of the process. “No’s”, are also part of the process of getting you to a “Yes”. Do not accept unsuccessful networking and applications as rejection or setbacks. I often tell my clients it is like selling umbrellas. Some people won’t buy one because they already have one. Others don’t think they need one. Some might prefer a different shape or colour (no reference to people’s looks). At the end of the day we are not chosen because someone else was a better fit for the needs of the employer. It does not mean they did not like us or that we are not valuable to the labour market and our targeted companies.

If you keep in mind these things you will not only reach your career goal in a more timely fashion, but your results will also be closer inline to your true desire. And…you might event keep some other New Year’s resolutions as the same time. Happy New Career!

Russell Garrett is the Owner of Protocol Business Solutions, a Certified Career Consultant and your DAP Career Coach. Watch for the Career Workshop Series beginning in January which will be posted on COOL. Russell is also available for online coaching appointments. For an online appointment email Russell at dapcareersupport@sauder.ubc.ca.