Give your career a spring clean

Having spent the last few weeks in the southern hemisphere, I was over the moon to come home to find spring in full swing. With the balmy weather, my garden had turned into a jungle, which meant my time over the weekend was spent mowing, weeding and pruning; whilst all the time planning what I would do with the garden over the summer.

Spring is a time many of us find the motivation to put new plans in place and make changes in many parts of lives, not just in the house or garden.

It’s therefore no surprise that I’ve also come home to many enquiries and newclients wishing to dust off their career and start making positive changes for the future.

Spring is a great time to start focusing on your career. With the new financial year for many, organisations often are looking to recruit and implement changes of their own. If you feel your career has been stuck in a rut, the following actions willhelp give your career a spring clean:

What are you aiming for? It’s always important to start with an end in mind, so take some time thinking about where you want your career to progress to. What do you want to have achieved by the time you retire?

Action: Identify five phrases that summarise what you would like to be doing in say, five to ten years’ time? Write them in the present tense.

What have you achieved to date? Taking time to reflect on achievements over your career is essential for future planning. Not only will it allow you to refocus if necessary, but it will help you to articulate your competence and experience when securing future roles

Action: Create an itinerary of activities and achievements over your career. What have you loved doing; what have you disliked? Is there a need to refocus your end goal based on your knowledge and experience?

What opportunities are available to you? Many think progressing their career requires a change of job. In some cases this is necessary; however, make sure you take advantage of all the developmental opportunities, experience and networks available to you now before you make a decision to move on.

Action: Identify the people necessary to help you gain access to opportunities and who may support you in achieving your career goals in the future. Create a network plan which maps out everyone you know and identify how each could help introduce you to influential people or opportunities

What changes can you afford to make? Make sure you are strategic in any changes you decide to make.

Action: What compromises can you afford to make if you do decide to change job? How much can you afford to live on, how far are you prepared to travel, what is the impact of these changes on your work/life balance? Committing to a series of actions with timescales will help you make your career spring clean a success. Identify five actions you’re committed to achieving over the next six weeks and think about how you’re going to hold yourself accountable to achieving them.

If you’re looking for support in your career change, whether it be looking for a new job or making a significant change, I am here to provide support.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out more, at penny@pennystrutton.co.uk.