career goals

Is it time to kick some career goals? You might be comfortable in your career, but are you challenged? Do you wake up excited about the week ahead? If you’re shaking your head, these tips on achieving your career goals will speak (or shout) to you.

Simon Bennett, Career Coach and Principal Consultant at Glide Outplacement, advises that when your career is starting to feel stale, consider the following to turn it around.  

 

1. Seek New Challenges

If you’re unhappy at work, it might be time to start doing more of what you enjoy. You could take on a variety of new challenges or consider expanding on your skillset, which can make your career more rewarding.  

 

2. Look for Opportunity at Work 

Volunteer for other opportunities within your workplace, such as project work or secondments. You might be surprised that you enjoy the temporary work so much that you decide to make it permanent.

 

3. Propose a New Job for Yourself

Maybe the job you want doesn’t yet exist. If you believe it would generate or take advantage of new business opportunities, you could suggest this role for you be created for you. 

 

4. Make a Career Ladder Move

A promotion will give you more responsibility, new skills, higher pay or status. Alternatively, if you want to change your job but not take on more responsibility, working with a new team (but on the same level) could see you carrying out different tasks. 

 

5. Take on an Additional Job

A second job or voluntary work can ‘fill the gaps’ in your current position. It can provide more fulfilment to your work, an opportunity to be more creative or meet new people.

 

Change Leadership and Career Expert Michelle Gibbings says the world is changing, which means to stay relevant it’s vital to be comfortable with career change and reinvention. 

So, to reinvent and kick your career goals, you should heed the following career advice, according to Ms Gibbings.

 

6. Actively Plan Your Career

You should take time to actively plan your career goals by setting aside time to consider what you want to achieve. You should also monitor the progress you’ve made and identify key next steps to making your career goals a reality. 

Consider what’s happening around you – how is your role, profession and industry changing?

Most of the workforce will be impacted by disruptive technologies, including automation and artificial intelligence, so you need to be ready.

 

7. Be Clear on Your Value

Everyone brings their own unique skills and style to the workplace, so be clear about the value you bring to the table. Then make sure that you consistently deliver value with the work you do.

 

8. Build Your Profile and Connect

Build a profile where you are the go-to expert on something and are respected, and have a network that will advocate for your expertise.

 You may need to spend time thinking more about what you can do for others, rather than what they can do for you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you achieve your career goals. 

 

 Consider:

• How can I help a colleague or connection build their network? Is there someone in my network that I can connect them with?
• Have I got new knowledge or insight that I could easily share?
• Can I help a colleague or friend with their career goals? 

 

9. Seek Out Learning Opportunities 

Don’t wait for your organisation to create learning opportunities for you. Successful people know that learning is crucial to future career success and to achieving career goals. They continuously seek new ideas and ways to stretch themselves.

 

Consider:

• Buy a book on a topic that interests you (but is different from your day job).
•  If you sit in an office, attend a course that requires you to use your hands, such as woodwork, craft or design.
•  Go to a lecture on a subject that will broaden your field of view. Or subscribe to online news so that you can get up to date information and knowledge from around the world.
•  Get a coach who can help you uncover your career goals and motivations.
•  Invest in learning more about yourself, your emotional intelligence and emotional triggers.
•  Take on feedback from sponsors, mentors, colleagues and peers as it’s crucial to understand how people see you and how that differs from how you see yourself.

 

10. Get Active and Manage Stress

Your mental and physical health impacts on your focus, productivity, decision making, and how you relate to work colleagues. Today’s work environment is also stressful, so it’s important to be able to regulate your behaviour and manage stress. 

 

 Consider:

• Are you getting enough sleep?
• Are you eating well and exercising?
• Are you finding time to reflect?
• Are you setting aside time each day for me-time? 
• Are you finding ways to recharge and maintain your energy levels?

 

 Your career is meaningful, but it is only a part of your life. So, make sure you plan and manage your career goals as part of your ‘whole life’ goals. 

 

Katrena Friel, author of Refresh Your Career: 7 Steps to Refreshing Success, shares a few of her tips on refreshing your success to kick career goals. 

 

11. Access Your Personal Power 

Personal power is being able to walk into a room with self-confidence. When your personal power is lacking, you tend to be passed over for promotions, you’re invisible, and you cannot say no. 

 

To harness your personal power, you need to own your space and feel comfortable in your own skin. You should send a clear message to your unconscious mind that you want to have access to as much of your personal power as possible. 

 

12. Develop Your Emotional Intelligence 

Emotional Intelligence (EQ), is one of nine intelligences. In business, it is considered one of the most important intelligences and is highly valued in business today. It pretty much determines your career success.

Essentially it is two things. First, ‘know yourself’ and ‘Know your impact on others’. There is no way you can do the second without the first. That’s EQ in a nutshell! 

 

13. Be Yourself

How willing are you to be vulnerable at the right moments, so that people want to help and support you? Be genuine and true to yourself to avoid perfectionism. 

Being a perfectionist is to be machine-like. Nobody has ever enjoyed working for a machine.

 

Are you inspired to kick some career goals? If so, Australian Online Courses can help you to gain the skills and knowledge you need to achieve that promotion or to change careers and start doing something you love.  

 

Australian Online Courses

If you’re looking for an online training provider that offers quality content, reasonable course fees and superior student support, choose Australian Online Courses for your professional development.

Simply visit us online to discover hundreds of flexible, online, professional development courses covering almost every industry sector. Or contact one of our friendly Learning Consultants on 1300 762 221 or via Live Chat.